Washington Aerospace Scholars Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
205085342
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2067645700
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Physical & Earth Sciences,

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$246,888
Expenses
$427,702
Assets
$269,161
Liabilities
$1,102

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOVONIA TAYLOR (PRESIDENT)
  • MARISA HERRERA PHD (VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER)

People named in this filing

  • JOVONIA TAYLOR (PRESIDENT)
  • MARISA HERRERA PHD (VICE PRESIDENT/TREASURER)
  • BRIAN DOUGLAS (DIRECTOR/SECRETARY)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Promote science, technology, engineering and math (stem) through a statewide interactive learning experience and residency at the museum of flight in seattle for high school juniors in Washington state.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Washington aerospace scholars foundation (was) program, hosted by the museum of flight in seattle, was modeled after a successful nasa program to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (stem) learning among high school juniors. Was is composed of two parts: (1) a five-month competitive statewide interactive online learning experience followed by (2) a six-day summer "design" experience hosted by the museum of flight. During the summer residency, over 130 students joined us in-person at the museum of flight, along with 12 Washington state certified teachers, to work in collaborative teams with input from professional scientists and engineers on the design of a human mission to mars. They also toured stem industry facilities and competed in a hands-on engineering challenges. After completing the program, students are encouraged to pursue stem careers and report their post-high school college and degree field choices to the was alumni association. The program was funded through private sources so that any inspired student willing to work could participate, regardless of economic ability. Students represent many legislative districts and school districts across the state. As of december 2024, over 4,000 students have participated in the distance learning portion of the Washington aerospace scholars program and 2,303 students have participated in a summer experience and became program alumni.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 92
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 87.5%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $30.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -73.2%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.63; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -22% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -12.1% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -17.7% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 87.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $374K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.