Center for Inquiry INC

Tax-deductible

Amherst, NY501(c)(3)Since 1980Arts & CultureEIN 22-2306795

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To sponsor programs and activities that advance humanism and skepticism. To advocate and defend a nonreligious life stance rooted in science, naturalistic philosophy, humanist ethics, and to serve and support adherents of that life stance. To publish scholarly magazines and newsletters and to hold educational conferences to increase public appreciation for science education. To educate consumers regarding and protect consumers from pseudoscience. Cosponsered the scopes trial centennial conference in chattanooga, tennessee july 18-20, 2025.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
78¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 120 volunteers and 32 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $583K a year · 9% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
78%
of spending
Looks good: 78% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$757K
to officers and key staff · 11% of spending
Top officer’s pay higher than 84% of similar orgs
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 11% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
3 mo
of spending, in cash
Fine: 2.7 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
2
named funders · $22K
Fine: 2 funders name it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$1.5M
20% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 20% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
10
of 10 voting members
Looks good: 10 of 10 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$5.6M
-20% vs prior year
Spent
$6.7M
To programs
78%
Net assets
$5.9M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$5.6M
FY2025▼ -20%
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$6.0M
FY2021$8.5M
FY2022$5.6M
FY2023$5.4M
FY2024$7.0M
FY2025$5.6M
Expenses
$6.7M
FY2025▲ +3%
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$4.4M
FY2021$5.0M
FY2022$5.9M
FY2023$6.1M
FY2024$6.5M
FY2025$6.7M
Net assets
$5.9M
FY2025▲ +10%
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$6.4M
FY2021$6.8M
FY2022$6.3M
FY2023$4.0M
FY2024$5.4M
FY2025$5.9M

From the FY2025 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Apr 2001.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

78 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 78% · $5.2M Management & general 11% · $763K Fundraising 11% · $729K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

16 people listed on the 990; $757K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
CEO & President
$201,674Pt VII · Sec A
General Council
$140,726Pt VII · Sec A
$128,805Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Govt Affairs
$104,207Pt VII · Sec A
CFO & Treasurer
$90,952Pt VII · Sec A
CFO & Treasurer
$90,566Pt VII · Sec A
Boardmember
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Boardmember
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Robyn Blumner’s $202K as CEO & President is at the 84th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3924 $1–10M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Robyn Blumner$201,674$196,373$194,465$187,186$175,048$155,782
Richard Conn JR$140,726$103,450————
Debra Allen Skomer$128,805$123,994$121,041———
Nicholas Little——$104,631$101,169$99,250$81,523
Azharuddin Majeed$104,207$100,207————
Barry Karr$90,952$103,188$102,130$97,948$85,508$78,610
John Azurin$90,566—————
Kendrick Frazier———$34,772$37,073$39,084

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Provides essential services and support to underserved communities.

Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $1.9M · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

Publicationsfree inquiry magazinefree inquiry publishes articles explaining the principles of secular humanism and supporting those living out its ideals. It explores the contributions of science as they increase our understanding of the world and our ability to improve it.

$1.3Mprogram expense
02

Outreach program regional officesprofessionally-staffed offices (centers for inquiry) in selected cities carry out aspects of our national agenda germane to certain locations, such as outreach to the entertainment industry in los angeles.

$428Kprogram expense
03

Secular rescue programsecular rescue is a program of the center for inquiry designed to provide emergency assistance to writers, bloggers, publishers, and activitists who face threats due to their beliefs or expressions regarding religion.

