Schmahl Science Workshops
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE CHILDREN OF SCHMAHL SCIENCE WORKSHOPS LOVE SCIENCE. LIKE CHILDREN EVERYWHERE, THEY LEARN MOST EFFECTIVELY WHEN THEY ARE CHALLENGED AND HAVING FUN. WE ARE A PARTNERSHIP OF STUDENTS, PARENTS, SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS AND EDUCATORS WHO HAVE COME TOGETHER TO HELP FOSTER THIS INTEREST IN SCIENCE. WE BELIEVE CHILDREN ARE MOTIVATED TO LEARN WHEN THEIR IDEAS ARE CULTIVATED THROUGH THE FUN OF DESIGNING AND DEVELOPING EXPERIMENTS. SCHMAHL SCIENCE WORKSHOPS PUT THE "SIZZLE" BACK INTO SCIENCE.
- Income
- $239,937
- Spending
- $222,970
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- 23 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 43%
- Employees
- 14
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $17,081, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 63% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 23.0 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 19% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 26% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 92% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 254 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $151,741 spent. OUTREACH DESCRIPTIONSSW PROVIDES OUR OUTREACH HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS TO SCHOOLS THAT DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO INCLUDE SCIENCE AS A REGULAR PART OF THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM. SSW HAS OVER 750 PRE-KINDERGARTEN THROUGH TWELFTH GRADE HANDS-ON SCIENCE / ENGINEERING WORKSHOPS, EACH DIRECTLY LINKED TO NGSS. OUR PROGRAMS INSPIRE & EMPOWER YOUTH TO BECOME YOUNG SCIENTISTS, PURSUING & DEVELOPING THEIR INTEREST IN STEM FIELDS THROUGH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES THAT BECOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT. IN 32 YEARS, HUNDREDS OF YOUNG SCIENTISTS WORKING WITH SSW HAVE RECEIVED MANY AWARDS. STUDENTS HAVE GONE ON TO PURSUE COLLEGE MAJORS IN STEM FIELDS. SSW INSTRUCTORS ARE SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS. AS SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS, THEY MODEL PASSION FOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY TO SPARK OR FAN THE FLAMES OF A GENUINE INTEREST IN STEM FIELDS. IN ADDITION, WE DONATED SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT TO NONPROFITS, INCLUDING GILROY HIGH SCHOOL AND GOODWILL TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
- $10,158 spent. OUR SEMINAR PROGRAM EMPHASIZES BOTH THE NATURE AND THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE. THESE ARE TWO DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF SCIENCE. THE NATURE OF SCIENCE DEALS WITH ISSUES IN THE PHILOSOPHY, SOCIOLOGY, AND HISTORY OF SCIENCE. IT INCLUDES CONCERNS, SUCH AS THE NATURE OR ATTRIBUTES OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ITSELF - E.G., THAT SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IS DURABLE, BUT IS ALWAYS INHERENTLY SUBJECT TO CHANGE. THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE ADDRESSES WHAT SCIENTISTS DO IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THAT KNOWLEDGE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE SEMINAR RESEARCH PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CONCEPTS TO EQUIP STUDENTS WITH FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE THAT STUDENTS NEED TO SUCCEED.OUR SEMINAR RESEARCH PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD ON AN INTEREST IN RESEARCH / ENGINEERING AND DEVELOP SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ANALYTICS CRITICAL TO SUCCESS. EACH STUDENT PURSUES A TOPIC (OR TOPICS) OF HIS / HER OWN INTEREST IN A REAL LAB SITUATION, PAIRED WITH A SCIENTIST / ENGINEER MENTOR WHO HAS EXPERIENCE IN THE CHOSEN RESEARCH FIELD. THE SEMINAR INCLUDES TRAINING IN LAB SAFETY, LITERATURE RESEARCH, LAB NOTEBOOK DOCUMENTATION, AND LABORATORY TECHNIQUES AND DATA ANALYSIS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE SEMINAR RESEARCH PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING BY LEARNING THE EIGHT ESSENTIAL PRACTICES OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.SEMINAR PARTICIPANTS WILL ALSO BENEFIT FROM CONTEXTUAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPECIFIC SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS AND THE FORWARD LOOKING RELEVANCE TO ONGOING EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH. OUR PROGRAM EXTENDS WELL BEYOND THAT TOPIC TO ADDRESS A SET OF CAPABILITIES AND EXPERIENCES THAT WILL BE VALUABLE IN ALL MANNER OF FUTURE ENDEAVORS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. SSW HAS ALSO DONATED SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT TO NONPROFITS, INCLUDING GILROY HIGH SCHOOL AND GOODWILL TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
- $18,654 spent. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONOUR INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE TALENTED MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH THE MENTORS, LABORATORY SPACE AND EQUIPMENT NECESSARY TO DESIGN, DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS. STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO DESIGN A PROJECT BUDGET, TIMELINE, WORKFLOW/SCHEDULE PLAN, AND SAFETY PLAN IN ADDITION TO THE LITERATURE RESEARCH, PROJECT DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. WE DONATED SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT TO NONPROFITS, INCLUDING GILROY HIGH SCHOOL, BIOLINK AND GOODWILL TO SUPPORT STUDENTS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 2007.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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