Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Apr 1993.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
76 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
17 people listed on the 990; $1.5M paid to officers and key staff.
Carl R Wuth II’s $229K as Dir of Bus Oper is at the 71st percentile of top reported officer pay among 363 $1–10M 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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Joseph Borovsky | $205,222 | $300,792 | $287,346 | $260,911 | $231,040 | $208,125 |
| Dr Mark Lemmon | $211,742 | $246,151 | $272,182 | $246,045 | $216,117 | $204,632 |
| Carl R Wuth II | $228,927 | $226,642 | $200,869 | $204,795 | $159,299 | $154,330 |
| Dr Ralph Shuping | $200,559 | $216,292 | $215,742 | $207,727 | $169,009 | $158,339 |
| Dr Karly M Pitman | — | $106,518 | $179,524 | $198,686 | $131,622 | $151,108 |
| Dr Michael Wolff | $167,097 | $181,994 | $194,127 | $171,458 | $147,012 | $134,754 |
| Dr James Harold | — | $189,457 | $160,368 | $156,566 | $102,666 | $122,358 |
| Dr Julianne Moses | $188,418 | $182,367 | $175,032 | — | — | — |
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 Space Science Institute 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
Empowering scientists, inspiring youth, and boosting science literacy for everyone.
Questions for Space Science Institute
Your first name shows with your question. Space Science Institute answers here, for everyone.
The organization conducts programs in basic science research, education and public outreach, and programs which integrate the two. Services of scientists and educators are engaged in research and explore space and disseminate the information to private, government, and public sectors.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
Plus 3 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 3 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 3 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 2 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $454K | $701K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $238K | $206K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $2.1M | $1.9M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.6M | $1.4M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $479K | $454K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $783K | $278K | $502K | $2K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $3.5M | $3.1M | $452K | $1K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $271K | $223K | $48K | $92 |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $838K | $595K | $243K | $683 |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $339K | $253K | $86K | $223 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $34K | $34K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $1.1M | $1.1M | $14K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $262K | $198K | $63K | $39 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $85K | $29K | $56K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $222K | $222K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $69K | $54K | $15K | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $821 | $821 | ||
| InterestLn 20 | $25K | $25K | $100 | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $68K | $15K | $53K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $30K | $30K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $200K | $117K | $82K | $2K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $362 | $362 | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $7.9M | $6.0M | $1.9M | $6K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS May 12, 2026 | $7.2M | $7.7M | −$432K | $474K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Aug 5, 2025 | $8.9M | $9.2M | −$296K | $906K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Jul 29, 2024 | $9.2M | $10.7M | −$1.5M | $1.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Jul 26, 2023 | $11.9M | $9.7M | $2.2M | $2.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Jul 5, 2022 | $7.6M | $7.5M | $74K | $528K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 ViewingFiled with the IRS Jul 21, 2021 | $7.9M | $7.9M | −$25K | $454K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $7,880,645 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $7,880,645 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $7,906,000 across 17 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,855,661 assets, 13 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $454,078 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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