Nonprofit · EIN 94-2778848
LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM
Tax-exempt · SANTA CRUZ, CA 95064
Financials
| Year ended | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Net income | Total assets | Liabilities | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 30, 2025 | 990 | $2,402,587 | $1,177,294 | $1,225,293 | $1,536,389 | $118,927 | $1,417,462 |
| June 30, 2024 | 990 (amended) | $2,298,901 | $2,320,551 | -$21,650 | $1,001,516 | $595,449 | $406,067 |
| December 31, 2023 | 990 (amended) | $4,176,191 | $3,980,372 | $195,819 | $1,369,903 | $942,186 | $427,717 |
Financial details: 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025
Revenue
- Contributions, gifts and grants
- $2,129,949
- of which government grants
- $360,586
- Program service revenue
- $259,450
- Investment income
- $13,188
- Other revenue
- $0
Expenses
- Grants and similar amounts paid
- $30,971
- Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
- $110,000
- Other salaries and wages
- $438,338
- Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
- $718,272
- Professional fundraising fees
- $0
- Accounting fees
- $45,362
- Occupancy
- $16,403
- Travel
- $25,595
- Depreciation
- $2,461
- Program services (functional)
- $877,450
- Management and general (functional)
- $192,462
- Fundraising (functional)
- $107,382
Balance sheet and other
- Total assets, start of year
- $1,001,516
- Total assets, end of year
- $1,536,389
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $118,927
- Net assets, end of year
- $1,417,462
- Land, buildings and equipment
- $15,338
- Net assets without donor restrictions
- $593,894
- Net assets with donor restrictions
- $823,568
- Gross receipts
- $2,402,587
- Employees
- 70
- Volunteers
- 25
- Year formed
- 1981
- State of legal domicile
- CA
From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.
Officers, directors and key employees
As listed on the 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025, highest compensation first.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitney Cohen | Executive Dir. Officer | 40 | $83,036 | $20,651 |
| Don Burgett | Co-Exec Dir Officer | 40 | $68,664 | $8,049 |
| Judit Camacho | Co-Exec Dir Officer | 40 | $56,312 | $19,114 |
| Katy Stonebloom | President Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 | $0 |
| John Brissenden | Vice President Trustee or director, Officer | 10 | $0 | $0 |
| Oscar Paz | President Trustee or director, Officer | 10 | $0 | $0 |
| Jacob Young | Treasurer Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 | $0 |
| Erica Curry | Secretary Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 | $0 |
| Gary Appel | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Alicia Martinez | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Susana Dutro | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Kim Herrington | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
990 for the year ended June 30, 2024: 13 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judit Camacho | Co-Exec Dir Officer | 30 | $82,836 | $2,920 |
| Whitney Cohen | Exec Director Officer | 30 | $74,640 | $8,835 |
| Don Burgett | Co-Exec Dir Officer | 30 | $71,189 | $9,410 |
| Katy Stonebloom | President Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 | $0 |
| Jacob Young | Vice President Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 | $0 |
| Oscar Paz | Secretary Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| John Brissenden | Treasurer Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 | $0 |
| Gary Appel | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Susana Dutro | Director Trustee or director | 2 | $0 | $0 |
| Barbara Gordon | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Alicia Martinez | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Jackie Medina | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Daisy Morales | Director Trustee or director | 2 | $0 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2023: 11 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judit Camacho | Co-Exec Dir Officer | 30 | $82,836 |
| Don Burgett | Co-Exec Dir Officer | 30 | $81,945 |
| Katy Stonebloom | President Trustee or director, Officer | 6 | $0 |
| Oscar Paz | Secretary Trustee or director, Officer | 4 | $0 |
| John Brissenden | Treasurer Trustee or director, Officer | 4 | $0 |
| Susana Dutro | Director Trustee or director | 2 | $0 |
| Barbara Gordon | Director Trustee or director | 2 | $0 |
| Alicia Martinez | Director Trustee or director | 2 | $0 |
| Jackie Medina | Director Trustee or director | 2 | $0 |
| Daisy Morales | Director Trustee or director | 2 | $0 |
| Jacob Young | Director Trustee or director | 2 | $0 |
Address and contacts
- Address (IRS master file)
- 1156 HIGH ST TRLR 1156, SANTA CRUZ, CA 95064-1077
- Principal officer (990 for 2024)
- Whitney Cohen, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
- Signed the 990
- Whitney Cohen, Executive Director
- Phone
- (831) 400-2016
- Website
- www.lifelab.org
- Return prepared by
- REGALIA BERGER & BERGER CPAS
California records
California keeps its own records of charities and corporations. Search them by EIN 94-2778848 or by the name LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM.
- Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers
- Registration status and filed reports (CT-TR-1, RRF-1)
- Secretary of State, bizfile Online
- Corporation status, entity number, agent for service
- Franchise Tax Board
- Entity status letter (state tax exemption, good standing)
Mission
Life Lab cultivates childrens love of learning, healthy food, and nature through garden-based education.
Program accomplishments
- Local School Site Programs: Life Lab provides garden classroom instruction, design, garden care, curriculum, teacher training, and program leadership and advisory support to school districts and their public elementary schools in Santa Cruz County, particularly in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District through an extensive program partnership. Life Lab is also supporting garden-based learning in Live Oak School District and Santa Cruz City Schools, with a long-term vision of closer partnership with all 10 local districts and their 40 total elementary schools.(continued on schedule o)Expenses $488,923 · grants $30,971 · revenue $259,450
- National Programs: Life Lab offers hands-on workshops on garden-based science, nutrition, and environmental education for educators from across the nation at its Garden Classroom in Santa Cruz, CA, and on demand around the U.S. It also offers a 16-week intensive Certified School Garden Educator course of virtual trainings, coaching, and peer sharing for participants across the country. Life Lab also hosts an annual national School Garden Support Organization Leadership Institute in partnership with Whole Kids Foundation to help teams from peer organizations share and advance best practices for the field. Life Lab develops and distributes curricula, activity guides and other learning materials nationally to support preK-6 teachers in successfully implementing hands-on garden-based education programs. (continued on Schedule O)Expenses $388,527
- Local Community Site Programs: Life Lab provides school year field trips and summer day programs at its Garden Classroom and Blooming Classroom educational gardens located on farms in Santa Cruz and Watsonville, respectively. Gardens give children the chance to experience hands-on learning about science, nutrition, the environment and much more. The Garden Classroom also serves as a demonstration site for visitors interested in developing educational gardens. Life Lab staff train and mentor more than 60 college and community interns to serve as experiential garden-based science and environmental educators each year in field trip programs.
- Regional School Site Programs: Life Lab serves as the fiscal sponsor for Growing Healthy Kids, an unincorporated community-based organization providing unique outdoor educational learning opportunities to over 10,000 students at 16 schools throughout the Mt Diablo Unified School District in Bay Point, Clayton, Concord, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek, CA. Growing Healthy Kids shares Life Labs mission of cultivating childrens love of learning, healthy food and nature through garden education, and a commitment to equity and inclusion so that all cultures and identities are respected and celebrated.
What it must file and when
IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in June, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.
| Tax year | Year ended | Due | IRS public records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | June 30, 2026 | November 16, 2026 | Not due yet |
| 2024 | June 30, 2025 | November 17, 2025 | 990 on file |
| 2023 | June 30, 2024 | November 15, 2024 | 990 on file |
IRS record
- EIN
- 94-2778848
- Tax-exempt status
- 501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
- Foundation status
- Publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))
- Donations deductible (Pub 78)
- Public charity, 50% deduction limit
- Exempt since
- 1982
- Accounting year ends
- June
- Files
- Form 990 or 990-EZ
- Category (NTEE)
- Education (B900)
- Assets (IRS master file)
- $1,536,389
- Income (IRS master file)
- $2,402,587
Filing history
| Form | Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | June 2025 | $2,402,587 | $1,177,294 | $1,536,389 | IRS |
| 990 | June 2024 | $2,298,901 | $2,320,551 | $1,001,516 | IRS |
| 990 | December 2023 | $4,176,191 | $3,980,372 | $1,369,903 | XML |
| 990 | December 2022 | $2,947,249 | $2,742,810 | $1,332,711 | IRS |
| 990 | December 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2018 | – | – | – | IRS |
990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 94-2778848).
Questions about LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM
- What is the EIN of LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM?
- The employer identification number (EIN) of LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM is 94-2778848.
- Is LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM tax-exempt?
- Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1982.
- Are donations to LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM tax-deductible?
- Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
- Which annual return does LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM file?
- Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.
- When is the next return of LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM due?
- The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending June 30, 2026) is due November 16, 2026. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
- When did LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM last file with the IRS?
- The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended June 2025.
- Who is the principal officer of LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM?
- The 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 names Whitney Cohen.
- Who are the officers and directors of LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM?
- The 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 lists 12 people; 3 received compensation from the organization, the highest $83,036 (Whitney Cohen, Executive Dir.).
- How much revenue does LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM have?
- On its 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 it reported revenue of $2,402,587, expenses of $1,177,294 and total assets of $1,536,389 at year end.
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