The Lab Learning and Action Buffet
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 821491924
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2022–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2021
- Location
- Las Cruces, NM, USA
- Phone
- 5753124875
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Youth Development Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $116,924
- Expenses
- $126,852
- Assets
- $74,920
- Liabilities
- $1,674
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- OLGA CHAVEZ (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- OLGA CHAVEZ (PRESIDENT)
- ANDREW GUTIERREZ (TREASURER)
- FEDERICO ALMAREZ (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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of the lab is to support the ambitions of youth in creating a sustainable and healthy community.
What it reported doing in 2025
The lab provides hands-on opportunities for youth ages 15 to 25, to engage in a variety of projects involving art, communication, and civic engagement. The lab radio hour - career technical education: youth participants receive in-depth mentorship and job skills training in the production of a youth- driven radio show that airs on ktal lp 101.5. It features music and interviews with young people and adult mentors. The creating equity in education (cee) project: lab youth leaders created a public awareness campaing to increase understanding in New Mexico about what equity in education looks like and how to achieve it. The lab drumming workshop: in this interactive workshop, youth participants, children and adults experience the therapeutic benefits of hand drumming while learning a new language and team-building skills. The happy canvas projects: participants of all ages are creating artistic canvas squares based on focus questions such as: what does your heart beat 4? What mends your heart and nurtures racial healing?
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 71% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 25
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 78.3%; rating input score 78
- Program expense ratio: 72.2%; rating input score 72
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: -8.5%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 23.5%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 41.2% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 78.3% of revenue deployed · 72.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $92K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.