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3000 Youngfield Street Suite 167
Wheat Ridge CO 80215
Wheat Ridge CO | IRS ruling year: 2005 | EIN: 20-0293537
TO INCREASE COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS INVOLVEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, OUTDOOR EDUCATION LABORATORY SCHOOLS.
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This charity's score is 100%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 90% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Outdoor Lab Foundation is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Outdoor Lab Foundation has earned a 100% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 11/11 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 11/11 - 25/25 pts
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - Has Audit/Review - 20/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - Has Audit/Review - 20/20 pts
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 ptsBoard Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Website - Listed - 3/3 ptsWebsite - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 2.71% - 15/15 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 2.71% - 15/15 pts
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
| Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Ratio - 75.66% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 75.66% - 25/25 pts
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
| Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Activity data not reported from the IRS
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Outdoor Lab Foundation) or EIN (200293537) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Outdoor Lab Foundation reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
The Foundation saw declines in individual and corporate donations but we were fortunate to receive increased support from a few local foundations' "Covid Relief" grants and local government grants dedicated to the same.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
Our programs were canceled from March 2020-May 2020. We then returned with a truncated program for the entire 2020-2021 schoolyear in which students participated for two days with no overnight component. For the 2021-2022 school year we are operating a 4-day 3 night program in which students have to show a negative test or proof of vaccination in order to participate. We hope to be back to a full 5-day 4-night program by the 2022-2023 schoolyear.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Our strategic initiatives did not change but we emphasized our tuition assistance program more in 2020-2021.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We updated the measures and factors we use to determine where our tuition assistance grant funds should go. The updated metrics allowed us to better target more schools most impacted by Covid's recessionary impacts but, going forward, these same metrics help us know which neighborhood schools need the most attention and resourcing.
Not Currently Scored
Outdoor Lab Foundation cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Outdoor Lab Foundation reported its largest program on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THE DISTRICT TO ENABLE OUTDOOR LABS FOR APPROXIMATELY 7,000 STUDENTS.
Outdoor Lab Foundation cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Outdoor Lab Foundation has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
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Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableMission - 10/10 ptsMission - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
To inspire community support for and advocate on behalf of Jefferson County Public Schools' Outdoor Lab Program.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
To instill community pride in the Outdoor Lab Program such that the program endures, our students are inspired, and our sites are cherished.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals - 20/20 ptsGoals - 20/20 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Bolstering our Tuition Assistance Program to make sure every student, regardless of their ability to pay, can attend Outdoor Lab. Make Outdoor Lab low or no cost to as many students as possible.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Growing our High School Leaders Program which is comprised of a scholarship fund and other material incentives to support our approximately 1,000 young adult mentors during their volunteerism on site.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Increase pay to interns and making the internship experience more attractive and relevant – 40 total interns who receive a $1,000 stipend at the end of their service.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
The Foundation supports the professional development of our staff in three ways. First, we provide funding for direct training and education opportunities both through virtual trainings and in-person conferences. Second, we give employees the chance to take the initiative to develop their own opportunities by taking on new challenges and trying new approaches to our work. Finally, third, we create strategic plans collaboratively and develop our work plans for staff based off the strategies we have collectively selected. This process allows us to identify new goals that individual staff want to work on and stretch into.
Mobilizing for Mission - 15/15 ptsMobilizing for Mission - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Leadership, and the organization broadly, is constantly growing our outreach efforts and seeking ways to connect with more people about our work. We host an annual gala in which 200 individual attend and learn more about the Foundation's efforts. We have a robust social media strategy in which we plan and calendar content to educate our followers. We regularly speak in front of groups and attend virtual engagement opportunities. Lastly, we have plugged into the advocacy and thought leadership space by participating in numerous environmental education and community-based non-profit coalitions.
Adaptability Story - 30/30 ptsAdaptability Story - 30/30 pts
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
For so many nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses, the events of 2020 and 2021 have been harrowing and traumatizing experiences. The Outdoor Lab Foundation has only been a staffed organization for ten years and the team has been historically small. Combine the smallness of the team with the stresses of the pandemic and associated economic and cultural challenges, which impacted fundraising and schooling, and it is not a surprise that the organization transitioned through three of its four employees it went into 2020 with. Those three employees left for different reasons, but the board recognized through the tumult of 2020 that important changes needed to be made to the organization in order for the organization to grow and for the mission of the foundation to thrive. It started with a commitment to organizational capacity building and bringing in a new Executive Director to lead a more strategic fundraising effort. In January 2021, Bryan Martin was hired to lead the organization’s rebound effort and was given the authority to add two new full-time fundraisers. Moreover, he restructured the budget and established new contractor positions supporting the organization so that now six individuals are working to advance the organization’s goals and objectives. This new direction has been in place for eight months and is already reaping great rewards, the organization finished the 20-21 fiscal year in a fantastic financial position with a surplus of over $300,000. Programmatically in the 20-21 school year, in order accommodate Covid restrictions, Outdoor Lab hosted students for two days per week, both allowing for increased physical distancing by reducing numbers as well as eliminating the over-night component. Despite the challenges, principals and teachers were successful in adapting the curriculum to highlight the most important concepts educators deemed a priority, engaging youth in experiential outdoor activities, and promoting 21st Century Skills.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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