ORGANIZATION FOR TROPICAL STUDIES INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ORGANIZATION FOR TROPICAL STUDIES INC

EIN 56-2125831 · International, Foreign Affairs & National Security (Q055)

What they do

THE ORGANIZATION for TROPICAL STUDIES, INC. (OTS) is CHARTERED AS A NON PROFIT CORPORATION UNDER THE LAWS of NORTH CAROLINA and is SUPPORTED BY A CONSORTIUM of INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER LEARNING IN NORTH, CENTRAL, and SOUTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, and SOUTH AFRICA. OTSS PURPOSE is to SUSTAIN TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS BY DRIVING SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY and KNOWLEDGE, BY ENRICHING HUMAN PERCEPTION of NATURE, and BY ENHANCING WORLDWIDE POLICY IN THE TROPICS.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $82.80 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 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders21 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

75.07%of revenue went to mission work82.8% of expenses · Program services

3.81%of revenue went to fundraising4.2% of expenses

$90.69spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

11.81%of revenue went to management and office costs13.0% of expenses

$2.12in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

61.3%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 $110,530 for JENNIFER KELLEY (CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER). 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 2024

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$9,701,537

Mission workProgram services$7,282,67975.07% of revenue82.8% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,145,87111.81% of revenue13.0% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$369,7453.81% of revenue4.2% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$903,2429.31% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$8,798,29590.69% 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

2024CurrentExpense mix: 82.8% mission · 13.0% management · 4.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.69% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 85.1% mission · 10.2% management · 4.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 106.94% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 84.6% mission · 10.4% management · 5.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 106.09% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 71.9% mission · 20.1% management · 8.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 107.83% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 68.3% mission · 20.9% management · 10.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 114.32% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 71.0% mission · 20.6% management · 8.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 108.92% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 65.7% mission · 26.9% management · 7.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 137.03% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 66.1% mission · 26.9% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 119.84% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$9,701,537

Expenses$8,798,295

Annual surplus $903,242 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)$7,282,679 · 82.8% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,145,871 · 13.0% of expenses

Fundraising$369,745 · 4.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$9,701,537

Expenses$8,798,295

Assets$18,625,423

Income$9,701,537

Contributions$5,942,893

Mission work (program services)$7,282,679

Fundraising$369,745

Management and general$1,145,871

Executive compensation (total)$91,278

Stocks and bonds$9,561,684

Accounting fees$75,601

Investing fees$25,547

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

JENNIFER KELLEYCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $110,530Base $89,760 · Other $20,770

MIGUEL MENDEZCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $98,439Base $86,608 · Other $11,831

ELIZABETH BRAKERDIR./PRES./CEO (FROM NOV. 24) · 40 hrs/week $26,667

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 (21)

JENNIFER KELLEYCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

MIGUEL MENDEZCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

ELIZABETH BRAKERDIR./PRES./CEO (FROM NOV. 24)

JOHN TOBINDIRECTOR

WILLIAM WCISLODIRECTOR

TERRY VOGTDIRECTOR, (UNTIL JULY 2024)

SUSAN CORDELLDIRECTOR (UNTIL JUNE 2025)

RAFAEL MUNOZ-CARPENADIRECTOR/ TREASURER

OSCAR ROCHADIRECTOR

NATHAN MUCHHALADIRECTOR

MURIEL POSTONDIRECTOR

MICHAEL WASSERMANDIRECTOR

KYLE HARMSDIRECTOR, (FROM JUNE 2025)

ALVARO UMANADIRECTOR

JAVIER MATEO-VEGADIRECTOR

JAMES DALLINGDIRECTOR

GEORGE MIDDENDORF IIIDIRECTOR

ERIN KUPREWICZDIRECTOR / SECRETARY

CHELSEA WARDDIRECTOR/ CHAIR

BRYAN HEIDORNDIRECTOR

ANDRE KESSLERDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1999
Location: 408 SWIFT AVENUE, DURHAM, NC 27705
County: Durham
In care of: ELIZABETH BRAKER
Primary officer: ELIZABETH BRAKER, CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(919) 684-5774

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: GELMAN ROSENBERG & FREEDMAN
NTEE classification: International, Foreign Affairs & National Security (Q055)
IRS tax category: Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities