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66 DEFOREST AVE
East Hanover NJ 07936-2811
East Hanover NJ | IRS ruling year: 2009 | EIN: 26-4531439
THE ORGANIZATION IS DEVOTED TO INSPIRING, MOTIVATING, AND EDUCATING STUDENTS TO PURSUE CAREERS IN SCIENCE; TECHNOLOGY; ENGINEERING; AND MATH (STEM) RELATED FIELDS.
Great
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: 85% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 5% Culture & Community. 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 As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Students 2 Science is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations.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.
Students 2 Science 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 - 7/8 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 7/8 - 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 - Audited - 20/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - Audited - 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 - Missing - 0/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/3 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 - 17.68% - 25/25 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 17.68% - 25/25 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 - 74.93% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 74.93% - 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 (Students 2 Science) or EIN (264531439) 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.
Students 2 Science reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Balance Sheet
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
S2S had to make many financial, programmatic, and operational adjustments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, we furloughed 24 members of our staff of 30 and closed both our Technology Centers in East Hanover and Newark, NJ. A minimum number of staff was kept on board to prepare for the 2020-21 school year, for which we shifted gears to focus solely on virtual STEM learning. The pandemic impacted our ability to secure new fundraising commitments, resulting in an operational loss for FY20. But our Development staff continued their efforts to fundraise and also worked closely with donors to ensure funds were diverted to support virtual programs while maintaining donor priorities. S2S applied for and received COVID-19 financial assistance, including SBA EIDL Loan, Garden State Relief Loan, and a PPP Loan, which impacted our Balance Sheet/Net Assets. The PPP Loan was helpful in bringing back limited number of program staff in September 2020 to resume delivery of virtual programs.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
To meet the increased remote learning needs of school districts, we focused solely on virtual STEM learning in the 2020-21 school year. We developed three separate versions for the V-Lab (Virtual Laboratory), our existing remote learning program. The versions comprised of both synchronous and asynchronous modes to allow us to adapt to the remote, hybrid, and in-person schedules of partner districts. All program staff were assigned to development, scheduling, and delivery of V-Labs. During the 2020-21 school year, we served over 33,000 students through 2,440 V-Lab classes. Additionally, we partnered with Cadence Learning, an educational non-profit with a national coalition of partners. Through Cadence, our V-Lab content was made available to more than 500,000 students in 20 states. We also implemented initiatives focused on expanding outreach, including a pilot program with the Boys & Girls Club to bring S2S programs intro after school and V-Lab expansion into schools in Pittsburgh, PA.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
In Spring 2020, we had to close both our Technology Centers, furlough most of our staff (24 out of 30), and manage our operations with a minimum number of employees. We also had to go fully remote and provide all working staff members with appropriate resources to be able to work from home. Later in the year, when virtual programming resumed, we had to adapt our program operations to the rapidly changing circumstances. We invested in technology to ensure smooth operation of the V-Labs in their new variations and to adapt them to work seamlessly with various virtual platforms used by school partners. Additionally, at our Newark Technology Center, we created V-Lab studios in homes of staff members as the City of Newark did now allow on-site return. We also implemented mitigation protocols in our East Hanover Technology Center to ensure staff safety when they returned to work on site.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
This past year, despite being challenging and full of uncertainties, allowed us to further develop and strengthen our virtual STEM programming. We adapted to the many technical and logistical challenges of hybrid/remote learning and learned to modify our programming accordingly. We would apply these experiences to improve our virtual programming capacity and expand our outreach. We have already implemented several initiatives focused on expanding outreach - including a pilot program with the Boys & Girls Club to bring S2S programs intro after school; V-Lab expansion into schools in Pittsburgh, PA; and a partnership to share our program content with Cadence Learning, a non-profit with national outreach - all with the intent to bring innovative STEM experiences to as many students as possible.
