The Photosynthesis Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
810995779
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2017–2018
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2018, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Tucson, AZ, USA
Phone
5202882876
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Engineering and Technology

Reported finances

Revenue
$56,833
Expenses
$50,594
Assets
$7,766

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2018. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

1 person listed

People named in this filing

  • Li Yao (Director)

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 2018. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Photosynthesis Project is a research and educational non-profit organization devoted to applied research including developing stronger local, regional and national food system in an ever changing and stressed environment. The Photosynthesis Project also conducts industry changing research aimed at addressing issues including but limited to: greenhouse structures, advanced analysis for multiple climate environments, food distribution networks and the growing barrier of access to healthy fresh food in poor and rural areas.

What it reported doing in 2018

In 2018, The Photosynthesis Project collaborated with Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at The University of Arizona together to hold an international controlled environment agriculture workshop in Tucson. In this workshop, growers from North America, South America, Asia and Europe studied how to grow various vegetables through hydroponics technology. Not only growers, food distributors and controlled environment agriculture equipment suppliers also attended this workshop and made several contracts. The Photosynthesis Project also conducted research which focuses on eco-friendly greenhouse construction materials. One of our researchers published a paper about how to recycle waste concrete to build new greenhouse foundation. This research allows local farmers to build high-tech greenhouse with lower cost.

Operating model

Revenue model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
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. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 93
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.15; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -10.9% per year; rating input score 0; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 134.3% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 89% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $51K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 1 people listed
  • Consistency: 6 of 6 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2017 to 2018
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.