Universities Space Research Association is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, District of Columbia, registered in 1969, with $64,186,525 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 78% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$64.2M
▼ 7.7% vs prior year
Science & Tech median: $288K
Expenses (FY2023)
$66.4M
Net assets
$28.7M
Employees
335
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Universities Space Research Association: 78% to programs · $0 to raise $100 earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Universities Space Research Association: 5 mo reserves · -4% margin earns a B+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Universities Space Research Association: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Universities Space Research Association: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Advance the space and aeronautics related sciences and exploration through innovative research, technology, and education
Lunar & planetary institute (lpi) supports nasa's research in lunar, planetary, and related scientific fields. the institute is a center for lunar and planetary science, conducting research studies on the formation, evolution, and current state of the moon, planets, comets, asteroids, planetary satellites, cosmic dust, and our solar system as awhole through analysis of data and samples obtained through nasa's long history of missions and exploration, service to nasa and the planetary science community. the institute coordinates scientific meetings on lunar and planetary topics, and disseminates scientific informationthrough technical journals and conferences, including an abstract database of more than 25,000 presentations made by scientists atlpi-sponsored meetings. the institute also curates an extensivecollection of lunar and planetary data that is accessible online.
The air force research laboratory (afrl) future scholars stem offers stipend-paid internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate-level university students pursuing stem degree, as well as upper-level high school students; select locations also offer internships to university students pursuing education-related degrees and k-12 professional educators. the selected interns gain valuable hands-on experience working with full-time afrl scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research and technology and are able to contribute to unique, research-based projects. graduate interns are able to collaborate with afrl on current research and incorporate the research into their graduate work.
Revenue declined from $112.2M (FY2013) to $64.2M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
-3.5%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$45.9M
Total liabilities
$17.1M
Net assets
$28.7M
Salaries & benefits
$37.5M
56% of expenses
Board members
17
16 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $64,186,525▼7.7% | $66,445,820▼14.2% | $28,744,517▼5.4% | $45,872,605▼3.4% | 990 |
| 2022 | $69,564,440▼37.5% | $77,404,775▼30.0% | $30,395,777▼19.8% | $47,481,085▼22.9% | 990 |
| 2021 | $111,291,044▼24.6% | $110,656,456▼24.2% | $37,893,293▲1.6% | $61,609,902▼6.7% | 990 |
| 2020 | $147,588,502▼1.3% | $146,017,890▼0.8% | $37,307,931▲6.7% | $66,030,846▼0.9% | 990 |
| 2019 | $149,553,675▼7.0% | $147,205,132▼6.9% | $34,957,309▲7.0% | $66,653,965▲1.5% | 990 |
| 2018 | $160,875,605▼1.0% | $158,039,086▼1.7% | $32,682,843▲8.2% | $65,647,838▲8.3% | 990 |
| 2017 | $162,431,532▲2.8% | $160,765,830▲3.1% | $30,219,231▲9.7% | $60,627,479▲6.1% | 990 |
| 2016 | $158,037,875▲20.6% | $155,939,509▲19.8% | $27,546,633▲10.7% | $57,154,138▲3.6% | 990 |
| 2015 | $131,031,098▲13.1% | $130,206,989▲13.7% | $24,888,421▲3.2% | $55,143,518▲6.6% | 990 |
| 2014 | $115,860,724▲3.2% | $114,491,535▲2.4% | $24,126,627▲3.8% | $51,745,924▲5.8% | 990 |
| 2013 | $112,220,873 | $111,783,124▲13.7% | $23,235,450▲2.4% | $48,905,435▲14.6% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $98,324,938▲8.9% | $22,699,131▲11.1% | $42,693,511▲30.5% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $90,256,371▲20.4% | $20,430,085▲14.1% | $32,710,858▲11.8% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $74,942,840▲15.1% | $17,908,532▲8.1% | $29,266,956▲18.7% | 990 |
| 2009 | — | $65,131,333 | $16,564,432 | $24,657,413 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Jeffrey Isaacson — $857,043 (1.29% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Isaacson | President and Ceo | 42.5 | $857,043 |
| Bernard Seery | Vp, Science and Technology | 42 | $424,468 |
| David G Bell | Director, Nams and Riacs | 59 | $382,130 |
| Carol L Kory | Vp, Program Dev & Univ Engage | 53.9 | $340,872 |
| Lisa R Gaddis | Director, Lpi | 47.9 | $321,716 |
| William T Reach | Director, Sofia | 43.5 | $315,779 |
| Todd D Bidwell | Vp, Finance and Admin, Cfo | 44 | $292,823 |
| Davide Venturelli | Assoc Director, Quantum | 40.4 | $266,107 |
| Tonya T Stephens | Vp, Human Resources, Chro | 51.4 | $258,231 |
| Elizabeth A Barker | Assoc Director, Science | 40 | $252,842 |
| Richard Verbus | Director, Low Gravity Sciences | 40 | $212,791 |
| Walter S Kiefer | Director, Lpi | 41 | $185,015 |
| Dr Berrien Moore III | Board of Trustees Member | 3 | $50,800 |
| Dr Brian Gilchrist | Board of Trustees Member | 3 | $50,300 |
| General Lester Lyles Us Air Force | Chair, Board of Trustees | 3 | $43,250 |
| Ms Kim Williams Ret | Board of Trustees Member | 3 | $33,982 |
| Dr Kathleen C Howell | Board of Trustees Member | 3 | $27,900 |
| Dr Robert Mccoy | Board of Trustees Member | 3 | $27,700 |
| Dr John A Montgomery | Board of Trustees Member | 3 | $26,950 |
| Dr Wayne A Scales | Board of Trustees Member | 3 | $26,900 |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Cordia Partners LLC | Accounting Services | $553,634 |
| Databank Holding Ltd | It Services | $353,538 |
| Whiteford Taylor & Preston LLP | Legal Services | $307,957 |
| Zones LLC | It Hardware | $159,652 |
| Security First & Associates | Security & Investigations | $158,238 |
24 grants to Universities Space Research Association totaling $1.3M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington University | Research | 2023 | $76,075 |
| Seti Institute | Research | 2023 | $43,687 |
| Association of Universities For | Scientific research on data from hubble space telescope | 2023 | $27,354 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Sub-award | 2023 | $22,382 |
| Washington University | Research | 2022 | $67,287 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Sub-award | 2022 | $18,082 |
| Seti Institute | Research | 2022 | $10,298 |
| Association of Universities For | Scientific research on data from hubble space telescope | 2021 | $14,918 |
| Washington University | Research | 2021 | $9,027 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Sub-award | 2021 | $8,801 |
| Seti Institute | Research | 2020 | $17,138 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Sub-award | 2020 | $16,300 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Sub-award | 2019 | $65,857 |
| Seti Institute | Research | 2019 | $18,051 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2018 | $200,000 |
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Data for Universities Space Research Association (EIN 52-0892064) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.