Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 2015.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
93 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
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
5 people listed on the 990; $91K paid to officers and key staff.
Megan Seifert’s $91K as Executive Director is at the 10th percentile of top reported officer pay among 363 $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 · 4 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megan Seifert | $91,169 | $74,858 | $74,903 | $60,000 | $57,205 | $42,450 |
| Spencer Eusden | — | — | — | — | — | $29,716 |
| Le'a Gleason | — | — | — | — | — | $27,441 |
| Maryellen Benier | — | — | — | — | — | $6,445 |
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
Inspire curiosity by guiding students to design and conduct science experiments with scientist mentors.
Questions for Headwaters Science Institute
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Headwaters Science Institute partners with West Contra Costa County Unified School District Expanded Learning to deliver engaging, hands-on environmental science programs funded through West Contra Costa Unified School District.
Headwaters Science Institute's Introduction to Research Programs uses our Student Driven Research approach to engage over 1,500 elementary, middle, and high school students in authentic, inquiry-based science experiences.
Headwaters Science Institute's Truckee/Tahoe Summer Camps engage over 300 students each year in week-long, inquiry-based outdoor science experiences in Truckee, Donner Summit, and Kirkwood, California.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $725K | $1.6M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $767K | $1.6M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $17K | $64K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $749K | $1.6M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $544K | $511K | $11K | $22K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $6K | $6K | ||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $17K | $17K | ||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $50K | $47K | $943 | $2K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $5K | $5K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $0 | |||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $27K | $20K | $8K | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $5K | $3K | $2K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $157 | $157 | ||
| Information technologyLn 14 | $10K | $5K | $6K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $8K | $8K | ||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $7K | $7K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $14K | $13K | $357 | $0 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $68K | $68K | $0 | $0 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $760K | $704K | $24K | $33K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $1.6M | $760K | $820K | $1.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $926K | $660K | $266K | $749K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $772K | $616K | $156K | $482K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $400K | $386K | $14K | $343K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $288K | $177K | $111K | $330K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $249K | $177K | $72K | $219K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,580,487 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 4 of 4 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,580,487 across 13 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $760,109 across 14 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,633,391 assets, 12 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,569,005 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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