Nonprofit · EIN 26-4299346
INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING
Also known as TINKERING SCHOOL, Tinkering School
Tax-exempt · SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129
Financials
| Year ended | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Net income | Total assets | Liabilities | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31, 2025 | 990 | $15,465,010 | $5,597,329 | $9,867,681 | $17,529,798 | $8,027,741 | $9,502,057 |
| August 31, 2024 | 990 | $6,336,633 | $6,582,673 | -$246,040 | $8,901,224 | $9,275,974 | -$374,750 |
| August 31, 2023 | 990 | $5,538,531 | $6,077,304 | -$538,773 | $10,387,754 | $10,553,945 | -$166,191 |
Financial details: 990 for the year ended August 31, 2025
Revenue
- Contributions, gifts and grants
- $11,277,113
- Program service revenue
- $4,152,207
- Investment income
- $35,575
- Other revenue
- $115
Expenses
- Grants and similar amounts paid
- $1,148,578
- Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
- $327,287
- Other salaries and wages
- $1,994,920
- Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
- $2,746,811
- Professional fundraising fees
- $0
- Legal fees
- $18,028
- Accounting fees
- $21,328
- Occupancy
- $1,253,656
- Travel
- $28,416
- Depreciation
- $25,141
- Program services (functional)
- $4,861,198
- Management and general (functional)
- $664,433
- Fundraising (functional)
- $71,698
Balance sheet and other
- Total assets, start of year
- $8,901,224
- Total assets, end of year
- $17,529,798
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $8,027,741
- Net assets, end of year
- $9,502,057
- Land, buildings and equipment
- $35,693
- Publicly traded securities
- $706,681
- Net assets without donor restrictions
- -$497,943
- Net assets with donor restrictions
- $10,000,000
- Gross receipts
- $15,465,010
- Employees
- 60
- Volunteers
- 15
- Year formed
- 2009
- 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 August 31, 2025, highest compensation first.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gever Tulley | Founder | 40 | $104,363 | $42,931 |
| Anthony Consilio | Asst.HeadofSchool | 40 | $118,507 | $17,910 |
| Adrian Skaj Fin Manager | Controller Officer | 32 | $97,653 | $38,498 |
| Michlene Cotter | Asst.HeadofSchool | 40 | $115,252 | $18,826 |
| Mackenzie Price | Head of School | 40 | $104,921 | $15,368 |
| Qi Diaz | Executive Dir. Officer | 40 | $78,155 | $7,773 |
| Sean Hamer Head of School | Executive Dir. Officer | 40 | $73,642 | $10,798 |
| Maria Favata Business Mgr | Controller Officer | 32 | $60,687 | $7,523 |
| Laura Skelton Director | Chairman Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Drew Harry Director | Treasurer Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Elijah Selby Director | Secretary Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Monique Brinson | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Debolina Dutta | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Elizabeth Rubenstein | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Russ Simmons | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
4 more people on this return
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abby Sommerfeld | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 |
| CaTameron Bobino | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 |
| Eric Shupert-Nadig | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 |
| Heather Hund | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 |
990 for the year ended August 31, 2024: 16 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mackenzie Price | Head of School | 40 | $153,579 | $25,259 |
| Anthony Consilio | Asst.HeadofSchool | 40 | $145,937 | $21,865 |
| Gever Tully Founder | Director Officer | 40 | $118,207 | $32,182 |
| Michlene Cotter Norwood | HS Collaborator | 40 | $107,472 | $17,860 |
| Adrian Skaj Fin Manager | Controller Officer | 32 | $89,112 | $30,747 |
| Phillip Fillastre | BW Collaborator | 40 | $100,902 | $15,225 |
| Karen Soriano-Bilal | BW Collaborator | 40 | $105,494 | $4,243 |
| Maria Favata Business Mgr | Controller Officer | 32 | $104,882 | $3,948 |
| Qi Diaz | Executive Dir. Officer | 40 | $47,908 | $5,123 |
| Laura Skelton Director | Chairman Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Drew Harry Director | Treasurer Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Elijah Selby Director | Secretary Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Monique Brinson | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Debolina Dutta | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Elizabeth Rubenstein | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Russ Simmons | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
990 for the year ended August 31, 2023: 16 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Eden | Executive Dir. Officer | 32 | $103,490 | $27,847 |
| Anthony Consilio | Asst.HeadofSchool | 40 | $110,884 | $18,723 |
| Gever Tully Founder | Director Officer | 40 | $104,063 | $19,850 |
| Adrian Skaj Fin Manager | Controller Officer | 32 | $49,944 | $15,804 |
| Shayne Regalado Business Mgr | Controller Officer | 40 | $30,580 | $15,757 |
| Maria Favata Business Mgr | Controller Officer | 32 | $12,646 | $0 |
| Olivia Teich Dir | Chairman Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Kathryn Grantham Dir | Treasurer Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Alison Lee Dir | Secretary Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Patrik Lundh | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Matthew Brocchini | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Michael Gough | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Kate Schox | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Monique Brinson | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Elijah Selby | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
| Claudia Leon | Director Trustee or director | 3 | $0 | $0 |
Address and contacts
- Address (IRS master file)
- 682 SCHOFIELD RD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129-1198
- In care of
- % ADRIAN SKAI
- Mailing address (990-N for 2010)
- PO Box 370721, Montara CA 94037
- Principal officer (990 for 2024)
- Michlene Cotter
- Principal officer (990-N for 2010)
- Julie Spiegler, PO Box 370721, Montara CA 94037
- Signed the 990
- Michlene Cotter Head of School, Executive Director
- Phone
- (415) 701-8700
- Website
- www.tinkeringschool.com
- Return prepared by
- Cook & Company A Prof Actcy Corporation
California records
California keeps its own records of charities and corporations. Search them by EIN 26-4299346 or by the name INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING.
