NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

EIN 53-0193519 · Education (B030)

What they do

THE PURPOSE of THE SOCIETY SHALL BE to INCREASE and DIFFUSE GEOGRAPHIC KNOWLEDGE and USE THE POWER of SCIENCE, EXPLORATION, EDUCATION and STORYTELLING to ILLUMINATE and PROTECT THE WONDER of THE WORLD.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $82.60 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders43 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

53.96%of revenue went to mission work82.6% of expenses · Program services

3.24%of revenue went to fundraising5.0% of expenses

$65.36spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

8.15%of revenue went to management and office costs12.5% of expenses

$11.04in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

55.7%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $1,571,576 for JILL TIEFENTHALER (CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2025

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$340,516,012

Mission workProgram services$183,756,70153.96% of revenue82.6% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$27,756,5808.15% of revenue12.5% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$11,047,1813.24% of revenue5.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$117,955,55034.64% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$222,560,46265.36% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2025CurrentExpense mix: 82.6% mission · 12.5% management · 5.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 65.36% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 77.2% mission · 18.3% management · 4.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 105.36% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 75.9% mission · 19.8% management · 4.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.70% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 75.4% mission · 20.5% management · 4.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 119.90% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 68.7% mission · 27.3% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 69.25% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 72.4% mission · 23.7% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 206.35% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 76.3% mission · 20.6% management · 3.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 169.93% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 72.5% mission · 24.0% management · 3.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 122.88% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$340,516,012

Expenses$222,560,462

Annual surplus $117,955,550 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$183,756,701 · 82.6% of expenses

Management and office costs$27,756,580 · 12.5% of expenses

Fundraising$11,047,181 · 5.0% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$340,516,012

Expenses$222,560,462

Assets$2,456,049,733

Income$838,035,960

Contributions$189,719,280

Mission work (program services)$183,756,701

Fundraising$11,047,181

Grants given$72,831,480

Average grant$71,685

Management and general$27,756,580

Stocks and bonds$469,820,000

Accounting fees$844,052

Investing fees$17,224,552

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

JILL TIEFENTHALERCEO · 45 hrs/week $1,571,576Base $1,531,988 · Other $39,588

KRISTI CRAIGCHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $1,346,722Base $1,307,860 · Other $38,862

DARIEN WRIGHTCFO & COO · 45 hrs/week $679,712Base $665,546 · Other $14,166

KARA RAMIREZ MULLINSCHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $676,783Base $639,317 · Other $37,466

SUMEET SEAMCHIEF LEGAL OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $670,340Base $631,612 · Other $38,728

JOHN COOMBEDIRECTOR, INVESTMENTS · 45 hrs/week $650,822Base $637,308 · Other $13,514

CRYSTAL BROWNCHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $594,750Base $593,153 · Other $1,597

IAN MILLERCHIEF SCIENCE & INNOVATION OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $591,022Base $559,333 · Other $31,689

SHANNON BARTLETTCHIEF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & SOCIAL · 45 hrs/week $566,944Base $358,772 · Other $208,172

MARA DELLCHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $517,938Base $490,937 · Other $27,001

EMILY DUNHAMCHIEF CAMPUS AND EXPERIENCES · 45 hrs/week $502,373Base $472,088 · Other $30,285

ENRIC SALAEXPLORER IN RESIDENCE · 45 hrs/week $472,954Base $450,380 · Other $22,574

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (43)

JILL TIEFENTHALERCEO

KRISTI CRAIGCHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER

DARIEN WRIGHTCFO & COO

KARA RAMIREZ MULLINSCHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

SUMEET SEAMCHIEF LEGAL OFFICER

JOHN COOMBEDIRECTOR, INVESTMENTS

CRYSTAL BROWNCHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

IAN MILLERCHIEF SCIENCE & INNOVATION OFFICER

SHANNON BARTLETTCHIEF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & SOCIAL

MARA DELLCHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER

EMILY DUNHAMCHIEF CAMPUS AND EXPERIENCES

ENRIC SALAEXPLORER IN RESIDENCE

KIM WALDRONCHIEF OF STAFF & PROGRAM ALIGNMENT

DEBORAH GRAYSONCHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER

KAITLIN YARNALLCHIEF STORYTELLING OFFICER & SVP

ALEX MOENCHIEF EXPLORER & ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

JASON SOUTHERNCHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

ANGELA TAYLORFORMER INTERIM CFO

MICHAEL ULICAFORMER PRESIDENT/COO/TREASURER

SANDESH KADURTRUSTEE

KATE BRANDTTRUSTEE

AFSANEH BESCHLOSSTRUSTEE

STRIVE MASIYIWATRUSTEE

ANGEL CABRERATRUSTEE

RAJIV SHAHTRUSTEE

NANCY PFUNDTRUSTEE

MARK MOORETRUSTEE

ANTHONY A WILLIAMSTRUSTEE

BRENDAN P BECHTELTRUSTEE

KEVIN J MARONIVICE CHAIRMAN

KATHERINE BRADLEYVICE CHAIRMAN

ELLEN R STOFANTRUSTEE

CLAUDIA MADRAZOTRUSTEE

DAMBISA MOYOTRUSTEE

JOSEPH M DESIMONETRUSTEE

JOHN K DELANEYTRUSTEE

DAVID MARRIOTTTRUSTEE

DEBORAH LEHRTRUSTEE

JEAN CASECHAIRMAN

DINA POWELL MCCORMICKTRUSTEE

HENRY ELLENBOGENTRUSTEE

FREDERICK J RYAN JRTRUSTEE

EVAN G GREENBERGTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1938
Location: 1600 M St NW, WASHINGTON, DC 200364688
County: District of Columbia
In care of: Darien Wright
Primary officer: Darien Wright, CFO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(202) 857-7000

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BDO USA
NTEE classification: Education (B030)
Grant-giving organization: Yes