The Kentucky Science Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
311005850
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Louisville, KY, USA
Phone
5025616100
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Science and Technology Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,238,719
Expenses
$6,610,544
Assets
$7,092,193
Liabilities
$1,302,610

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

Leadership & pay

42 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL NORMAN (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL NORMAN (PRESIDENT & CEO): $225,005 total reported compensation
  • ERYN WALKER (CHIEF PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICER): $140,891 total reported compensation
  • MELLISA BLANKENSHIP (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $137,060 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to inspire curiosity and empower individuals to explore and experiment with science in all its forms. We embrace a "do science" philosophy: play, tinker, collaborate, test, experiment, learn from mistakes, and try again. Kentucky science center provides a neutral space to engage in conversations about science, fostering curiosity and collaboration across generations and backgrounds.we believe science matters. It empowers individuals, strengthens communities, and fuels the workforce of tomorrow. Steam skills are essential for facing the challenges of the 21st century, and science literacy creates a foundation for lifelong learning and a better quality of life. By making science personal, participatory, and fun, Kentucky science center ensures that curiosity has no limits.

What it reported doing in 2024

Onsite education - Kentucky science center serves students and teachers from across Kentucky and Indiana through school field trips, where teachers can select labs, classes, movies from the science center library, and pre- and post-visit activities that not only enhance their students' experience but satisfy statewide curriculum standards. Daily operations and exhibits at the flagship location in louisville include changing facilitated walk-up science experiences, and themed activities and demonstrations. School's out science camps run all summer long, and on days that the jefferson country public school system is out of class, providing enriching out-of-school experiences upon which parents can rely. In addition, family movie events, themed science celebration weekends, and events specifically for adults represent the flagship facility throughout the year. These powerful opportunities bring science to life in real, exciting and non-formal ways.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 68% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.8%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 79%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.07; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.5%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.5% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.8% of revenue deployed · 79% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 36 of 36 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $5.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $225K · 42 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $230K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 39/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.