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MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER

Advancing Discovery in Taste and Smell

aka The Monell Center   |   Philadelphia, PA   |  www.monell.org
GuideStar Charity Check

MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER

EIN: 23-2020897


Mission

Monell’s mission is to improve health and well-being by advancing the scientific understanding of taste, smell, and related senses.

Ruling year info

1977

Acting Director & President

Dr. Nancy E. Rawson M.Sc., Ph.D., FCPP

Main address

3500 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

23-2020897

Subject area info

Medical specialties

Biochemistry

Population served info

Adolescents

Adults

NTEE code info

Medical Specialty Research (H90)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Tax forms

Communication

Blog

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Imagine a future in which physicians use hand-held odor detectors to sniff out the earliest signs of cancer with the same uncanny accuracy that dogs have for detecting bombs and narcotics. Consider the prospect of being able to "train" human taste receptors -- not just on the tongue but in the gut, pancreas and brain -- to promote healthy eating and help curb obesity. Fast forward to a day when we can replace damaged or aging smell receptors in the nose to restore our ability to fully enjoy the wonderful scent of newborns and tantalizing flavors of our favorite foods. These future scenarios are closer than you might think. This is the Monell Center, the only research institute dedicated to understanding the senses of taste and smell, and connecting these fundamental senses to improved nutrition, disease detection and other translations of our basic science to provide a healthier, safer, better tomorrow.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Basic Science at Monell

Mission
Monell’s mission is to improve health and well-being by advancing the scientific understanding of taste, smell, and related senses.

Core Values
Commitment: We view basic science as the foundation of discovery

An integral part of Monell’s mission involves preparation of the next generation of scientists. Monell’s strong post-doctoral program attracts talented young scientists from a wide range of disciplines. Approximately 20 post-doctoral fellows are trained at the Center each year. Monell fellows go on to contribute to scientific advancement through work in academia, industry and government.

The Center’s highly successful Monell Science Apprenticeship Program (MSAP) for high school and college students is now entering its 34th year. The program aims to stimulate interest in STEM careers among demographic groups underrepresented in science, including females, racial and ethnic minorities, and the economically disadvantaged. MSAP enrolls approximately 25 students each summer.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Adolescents

Where we work

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Monell Center has 4 strategic aims:

1. Improve Nutritional Health
2. Diagnose and Treat Diseases
3. Attach the Loss of Smell and Taste
4. Digitize Smells and Tastes

To unravel these complex interwoven processes, the Center is structured to encourage collaboration among scientists from diverse backgrounds. The Monell Center has no departmental organization; offices and laboratories are not segregated by discipline; and most importantly, the staff is imbued with the ideal of multidisciplinary interaction.

Among the Center's unique areas of expertise:

• Human sensory testing across the lifespan using innovative psychophysical and physiological techniques
• Integration of human sensory perception with molecular biology
• Pioneering techniques to biopsy and maintain living human taste and smell receptor cells for human species-specific study
• Experiential, physiological and genetic determinants of flavor and food preferences across the lifespan
• Stem cell biology to regenerate dysfunctional taste and smell receptor cells
• Focus on taste and smell receptors in extra-oral sites and their relation to health
• Odor communication in health and disease

The Center's research advances fundamental knowledge of taste and smell. In the process, Monell's scientific findings also uncover solutions to pressing problems related to health, the environment and more. Monell scientists helped to identify the sweet taste receptor, a breakthrough that paved the way to current inquiries into how to stimulate, manipulate, enhance, inhibit, and create synergy of sweet taste. In other areas, ongoing Monell research is:

• Demonstrating the key role of prenatal and early postnatal experience in shaping life-long taste, odor, and flavor preferences.
• Utilizing advanced stem cell biology techniques to regenerate smell receptors and develop treatments for smell loss.
• Analyzing the genetics of taste to identify the salt taste receptor, knowledge needed to develop effective salt enhancers and modifiers and help reduce sodium consumption.
• Identifying how body odors can be used for the early non-invasive detection and diagnosis of cancer, infectious disease, and tissue damage.
• Determining how genetic variation in taste and smell receptors influences flavor perception, food choice, nutrition, and health across the lifespan.
• Pioneering studies of odortypes, genetically-determined olfactory markers of individual identity.
• Revealing how short and long-term exposure to air-borne chemicals alter sensory perception and health.
• Probing the mechanism and function of taste and smell receptors located outside the mouth and nose.

Financials

MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER
Fiscal year: Jul 01 - Jun 30

Revenue vs. expenses:  breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info
NET GAIN/LOSS:    in 
Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Liquidity in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

0.77

Average of 1.08 over 10 years

Months of cash in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

0.5

Average of 2 over 10 years

Fringe rate in 2020 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

23%

Average of 24% over 10 years

Funding sources info

Source: IRS Form 990

Assets & liabilities info

Source: IRS Form 990

Financial data

Source: IRS Form 990 info

MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER

Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitions

Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

This snapshot of MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.