Not Currently Scored
Students 2 Science 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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Students 2 Science reported its largest program on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
THE ORGANIZATION USES INNOVATIVE LABORATORY PROGRAMS WITHIN CLASS CURRICULA. THE PROGRAMS PROVIDE STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH PROFESSIONAL SCIENTISTS TO PERFORM HANDS-ON EXPERIM ... (More)
THE ORGANIZATION USES INNOVATIVE LABORATORY PROGRAMS WITHIN CLASS CURRICULA. THE PROGRAMS PROVIDE STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH PROFESSIONAL SCIENTISTS TO PERFORM HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTS USING SOPHISTICATED LABORATORY INSTRUMENTATION IN TECHNOLOGY CENTERS. DURING THE YEAR ENDED AUGUST 31, 2020, THE ORGANIZATION RAN 156 IMPROVING STUDENT AFFINITY AND APTITUDE FOR CAREERS IN STEM ("ISAAC") CLASSES, WHICH PROVIDED INSTRUCTION FOR 4,794 STUDENTS. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION HOSTED 782 VIRTUAL LABORATORY SESSIONS WHICH HAD 16,095 STUDENTS PARTICIPATE DURING THE YEAR ENDED AUGUST 31, 2020. (Less)
Students 2 Science has earned a 100% for the Culture & Community beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
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Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 ptsConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 pts
100% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
We serve elementary, middle and high school students in economically disadvantaged communities. Our signature STEM programs focus on increasing students’ understanding of STEM college and career tracks alongside building their content knowledge and technical skills. Since 2009, S2S has reached over 130,000 students in 30 school districts. Over 90% of those students came from underserved districts in NJ including Newark, Orange, Irvington, East Orange, Bound Brook, and Paterson.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them?
Feedback from our constituents and partners has been invaluable in gauging the effectiveness of our programs, addressing any issues in program delivery and implementation, and assessing our successes and shortfalls in fulfilling our mission. Open and ongoing communications is integral to our success.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don't have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
We recently launched an Online Resource Center that was developed as a result of feedback from teachers who requested supplemental STEM content that can be used in classrooms. The Online Resource Center is now an integral part of our efforts to make STEM resources easily accessible to everyone and features essential program toolkits, college and career videos, webinars, and a wide variety of helpful STEM resources for educators, families, and other key constituents.
Equity Practices - No Data Available - UnscoredEquity Practices - No Data Available - Unscored
This organization has not provided information regarding the Equity Practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Students 2 Science 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.
Learn more
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
Inspire, motivate, and educate elementary, middle, and high school students in economically disadvantaged communities to pursue careers in STEM and foster a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Our overarching goal is help build a strong, diverse, and qualified talent pipeline to support the 21st Century STEM workforce and create a more equitable and resilient society.
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: • Serve 1 million students annually in school districts and communities across the country by the year 2030.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Establish three to five S2S Technology Centers in strategic locations across the country.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Expand to 10,000 V-Lab classes nationally, through partnerships with public schools, charter school networks, and after school/out-of-school programs.
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
Over the past two years, we have invested in leadership development by strengthening our Board. We expanded our Board from five members to twelve, while ensuring that our Board composition becomes more inclusive, representative and diverse; created new Board committees; and recruited a consultant to lead Board development training.
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
Raising Awareness
Our staff and the board are actively engaged in forming partnerships with other organizations and individuals, including school districts, corporate partners, volunteers, local and state leadership, and STEM experts. These partnerships ensure we have buy-ins from important stakeholders and are working collaboratively to bring hands-on, rigorous and innovative STEM education to our target audience, students in economically disadvantaged communities across NJ and beyond. We are also currently developing our new Strategic Plan, rebuilding our team, and expanding our program outreach with key partners throughout New Jersey and beyond.
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.
This past year, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to present many challenges to our school partners, but Students 2 Science remained steadfast in supporting them. Our Virtual Lab Program (V-Lab) resumed traditional, synchronous format with live interaction between instructors and students in the classroom. Our in-lab ISAAC Program returned after a two-year hiatus. Volunteers were also welcomed back to the labs to support the program. We launched the Career Advancement Program (CAP) to provide students with additional opportunities to explore career and education pathways. Our new Out-of-Classroom programs saw significant growth supporting community partners and afterschool programs. For the first time, S2S offered Summer V-lab programs. S2S Online Resource Center launched in Fall 2021 and now houses over 250 College & Career Webinars, career videos, experiments, worksheets, and a variety of other support materials. As the pandemic shined a spotlight on the severe educational disparity in our nation, it strengthened our resolve to serve the many students and teachers who need us. We are working closely with our many partners and collaborators to best leverage our programs and expertise to make an impact.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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