National Engineers Week Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
DISCOVERE IS A COALITION PROVIDING EVERY STUDENT WITH A SHARED STEM EXPERIENCE AND THE RESOURCES, PROGRAMS, AND CONNECTIONS TO IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING OF ENGINEERING THROUGH A UNITED VOICE AND A GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK. DISCOVERE HELPS STAKEHOLDERS EXPAND COMMUNITY AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH BY: PROVIDING RESOURCES AND TURNKEY PROGRAMS FOR EMPLOYEES AND VOLUNTEERS; SUPPORTING STRONG CAREER CONNECTED LEARNING INITIATIVES; PROMOTING POSITIVE VISIBILITY WITHIN THE ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING COLLEGE STUDENTS AND THE PUBLIC-AT-LARGE. DISCOVERE, WITH ITS WORKING COALITION OF 100+ ORGANIZATIONS, IS KNOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE COLLABORATIONS TODAY, RECOGNIZED BY CORPORATIONS AND ENGINEERING SOCIETIES AND MENTIONED IN TWO REPORTS BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING.
- Income
- $3.3 million
- Spending
- $3.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 10.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 95%
- Employees
- 8
- Volunteers
- 150,000
- Highest pay
- $221,763, 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
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 83% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 8% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 11% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% 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 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 9 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.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
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 (4)
- $1.6 million spent. FUTURE CITY PROGRAM: THE DISCOVERE FUTURE CITY COMPETITION IS A PROJECT-BASED LEARNING PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. STUDENTS IMAGINE, RESEARCH, DESIGN, AND BUILD CITIES OF THE FUTURE. MORE THAN 80,000 MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MORE THAN 2,000 SCHOOLS FROM 40 REGIONS ACROSS THE U.S. JOIN IN ONE OF THE NATION'S LARGEST ENGINEERING EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS OF ANY KIND. NOTABLY, APPROX. 7,500 ENGINEERS VOLUNTEER FOR THE COMPETITION AND ABOUT 225,000 SERVICE HOURS ARE GIVEN ANNUALLY TO DISCOVERE PROGRAMS. FUTURE CITY INVITES STUDENTS WORKING UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF TEACHERS AND VOLUNTEER ENGINEERS TO BUILD COMPUTER AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL SCALE MODELS OF CITIES OF TOMORROW. STUDENTS DEFEND THEIR DESIGNS BEFORE A PANEL OF ENGINEER JUDGES AND WRITE AN ESSAY ON A PREDETERMINED TOPIC. STUDENTS BEGIN THEIR WORK IN THE FALL AND PARTICIPATE IN REGIONAL COMPETITIONS IN JANUARY. FIRST PLACE MIDDLE SCHOOL REGIONAL TEAMS WIN A TRIP TO WASHINGTON, D.C. FOR NATIONAL FINALS DURING NATIONAL ENGINEERS WEEK. TESTESTEST
- $654,668 spent. EDUCATION OUTREACH: ENGINEERS WEEK - THIS IS DISCOVERE'S SIGNATURE PROGRAM AND CATALYST FOR VOLUNTEERISM AND PUBLIC DISCUSSION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF ENGINEERING AS WELL AS FOR PUBLIC DISCUSSION AND RECOGNITION OF ENGINEER'S CONTRIBUTIONS. ALL COLLEGES OF ENGINEERING IN THE U.S. CELEBRATE ENGINEERS WEEK AND IT IS PART OF A MULTITUDE OF WORKPLACE CULTURES. A NEW ENGINEERS WEEK THEME EACH YEAR HELPS DRIVE THE LOOK AND CONTENT FOR VOLUNTEER RESOURCES, MEDIA MESSAGES AND SPECIAL EVENTS. IN REALITY, ENGINEERS WEEK OUTREACH OCCURS OVER SEVERAL MONTHS. CHATS WITH CHANGE MAKERS - OUR SERIES "CHATS WITH CHANGE MAKERS" HOSTED BY A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, INTRODUCES STUDENTS TO STEM PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE WORKING HARD TO CHANGE THE WORLD. TEACHERS AND PARENTS INVITED TO TUNE-IN ALONG WITH THEIR STUDENTS TO MET AN ENGINEER AND ASK QUESTIONS.
- $234,260 spent. INTRODUCE A GIRL TO ENGINEERING: INTRODUCE A GIRL TO ENGINEERING IS A TIME WHEN VOLUNTEERS, EDUCATORS, AND OTHERS ACT AS ROLE MODELS, FACILITATE ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES, AND SHOW GIRLS AND BOYS HOW ENGINEERS CHANGE OUR WORLD. DISCOVERE'S DESPITE THE ODDS RESEARCH FOUND THAT THIS SIMPLE FORMULA HELPS STUDENTS DEVELOP AN INTEREST IN ENGINEERING, BUILDS THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THEIR PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS, AND CREATES A STEM IDENTITY.
- $42,766 spent. WORLD ENGINEERING DAY: WHILE MANY COUNTRIES CELEBRATE THEIR OWN NATIONAL ENGINEERING DAYS, WEEKS, OR MONTHS THROUGH THE YEAR, DISCOVERE LAUNCHED THE FIRST ANNUAL GLOBAL DAY OF THE ENGINEER IN 2016 AS A WAY TO COLLECTIVELY RECOGNIZE ENGINEERS WORLDWIDE. IN 2020, THIS GLOBAL CELEBRATION WAS RENAMED WORLD ENGINEERING DAY AS A JOINT VENTURE WITH UNESCO AND WFEO TO HIGHLIGHT ENGINEERS' ACHIEVEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD AND IMPROVE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY.
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 November 6, 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 December 2002.
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 November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.