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Business model indicators

Profitability info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation $41,702 -$855,630 -$208,613 $350,135 -$574,478
As % of expenses 0.3% -6.9% -1.8% 2.9% -4.6%
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation -$956,133 -$1,854,918 -$1,161,101 -$609,623 -$1,549,922
As % of expenses -6.7% -13.9% -9.1% -4.6% -11.6%
Revenue composition info
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) $13,127,026 $11,764,447 $12,974,476 $13,755,822 $12,478,683
Total revenue, % change over prior year -11.6% -10.4% 10.3% 6.0% -9.3%
Program services revenue 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Membership dues 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Investment income 1.5% 1.3% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9%
Government grants 39.7% 30.2% 31.2% 36.1% 40.5%
All other grants and contributions 58.5% 67.6% 67.7% 62.8% 57.7%
Other revenue 0.3% 0.8% 0.2% 0.3% 0.9%
Expense composition info
Total expenses before depreciation $13,268,285 $12,343,308 $11,775,589 $12,248,376 $12,356,964
Total expenses, % change over prior year -3.5% -7.0% -4.6% 4.0% 0.9%
Personnel 67.8% 67.8% 65.1% 65.6% 68.0%
Professional fees 2.3% 1.5% 2.5% 2.6% 1.4%
Occupancy 8.2% 8.4% 8.7% 8.4% 8.1%
Interest 1.1% 0.9% 0.9% 0.8% 0.9%
Pass-through 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
All other expenses 20.6% 21.4% 22.9% 22.6% 21.6%
Full cost components (estimated) info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Total expenses (after depreciation) $14,266,120 $13,342,596 $12,728,077 $13,208,134 $13,332,408
One month of savings $1,105,690 $1,028,609 $981,299 $1,020,698 $1,029,747
Debt principal payment $0 $509,774 $521,897 $534,691 $0
Fixed asset additions $1,474,037 $0 $1,028,365 $0 $0
Total full costs (estimated) $16,845,847 $14,880,979 $15,259,638 $14,763,523 $14,362,155

Capital structure indicators

Liquidity info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Months of cash 3.0 2.6 0.8 1.1 0.5
Months of cash and investments 8.1 6.8 5.0 5.4 4.5
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets 5.7 4.8 3.2 2.7 1.7
Balance sheet composition info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Cash $3,277,549 $2,707,062 $798,375 $1,152,807 $562,560
Investments $5,634,142 $4,302,560 $4,066,238 $4,311,407 $4,095,484
Receivables $800,303 $1,313,096 $1,865,859 $2,214,025 $4,733,087
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) $34,678,591 $34,782,095 $35,791,096 $35,776,510 $36,074,418
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) 57.6% 60.4% 61.3% 63.4% 65.4%
Liabilities (as a % of assets) 30.1% 29.6% 23.4% 20.4% 27.4%
Unrestricted net assets $17,169,655 $15,314,737 $14,153,636 $13,544,013 $11,994,091
Temporarily restricted net assets $4,054 $355,346 $1,786,664 $3,149,285 N/A
Permanently restricted net assets $43,608 $43,608 $43,608 $43,608 N/A
Total restricted net assets $47,662 $398,954 $1,830,272 $3,192,893 $4,001,889
Total net assets $17,217,317 $15,713,691 $15,983,908 $16,736,906 $15,995,980

Key data checks

Key data checks info 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Material data errors No No No No No

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

Documents
Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

Acting Director & President

Dr. Nancy E. Rawson M.Sc., Ph.D., FCPP

Before becoming Monell's Acting Director & President in July 2022, Dr. Rawson had served as the Center’s Associate Director since 2016 and Vice President since 2019, leading the corporate program while also spearheading the crafting and implementation of its new strategic plan. Her broad research and administrative experience includes stints in both academia and the food, flavor, and nutritional products industries. She received her doctorate in biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. After postdoctoral training at Monell, she joined the Center’s faculty, where she remained for the next 15 years. In 2008, Rawson left Monell to become chief scientific officer at a nutrigenomics start-up company. Later, she served as Senior Director of Basic Research and Innovation at AFB International, a global pet food ingredient firm, before returning to Monell.

Number of employees

Source: IRS Form 990

MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER

Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
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Show data for fiscal year
Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER

Highest paid employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
Related
Show data for fiscal year
Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of highest paid employee data for this organization

MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER

Board of directors
as of 02/21/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board of directors data
Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization
Board chair

Dr. David Macnair

Independent Consultant

Richard Berkman

Ambrose Monell

The Ambrose Monell Foundation & the G. Under Vetlesen Foundation

Maurizio Morello

Fulton Vittoria LLP

David MacNair

Stephen Manheimer

Kerry

Kevin Foskett

Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Paul Herzan

Vice President and Director, Lily Auchincloss Foundation

Angela Nwaneri

First Cardiology Consultants/FCC Healthcare

Judy Wellington

Nancy Rawson

Monell Chemical Senses Center

Susan de Mars

US Pharmacopeia

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/21/2023

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Decline to state
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
Disability status
Decline to state

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/18/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.

Contractors

Fiscal year ending

Professional fundraisers

Fiscal year ending

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G

Solicitation activities
Gross receipts from fundraising
Retained by organization
Paid to fundraiser