$196Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 2 funders$22K

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$5.6M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$4.5M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$792K
Investment incomeLn 3$189K
Money outPt IX
$6.7M
Ln 25
Programscol B$5.2M
Managementcol C$763K
Fundraisingcol D$729K
Owns and owesPt X
$5.9M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.5M
Total assetsLn 16$7.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$1.5M
PeoplePt VI, VII
16
listed · VII A
PaidVII A6
Voting boardVI 1a10
IndependentVI 1b10
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$4.5M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$792K
Investment incomeLn 3$189K
Other incomeLn 4–11$147K
Gains on assetsLn 7$41K
Total revenueLn 12$5.6M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$2K
SavingsLn 2$1.5M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$1.5M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$4.0M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$27K
Other assetsLn 15$771K
Total assetsLn 16$7.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$1.5M
Net assetsLn 32$5.9M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 532
VolunteersI 6120
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$3.2M$1.5M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$2.0M$4.0M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$28K$27K
Total assetsLn 16$6.7M$7.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$1.3M$1.5M
Net assetsLn 32$5.4M$5.9M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$2.5M$1.9M$329K$329K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$425K$315K$55K$55K
Payroll taxesLn 10$187K$138K$24K$24K
Legal feesLn 11b$18K$18K
Accounting feesLn 11c$30K$30K
Investment management feesLn 11f$116K$116K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$209K$188K$16K$5K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$619K$617K$3K
Office expensesLn 13$53K$22K$25K$7K
Information technologyLn 14$171K$130K$20K$21K
OccupancyLn 16$215K$175K$19K$21K
TravelLn 17$118K$77K$16K$26K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$13K$13K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$2K$1K$166$183
InsuranceLn 23$140K$111K$14K$15K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$1.1M$1.0M$56K$24K
All other expensesLn 24e$726K$484K$43K$199K
Total functional expensesLn 25$6.7M$5.2M$763K$729K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $5.6M$6.7M−$1.1M$5.9M 990 PDF
FY2024 $7.0M$6.5M$518K$5.4M 990 PDF
FY2023 $5.4M$6.1M−$683K$4.0M 990 PDF
FY2022 $5.6M$5.9M−$352K$6.3M 990 PDF
FY2021 $8.5M$5.0M$3.5M$6.8M 990 PDF
FY2020 $6.0M$4.4M$1.6M$6.4M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2025 990 (4 parts)
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $5,586,692 across 8 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $6,944 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$4,459,002
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$4,459,002
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $791,668$791,668
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $147,688$147,688
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossUnrelated business $621$621
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $41,175$41,175
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Excluded from tax $139,594$139,594
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $791,668 · Unrelated business $7,565 · Excluded from tax $328,457$5,586,692
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $6,660,924 across 17 lines filed
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $1,871,696 · Management $328,812 · Fundraising $328,812$2,529,320
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $314,514 · Management $55,254 · Fundraising $55,254$425,022
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $138,423 · Management $24,317 · Fundraising $24,317$187,057
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $18,110$18,110
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $30,500$30,500
IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $116,212$116,212
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $187,918 · Management $16,329 · Fundraising $4,957$209,204
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $616,809 · Fundraising $2,545$619,354
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $21,536 · Management $24,912 · Fundraising $7,005$53,453
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $130,237 · Management $19,773 · Fundraising $20,748$170,758
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $175,290 · Management $18,694 · Fundraising $21,204$215,188
IX-17 TravelPrograms $76,767 · Management $15,577 · Fundraising $25,612$117,956
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $13,251$13,251
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $1,315 · Management $166 · Fundraising $183$1,664
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $110,539 · Management $13,992 · Fundraising $15,391$139,922
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $1,007,804 · Management $56,329 · Fundraising $23,965$1,088,098
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $484,036 · Management $42,540 · Fundraising $199,279$725,855
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $5,168,245 · Management $763,407 · Fundraising $729,272$6,660,924
Part X · Balance sheet $7,333,565 assets, 17 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $1,426$1,507
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $3,157,318$1,520,861
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $553,883$781,101
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $20,000$20,000
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $89,678$110,374
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $77,560$62,946
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $28,336$26,671
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $2,009,896$4,039,200
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $768,731$770,905
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $6,706,828$7,333,565
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $295,881$340,750
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $1,043,962$1,111,853
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $1,339,843$1,452,603
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $3,950,813$4,210,459
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,416,172$1,670,503
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $5,366,985$5,880,962
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $6,706,828$7,333,565
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $5,880,962 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$5,586,692
XI-2 Total expenses$6,660,924
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$1,074,232
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$5,366,985
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$597,745
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$990,464
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$5,880,962

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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