Ucar Exchange

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
742439386
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2023
Location
Boulder, CO, USA
Phone
3034978575
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$119,995
Expenses
$145,774
Assets
$4,546,974
Liabilities
$261,115

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANTONIO BUSALACCHI (DIRECTOR/UCAR PRESIDENT)
  • STEVE BERENS (PRESIDENT AND CHAIR)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANTONIO BUSALACCHI (DIRECTOR/UCAR PRESIDENT): $867,848 total reported compensation
  • JUSTIN YOUNG (TREASURER): $297,813 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL ANDERSON (GENERAL COUNSEL/SECRETARY): $247,170 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 assume and foster certain charitable activities of the university corporation for atmospheric research (ucar). These include development of scientific innovations, related research, and application of scientific advances for the benefit of the general public. One of the objectives of the exchange is to pursue opportunities to develop and license scientific and engineering advances generated by ucar's research.

What it reported doing in 2024

Support, promote and license when warranted, scientific and engineering results of research in the atmospheric sciences.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 81% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 68
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.9%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 64.4%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -21.5%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 31.19; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 87.3%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.4% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84.9% of revenue deployed · 64.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $94K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $868K · 10 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.