MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER
Advancing Discovery in Taste and Smell
MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER
EIN: 23-2020897
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
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
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.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
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
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
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.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
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
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2020 info
0.77
Months of cash in 2020 info
0.5
Fringe rate in 2020 info
23%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER
Balance sheetFiscal 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: 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
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 employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
MONELL CHEMICAL SENSES CENTER
Board of directorsas of 02/21/2023
Board of directors data
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
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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
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
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/18/2022GuideStar 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
- 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 endingProfessional fundraisers
Fiscal year endingSOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G