ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY INC

EIN 86-0138043 · Science & Technology (U31C)

What they do

AURA PROVIDES INNOVATIVE, OPEN RESOURCES to ENABLE DISCOVERY and EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH, to UNIFY THE ASTROPHYSICS COMMUNITIES, and to PROMOTE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING of OUR UNIVERSE and THE BENEFITS of SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $90.70 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 2023The report may be old. Ask for a newer one.

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

They name their leaders45 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

90.08%of revenue went to mission work90.7% of expenses · Program services

$95.40spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

9.23%of revenue went to management and office costs9.3% of expenses

$0.33in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

52.1%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 $633,974 for CHARLES MOUNTAIN (PRESIDENT). 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 2023

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$450,393,254

Mission workProgram services$405,705,49990.08% of revenue90.7% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$41,550,4169.23% of revenue9.3% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$3,137,3390.70% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$447,255,91599.30% 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

2023CurrentExpense mix: 90.7% mission · 9.3% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.30% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 90.2% mission · 9.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.65% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 90.4% mission · 9.6% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.63% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 91.0% mission · 9.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.24% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 92.0% mission · 8.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.09% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 92.5% mission · 7.5% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.52% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 96.3% mission · 3.7% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.56% of revenue

2016Expense mix: 96.4% mission · 3.6% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.29% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$468,809,827

Expenses$447,255,915

Annual surplus $21,553,912 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)$405,705,499 · 90.7% of expenses

Management and office costs$41,550,416 · 9.3% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$468,809,827

Expenses$447,255,915

Assets$146,567,872

Income$518,341,461

Contributions$244,021,913

Mission work (program services)$405,705,499

Grants given$278,426,129

Average grant$301,327

Management and general$41,550,416

Stocks and bonds$19,095,581

Accounting fees$1,057,817

Investing fees$66,915

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2023

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

CHARLES MOUNTAINPRESIDENT · 40 hrs/week $633,974Base $566,893 · Other $67,081

NANCY LEVENSONINTERIM DIRECTOR, STSCI · 40 hrs/week $450,136Base $392,185 · Other $57,951

KENNETH SEMBACHASTRONOMER · 40 hrs/week $444,827Base $386,984 · Other $57,843

HEIDI HAMMELVP FOR SCIENCE · 40 hrs/week $407,226Base $340,990 · Other $66,236

VALENTIN PILLETDIRECTOR, NSO (THRU 7/24) · 40 hrs/week $394,718Base $331,690 · Other $63,028

PATRICK MCCARTHYNOIRLAB DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $394,365Base $359,483 · Other $34,882

BARBARA LAMVP OF OPERATIONS/CFO · 40 hrs/week $375,351Base $312,905 · Other $62,446

DANA LEHRVP PROGRAMS · 40 hrs/week $354,985Base $287,937 · Other $67,048

MARC POSTMANACTING DEP. DIR. - STSCI (THRU 2/24) · 40 hrs/week $354,247Base $296,162 · Other $58,085

VICTOR KRABBENDAMVR CONSTRUCTION - PROJECT · 40 hrs/week $348,362Base $277,130 · Other $71,232

PHILIP PUXLEYVP FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS · 40 hrs/week $333,264Base $295,373 · Other $37,891

NEILL REIDASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - SCIENCE · 40 hrs/week $330,518Base $269,361 · Other $61,157

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 (45)

CHARLES MOUNTAINPRESIDENT

NANCY LEVENSONINTERIM DIRECTOR, STSCI

KENNETH SEMBACHASTRONOMER

HEIDI HAMMELVP FOR SCIENCE

VALENTIN PILLETDIRECTOR, NSO (THRU 7/24)

PATRICK MCCARTHYNOIRLAB DIRECTOR

BARBARA LAMVP OF OPERATIONS/CFO

DANA LEHRVP PROGRAMS

MARC POSTMANACTING DEP. DIR. - STSCI (THRU 2/24)

VICTOR KRABBENDAMVR CONSTRUCTION - PROJECT

PHILIP PUXLEYVP FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS

NEILL REIDASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - SCIENCE

STUARTT CORDERNORILAB DEPUTY DIRECTOR

JEAN EISENVP FOR CORPORATE STRATEGY

THOMAS RIMMELENSO - ASSOC. DIRECTOR - DK

ZELIJKO IVEZICRUBIN OPS CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR

JENNIFER LOTZNOIRLAB - GEMINI/STSCI DIRECTOR

DAVE LISKAASSOICATE DIR. ENG. & IT (THRU 9/24)

ROBERT BLUMOPERATIONS DIRECTOR

JEDEDIAH MCCORMICKASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - ADMIN

INGER JORGENSENCSO (THRU 8/24)

NANCI REICHDIRECTOR - CORP GOVERNANCE

LEE CURTISCHIEF OF STAFF

TODD HOEKSEMADIRECTOR (THRU 6/24)

ANDREW BAKERVICE CHAIR

SALLY OEYDIRECTOR

ROGER DAVIESDIRECTOR

WILLIE ROCKWARDDIRECTOR

BRENNA FLAUGHERDIRECTOR

MARIA TERESA RUIZDIRECTOR (THRU 6/24)

DAN JAFFEDIRECTOR

MONICA RUBIODIRECTOR

MEGAN DONAHUEDIRECTOR

MAURA HAGANDIRECTOR (THRU 6/24)

DAVID REITZEDIRECTOR

LEOPOLDO INFANTEDIRECTOR

KELLE CRUZDIRECTOR

KAREN BJORKMANCHAIR

JEROME OGLESBYDIRECTOR

JEFF HALLDIRECTOR (THRU 6/24)

JAMES YECKDIRECTOR (THRU 6/24)

JAMES MCATEERDIRECTOR

JAMES CROCKERDIRECTOR (THRU 6/24)

EMILY COBABE-AMMANNDIRECTOR

ELIZABETH BARTONDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1961
Location: 1331 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW STE 1475, WASHINGTON, DC 20004-1752
County: District of Columbia
In care of: % PAYROLL
Primary officer: BARBARA LAM, VP OF OPERATIONS/CFO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@aura-astronomy.org Phone(202) 483-2101

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2023
Tax period began: October 1, 2023
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP
NTEE classification: Science & Technology (U31C)
Grant-giving organization: Yes