Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Mar 2008.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
27 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
20 people listed on the 990; $1.6M paid to officers and key staff.
Nancy Ryan Gray’s $828K as President and CEO is at the 92nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 139 $10–100M science & technology 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 · 7 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy Ryan Gray | $827,709 | $988,329 | $757,264 | $708,623 | $869,485 | $694,190 |
| Sarah Blendermann | — | — | — | — | — | $418,188 |
| Taryn Groves Moran | $400,023 | $380,817 | $365,412 | $339,413 | $340,095 | $315,781 |
| James David | $246,956 | $245,916 | $234,583 | $215,254 | $208,752 | $197,771 |
| Darlene Armstrong | — | — | $194,078 | $177,721 | $175,547 | $172,525 |
| Jeffrey Carroll | $113,610 | $110,719 | $103,336 | — | — | — |
| Katherine Lawber | $110,424 | — | — | — | — | — |
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.
See Gordon Research Conferences executive salaries →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 15aYes
Programs and updates
Host international meetings for scientists to share and discuss cutting-edge research across many fields.
Questions for Gordon Research Conferences
Your first name shows with your question. Gordon Research Conferences answers here, for everyone.
The gordon research conferences promote discussions and the free exchange of ideas at the research frontiers of the biological, chemical and physical sciences. Scientists with common professional interests come together for a full week of intense discussion and examination of the most advanced aspects of their field.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
Plus 28 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 28 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 35 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 34 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $7.1M | $6.8M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $59.3M | $72.2M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $2.2M | $4.6M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $70.7M | $85.8M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $466K | $3.0M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $70.2M | $82.8M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $1.1M | $1.1M | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $1.4M | $56K | $1.3M | |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $201K | $201K | ||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $312K | $312K | ||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $136K | $5K | $131K | |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $138K | $69K | $69K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $73K | $73K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $183K | $183K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $76K | $76K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $78K | $6K | $73K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $87K | $4K | $83K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $100K | $84K | $16K | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $1.2M | $1.2M | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $97K | $97K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $33K | $33K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $174K | $174K | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $5.3M | $1.5M | $3.8M | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Mar 10, 2026 | $62.0M | $57.7M | $4.3M | $107.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Mar 11, 2025 | $59.0M | $54.9M | $4.1M | $93.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Mar 19, 2024 | $65.7M | $58.2M | $7.5M | $74.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Mar 8, 2023 | $52.4M | $50.3M | $2.1M | $68.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Mar 15, 2022 | $8.9M | $5.3M | $3.6M | $82.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Mar 11, 2021 | $16.3M | $13.4M | $2.9M | $70.2M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $8,923,996 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 15 of 15 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $8,923,996 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $5,301,428 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $85,797,403 assets, 24 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $82,833,334 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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