High Technology Foundation

Legal name: West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
550727658
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Fairmont, WV, US
Phone
(877) 363-5482
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Urban, Community Economic Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,848,074
Expenses
$2,833,381
Assets
$1,317,322
Liabilities
$1,897,361

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MR JAMES L ESTEP (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MR JAMES L ESTEP (PRESIDENT/CEO): $313,874 total reported compensation
  • KENNETH WITT (PROGRAM MANAGER): $156,223 total reported compensation
  • STACEY LAYMAN (TREASURER): $141,669 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Institutionalize a knowledge sector in the West Virginia economy. Facilitate the institutionalization of a 'knowledge' sector in West Virginia that substantively provides a sustained positive contribution to the state's economy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Technology-based research and related programs. These activities focus on utilization of technology-based research as a vehicle for economic development and diversification. Much of the foundation's work was provided to the federal government, as customer, particularly the united states department of defense. The foundation has strategically designed "techology clusters" around high potential, sustainable, technology target areas that are viable from both a business and technical perspective. These areas include product line engineering, biometrics technologies, computing technologies, software suitability testing, identification technologies, information warfare/security technologies, computational grid applications, robotics and internet-based web-site support services, cross deck pendant health monitoring sensor for the steel wire-rope used to arrest the motion of landing aircraft on a carrier deck, standoff laser interrogation of munitions, and solar testbed to accelerate the development of large-scale solar technology in north-central West Virginia.

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 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

SUPPORTED - 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: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 9
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.2%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 60.2%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 21st 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: -53.3%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.44; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 33.5%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -17.9% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -18.2% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -18% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 3 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 92.2% of revenue deployed · 60.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $314K · 13 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.