The Washington Stem Center
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 272133169
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Seattle, WA, USA
- Phone
- 2066584320
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Educational Services and Schools - Other
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $6,182,935
- Expenses
- $6,667,880
- Assets
- $9,345,547
- Liabilities
- $585,834
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
20 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- LYNNE VARNER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
Highest reported compensation
- LYNNE VARNER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $266,186 total reported compensation
- YOKO SHIMOMURA (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $249,072 total reported compensation
- JENEE MYERS-TWITCHELL (CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER): $221,354 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Washington stem (wa stem) is a statewide, education nonprofit leveraging stem for social change, removing barriers to credential attainment, and creating pathways to long-term economic security for systemically underserved students. Founded on the principles of equity, partnership, and sustainability, Washington stem seeks smart, scalable solutions that lead to removing barriers and creating equitable access for historically excluded students-students who will become the leaders, critical thinkers, and creators that will tackle the biggest challenges facing our state, nation, and the world. We envision a state where skin color, zip code, income, and gender do not predict educational and career outcomes.
What it reported doing in 2024
Washington stem (wa stem) is a statewide, education nonprofit leveraging stem for social change, removing barriers to credential attainment, and creating pathways to long-term economic security for systemically underserved students. Founded on the principles of equity, partnership, and sustainability, Washington stem seeks smart, scalable solutions that lead to removing barriers and creating equitable access for historically excluded students-students who will become the leaders, critical thinkers, and creators that will tackle the biggest challenges facing our state, nation, and the world. We envision a state where skin color, zip code, income, and gender do not predict educational and career outcomes. Wa stem's work revolves around three main strategies: partnership, direct support, and advocacy. Partnership - Washington stem collaborates with 10 stem networks across the state to identify, scale, and spread effective local solutions and convene cross sector partners in business, education, and the community to solve big problems. Direct support - Washington stem provides direct support through targeted community investments, open-source access to data and measurement tools, and technical assistance. Advocacy - Washington stem champions transformative solutions through educating decision makers, storytelling, and collaboration to create the foundation for lasting, equitable change in Washington.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 75% for direct work, and 25% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - 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: 77
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 84.1%; rating input score 84
- Program expense ratio: 77.5%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $11.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd 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: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- 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: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -7.8%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.4; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 22.2%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 84.1% of revenue deployed · 77.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $266K · 20 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 46 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 38 filed related-organization links
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.