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Igem Foundation INC FY2020 filing

Tax-deductible

Cambridge, MA501(c)(3)Since 2011Science & Technology EIN 45-2313408Revenue $3.3M in FY2020

On file with the IRSigem.org45 Prospect St, 02139-2402 · Cambridge, MATax-exempt since Sep 2013Publicly supported — 509(a)(2)

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The international genetically engineered machine (Igem) Foundation is dedicated to education and competition, advancement of synthetic biology, and the development of open community and collaboration. The Igem Foundation fosters scientific research and education through organizing and operating the Igem competition, the premier student synthetic biology competition. IT also fosters scientific research and education by establishing and operating the registry of standard biological parts, a community collection of biological components. The organization promotes the advancement of science and education by developing an open community of students and practitioners in schools, laboratories, research institutes, and industry. The Igem community has a long history of involving students and the public in the development of the new field of synthetic biology.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
69¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$271K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

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FY2020 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $165K a year · 3% of revenue · last 5 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
69%
of spending
Fine: 69% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$271K
to officers and key staff · 10% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 10% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
10 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 10.0 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $50K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$319K
14% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 14% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
6
of 7 voting members
Looks good: 6 of 7 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$3.3M
Spent
$2.6M
To programs
69%
Net assets
$2.0M
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$3.3M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$3.3M
FY2021$5.1M
FY2022$5.0M
FY2023$6.0M
FY2024$6.5M
Expenses
$2.6M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$2.6M
FY2021$3.1M
FY2022$7.4M
FY2023$7.3M
FY2024$6.3M
Net assets
$2.0M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$2.0M
FY2021$4.0M
FY2022$1.6M
FY2023$227K
FY2024$431K

From the FY2020 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Sep 2013.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

69 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 69% · $1.8M Management & general 31% · $807K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

8 people listed on the 990; $271K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Randall Rettberg
CEO/President/Director
$149,773Pt VII · Sec A
Meagan Lizarazo
Clerk/COO/Vice President
$121,273Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
King Chow
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Drew Endy
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Thomas Knight
Treasurer/Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Meagan Lizarazo’s $168K as Former Clerk/COO/VP is at the 43rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 364 $1–10M science & technology nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Randall Rettberg—$236,554$188,933$149,773
Meagan Lizarazo$168,462$145,787$142,800$121,273

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Promotes synthetic biology education and research through student competitions and a shared parts registry.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $1.8M · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

- fosters scientific research and education through organizing and operating the igem competition, the premier student synthetic biology competition;- fosters scientific research and education by establishing and operating the registry of standard biological parts, a community collection of biological components- promotes the advancement…

$1.8Mprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFY2024$50K
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$50K
Grants paid · 1 grant · $10K · 2023–2023
MaggenixFY2023$10,000

By the numbers

The FY2020 990, line by line.

Download 990
from philanthropy.org
1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$3.3M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$2.4M
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$940K
Investment incomeLn 3$3K
Money outPt IX
$2.6M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.8M
Managementcol C$807K
Owns and owesPt X
$2.0M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$2.2M
Total assetsLn 16$2.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$319K
PeoplePt VI, VII
8
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a7
IndependentVI 1b6
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$940K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$2.4M
Investment incomeLn 3$3K
Total revenueLn 12$3.3M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$2.2M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$2.2M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$28K
Other assetsLn 15$44K
Total assetsLn 16$2.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$319K
Net assetsLn 32$2.0M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 55
VolunteersI 66
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY20End FY20
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.4M$2.2M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$62K$28K
Total assetsLn 16$1.6M$2.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$361K$319K
Net assetsLn 32$1.3M$2.0M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$16K$16K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$271K$200K$71K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$411K$359K$52K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$22K$18K$4K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$32K$27K$5K
Payroll taxesLn 10$51K$42K$9K
Legal feesLn 11b$61K$61K
Accounting feesLn 11c$64K$29K$35K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$614K$533K$82K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$79K$79K
Office expensesLn 13$13K$13K
Information technologyLn 14$143K$143K
OccupancyLn 16$290K$235K$55K
TravelLn 17$113K$113K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$62K$52K$11K
InsuranceLn 23$12K$12K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$367K$320K$47K
All other expensesLn 24e$16K$16K
Total functional expensesLn 25$2.6M$1.8M$807K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest $6.5M$6.3M$204K$431K 990 PDF
FY2023 $6.0M$7.3M−$1.3M$227K 990 PDF
FY2022 $5.0M$7.4M−$2.4M$1.6M 990 PDF
FY2021 $5.1M$3.1M$2.0M$4.0M 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $3.3M$2.6M$688K$2.0M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support F · Foreign O · Explanations
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $3,326,433 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $474,883$940,000
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $4,556,722$2,383,905
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $1,166$2,528
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $5,032,771$3,326,433
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$16,500
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $860,780$786,623
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $3,391,628$1,834,811
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $4,252,408$2,637,934
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $780,363$688,499
Part VI · Governance 6 of 7 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body7
VI-1b Independent voting members6
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,326,433 across 5 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$940,000
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$940,000
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $2,383,905$2,383,905
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $2,528$2,528
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $2,383,905 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $2,528$3,326,433
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $2,637,934 across 18 lines filed
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsPrograms $16,500$16,500
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $200,071 · Management $70,975$271,046
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $359,047 · Management $51,810$410,857
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $17,873 · Management $3,660$21,533
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $26,768 · Management $5,482$32,250
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $42,278 · Management $8,659$50,937
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $61,497$61,497
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $29,258 · Management $34,688$63,946
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $532,919 · Management $81,571$614,490
IX-12 Advertising and promotionManagement $78,589$78,589
IX-13 Office expensesManagement $12,826$12,826
IX-14 Information technologyManagement $143,476$143,476
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $234,748 · Management $54,811$289,559
IX-17 TravelManagement $112,786$112,786
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $51,500 · Management $10,547$62,047
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $12,120$12,120
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $320,115 · Management $47,356$367,471
IX-24e All other expensesManagement $16,004$16,004
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,831,077 · Management $806,857 · Fundraising $0$2,637,934
Part X · Balance sheet $2,299,321 assets, 14 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $1,431,352$2,195,960
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $18,500$15,500
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $56,689$16,028
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $61,836$27,627
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $24,426$44,206
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $1,627,490$2,299,321
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $77,690$108,101
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $191,522$6,500
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $91,729$204,267
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $360,941$318,868
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,016,400$1,041,181
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $250,149$939,272
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $1,266,549$1,980,453
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $1,627,490$2,299,321
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,980,453 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$3,326,433
XI-2 Total expenses$2,637,934
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$688,499
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$1,266,549
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$25,405
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$1,980,453

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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