Universities Research Association Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
520816670
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2022931382
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,846,655
Expenses
$6,224,561
Assets
$22,971,541
Liabilities
$3,255,722

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN C MESTER (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • TED M WACKLER (VICE PRESIDENT & SECRETARY)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN C MESTER (PRESIDENT & CEO): $632,486 total reported compensation
  • TED M WACKLER (VICE PRESIDENT & SECRETARY): $416,962 total reported compensation
  • MARY H EGGER (CHIEF COUNSEL (UNTIL 3/2025)): $389,605 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Universities research association, inc. (ura) is a nonprofit membership corporation organized to engage in research, development and education in the physical and biological sciences. The mission of ura is to establish and operate in the national interest laboratories and facilities for research, development, and education in the physical and biological sciences to expand the frontiers of knowledge, foster innovation, and promote the education of future generations of scientists.

What it reported doing in 2024

Fra/fermilab: from the laboratory's establishment through december 31, 2006, ura was responsible for organizing, designing, constructing, and operating the fermi national accelerator laboratory (fermilab) under contracts with the u.s department of energy and its predecessor agencies. From january 1, 2007 until december 31, 2024, the contract to manage and operate fermilab was awarded to the fermi research alliance, llc (fra) (fermilab contract), an Illinois nonprofit limited liability company jointly owned by ura and the university of chicago. The fermilab contract with the doe was recompeted in 2024 and was awarded to fermi forward discovery group, llc (fermiforward). Fermi forward is a Delaware nonprofit limited liability company comprised of ura and the university of chicago. Two integrated subcontractors, amentum environment & energy, inc. And longenecker and associates, inc., were part of the fermiforward teaming arrangement. The new contract was awarded on october 1, 2024, and after a 90-day transition period, has an initial five-year term from january 1, 2025 until december 31, 2029. Effective january 1, 2025, ura continues to manage and operate fermilab under the new contract as a member of fermiforward.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 81% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 78% for direct work, and 22% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 33
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 35.9%; rating input score 36
  • Program expense ratio: 39.4%; rating input score 39
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th 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: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.4%; rating input score 98; 35th 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: 9.1%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.69; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 47.8%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 35.9% of revenue deployed · 39.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $2.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $632K · 23 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $3.2M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 37 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 31 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 23 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 39/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.