The Brain Observatory

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
462049025
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2018, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
San Diego, CA, USA
Rating
94
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$143,110
Expenses
$133,827
Assets
$188,400
Liabilities
$32,724

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jacopo Annese (President and CEO)

People named in this filing

  • Jacopo Annese (President and CEO)
  • Katarzyna Brzezicka (Secretary and Treasurer)
  • Craig Decker (Board member)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Brain Observatory is a nonprofit organization advancing the study of the human brain and public understanding of neuroscience. It conducts research in brain imaging and neurodegenerative disease and offers hands-on education programs for students teachers and the community. Its mission is to make neuroscience accessible through real laboratory experiences and the preservation of human brain data for research and learning.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Brain Observatory provides neuroscience-based STEM programs for students and teachers across San Diego County. Activities include afterschool and in-school enrichment field trips to the downtown laboratory seasonal camps research internships and teacher professional development. During the year the organization served more than 3,000 students and educators through hands-on learning with real laboratory materials and data. The nonprofit also generates program income by providing its science curriculum and instructional services to public school districts and community partners. These programs support workforce readiness in life sciences and increase access to quality STEM education for underrepresented youth.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 69% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filed totals do not add up and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 100
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 6.5%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.41; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.5%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.9% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1% per year; rating input score 0; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $144K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 8 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part III program expenses within total did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.