- 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
Institute for Applied Tinkering IAT develops, practices and shares educational methods that challenge and support all children to engage deeply in their learning via real interests and real tools.
Program accomplishments
- Brightworks is an innovative school that reimagines education. By taking the best practices from both early childhood education and hands-on, project-based experiential learning, we strive to meet students' needs in a flexible, mixed-age environment that breaks the traditional walls between school and the community outside the classroom. We offer a broad-spectrum learning environment designed to encourage creative capacity, tenacity, citizenship, imaginative capabilities and empathy.Expenses $4,404,649 · grants $1,148,578 · revenue $4,152,207
- Tinkering School acts as after school, break, and summer programming to encourage creative capacity, tenacity, and citizenship in youth. Tinkering School is a place where children are given abstract, open-ended building projects and problems. Trained to use the tools required for success, they have the freedom to fail and the time to persevere. Trusted with real tools and real supplies, kids are put in an environment where constraints breed creativity and foster problem-solving that will expand into every area of their lives. Kids learn to trust themselves and their curiosity. They develop new skills and vocabulary, their creativity and their ability to persist.Expenses $456,549
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 August, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.
| Tax year | Year ended | Due | IRS public records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | August 31, 2026 | January 15, 2027 | Not due yet |
| 2024 | August 31, 2025 | January 15, 2026 | 990 on file |
| 2023 | August 31, 2024 | January 15, 2025 | 990 on file |
IRS record
- EIN
- 26-4299346
- 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
- 2011
- Accounting year ends
- August
- Files
- Form 990 or 990-EZ
- Category (NTEE)
- Youth development (O50)
- Assets (IRS master file)
- $17,529,798
- Income (IRS master file)
- $15,465,010
Filing history
| Form | Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | August 2025 | $15,465,010 | $5,597,329 | $17,529,798 | XML |
| 990 | August 2024 | $6,336,633 | $6,582,673 | $8,901,224 | XML |
| 990 | August 2023 | $5,538,531 | $6,077,304 | $10,387,754 | XML |
| 990 | August 2022 | $5,874,709 | $4,416,230 | $3,620,891 | IRS |
| 990 | August 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | August 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | August 2018 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990-N for 2010 Officer: Julie Spiegler | December 31, 2010 | ≤ $50,000 receipts | – | – | e-Postcard |
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 26-4299346).
Questions about INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING
- What is the EIN of INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING?
- The employer identification number (EIN) of INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING is 26-4299346.
- Is INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING tax-exempt?
- Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 2011.
- Are donations to INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING tax-deductible?
- Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
- Which annual return does INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING 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 INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING due?
- The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending August 31, 2026) is due January 15, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
- When did INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING last file with the IRS?
- The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended August 2025.
- Who is the principal officer of INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING?
- The 990 for the year ended August 31, 2025 names Michlene Cotter.
- Who are the officers and directors of INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING?
- The 990 for the year ended August 31, 2025 lists 19 people; 8 received compensation from the organization, the highest $104,363 (Gever Tulley, Founder).
- How much revenue does INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED TINKERING have?
- On its 990 for the year ended August 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $15,465,010, expenses of $5,597,329 and total assets of $17,529,798 at year end.
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