ESALEN INSTITUTE Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ESALEN INSTITUTE

EIN 94-6114235 · Science & Technology Research Institutes & Services (V230)

What they do

ESALEN is A LEADING CENTER for EXPLORING and REALIZING HUMAN POTENTIAL THROUGH EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, and RESEARCH. WE WORK TOWARD THE REALIZATION of A MORE HUMANE WORLD, SEEKING ANSWERS to QUESTIONS UNLIKELY to BE EXPLORED BY TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITIES and RELIGIONS. ESALEN SPONSORS PIONEERING INITIATIVES and OFFERS PERSONAL, SPIRITUAL, and SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMS for RESIDENTS, INTERNS, and WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $68.00 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 leaders20 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

66.58%of revenue went to mission work68.0% of expenses · Program services

0.86%of revenue went to fundraising0.9% of expenses

$97.85spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

30.41%of revenue went to management and office costs31.1% of expenses

$3.20in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

4.1%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

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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 $468,423 for CAMILLE WRIGHT (CEO - UNTIL 10/24). 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$22,438,038

Mission workProgram services$14,939,09866.58% of revenue68.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$6,823,66530.41% of revenue31.1% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$192,6210.86% of revenue0.9% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$482,6542.15% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$21,955,38497.85% 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: 68.0% mission · 31.1% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.85% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 70.8% mission · 27.7% management · 1.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.59% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 59.2% mission · 37.1% management · 3.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.67% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 61.4% mission · 33.5% management · 5.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.13% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 50.1% mission · 40.5% management · 9.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 200.64% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 83.2% mission · 15.2% management · 1.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.20% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 79.7% mission · 17.4% management · 2.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.74% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 76.4% mission · 20.1% management · 3.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 140.45% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$22,438,038

Expenses$21,955,384

Annual surplus $482,654 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)$14,939,098 · 68.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$6,823,665 · 31.1% of expenses

Fundraising$192,621 · 0.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$22,438,038

Expenses$21,955,384

Assets$70,261,692

Income$22,935,123

Contributions$924,746

Mission work (program services)$14,939,098

Fundraising$192,621

Grants given$295,665

Average grant$49,278

Management and general$6,823,665

Accounting fees$63,483

Investing fees$72,068

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

CAMILLE WRIGHTCEO - UNTIL 10/24 · 40 hrs/week $468,423Base $457,283 · Other $11,140

JACY CARROLLCFO · 40 hrs/week $257,809Base $249,345 · Other $8,464

AMY OLIVERCHIEF OF STAFF · 40 hrs/week $179,490Base $173,589 · Other $5,901

MARY OBRIENDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT · 40 hrs/week $146,395Base $140,065 · Other $6,330

ANAIS GADBANDIRECTOR OF OPERATION · 40 hrs/week $138,597

SHIRA LEVINMARKETING MANAGER · 40 hrs/week $122,807

GORDON WHEELERPRESIDENT · 10 hrs/week $12,849Base $2,005 · Other $10,844

WILLIAM DONIUSDIRECTOR · 6 hrs/week $10,230

SRAVANA BORKATAKY-VARMADIRECTOR · 6 hrs/week $4,480

NANCY WHEELERDIRECTOR · 10 hrs/week $815

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 (20)

CAMILLE WRIGHTCEO - UNTIL 10/24

JACY CARROLLCFO

AMY OLIVERCHIEF OF STAFF

MARY OBRIENDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

ANAIS GADBANDIRECTOR OF OPERATION

SHIRA LEVINMARKETING MANAGER

GORDON WHEELERPRESIDENT

WILLIAM DONIUSDIRECTOR

SRAVANA BORKATAKY-VARMADIRECTOR

NANCY WHEELERDIRECTOR

DAVE MORINCHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

CHARLIE STANGDIRECTOR

JEFF KRIPALDIRECTOR

JUSTIN MICHAEL WILLIAMSDIRECTOR

BILL JAMESDIRECTOR

MARY ELLEN KLEESECRETARY

MICHAEL MURPHYDIRECTOR

ANNABEL TEALDIRECTOR

TANYA LUHRMANNDIRECTOR

ANISA MEHDIDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1965
Location: 55000 HIGHWAY 1, BIG SUR, CA 93920
County: Monterey
In care of: JEN GILES
Primary officer: JEN GILES, CONTROLLER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(831) 250-1022

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BAKER TILLY ADVISORY GROUP LP
NTEE classification: Science & Technology Research Institutes & Services (V230)
Grant-giving organization: Yes