The Krell Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
421457548
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Ames, IA, USA
Phone
5159563696
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Graduate, Professional Schools (Separate Entities)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$19,953,360
Expenses
$19,931,630
Assets
$3,756,756
Liabilities
$2,893,568

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHELLY OLSAN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SHELLY OLSAN (PRESIDENT): $394,368 total reported compensation
  • BETH BROSNAHAN (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMIN): $259,464 total reported compensation
  • NAZANIN IMANI (DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY): $228,453 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To promote the application of modern computing, communication, and information technologies to national priorities.

What it reported doing in 2024

The stewardship science graduate fellowship (ssgf) program selects highly qualified students in stewardship science disciplines that are important to the united states department of energy's national nuclear security administration. Stewardship science includes areas of study relative to high energy density physics, nuclear science, materials under extreme conditions, and hydrodynamics. The fellows complete a program of study at a united states research university, spend at least twelve consecutive weeks at a department of energy national defense laboratory working on a research project of importance to the nation, and attend an annual symposium to share their research experience with other students in the stewardship science graduate fellowship program and with department of energy headquarters and laboratory research staff. During fy2025, five fellows completed the phd fellowship program and are now employed in either postdoctoral programs, in an educational field, or at department of energy laboratories. Five new students were selected to receive fellowships, bringing the total number of fellows in the program to 20. Ssgf fellows were enrolled at 12 different research universities in the united states. The department of energy national nuclear security administration laboratory residency graduate fellowship (doe nnsa lrgf) selects and supports students pursuing a ph.d. In areas of engineering and applied sciences, physics, materials and mathematics and computational science that address complex science and engineering problems critical to stewardship science. The fellows complete a program of study at a united states research university, spend at least two twelve-week residencies at a department of energy national defense laboratory working on a research project of importance to the nation, and attend an annual symposium to share their research experience with other students in the laboratory residency graduate fellowship program and with department of energy headquarters and laboratory research staff.during fy2025, six new students were selected to receive fellowships, bringing the total number of fellows in the program to 18. Four fellows completed the phd fellowship program and are now employed at department of energy laboratories, in academia, within nnsa, or in industry. During this time, lrgf fellows were enrolled at 12 different research universities in the united states.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 100% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 92.1%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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; 66th 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.1%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.19; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.77; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92% of revenue deployed · 92.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $18.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $394K · 9 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 4/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.