THE SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES

EIN 95-2160097 · Science & Technology (U500)

What they do

UNLOCKING THE SECRETS of LIFE ITSELF is THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE SALK INSTITUTE. OUR TEAM of WORLD-CLASS, AWARD-WINNING SCIENTISTS PUSHES BOUNDARIES of KNOWLEDGE IN AREAS SUCH AS NEUROSCIENCE, CANCER RESEARCH, AGING, IMMUNOBIOLOGY, PLANT BIOLOGY, COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, and MORE. FOUNDED BY JONAS SALK, DEVELOPER of THE FIRST SAFE and EFFECTIVE POLIO VACCINE, THE INSTITUTE is AN INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT RESEARCH ORGANIZATION and ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARK: SMALL BY CHOICE, INTIMATE BY NATURE, and FEARLESS IN THE FACE of ANY CHALLENGE.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $84.00 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 leaders39 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

81.91%of revenue went to mission work84.0% of expenses · Program services

3.14%of revenue went to fundraising3.2% of expenses

$97.52spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

12.47%of revenue went to management and office costs12.8% of expenses

$4.73in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

85.8%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 $969,960 for GERALD JOYCE MD PHD (PRESIDENT / PROFESSOR). 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$181,393,442

Mission workProgram services$148,586,52481.91% of revenue84.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$22,616,85812.47% of revenue12.8% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$5,687,4173.14% of revenue3.2% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$4,502,6432.48% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$176,890,79997.52% 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: 84.0% mission · 12.8% management · 3.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.52% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 83.1% mission · 13.2% management · 3.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 109.97% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 82.7% mission · 13.8% management · 3.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.40% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 83.1% mission · 13.2% management · 3.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.42% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 84.0% mission · 12.5% management · 3.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 70.23% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 84.1% mission · 12.6% management · 3.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.25% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 84.4% mission · 11.6% management · 4.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 72.36% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 82.5% mission · 13.5% management · 4.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.10% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$181,393,442

Expenses$176,890,799

Annual surplus $4,502,643 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)$148,586,524 · 84.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$22,616,858 · 12.8% of expenses

Fundraising$5,687,417 · 3.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$181,393,442

Expenses$176,890,799

Assets$836,148,506

Income$340,360,680

Contributions$155,691,017

Mission work (program services)$148,586,524

Fundraising$5,687,417

Management and general$22,616,858

Stocks and bonds$133,877,089

Accounting fees$313,113

Investing fees$2,903,795

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

GERALD JOYCE MD PHDPRESIDENT / PROFESSOR · 50 hrs/week $969,960Base $907,583 · Other $62,377

JAN KARLSEDER PHDPROFESSOR · 50 hrs/week $554,433Base $490,287 · Other $64,146

FRED GAGE PHDPROFESSOR · 50 hrs/week $516,843Base $453,121 · Other $63,722

JULIA A MILLER JDSECRETARY/GENERAL COUNSEL · 50 hrs/week $499,136Base $430,675 · Other $68,461

KIM E WITMERTREASURER/SVP FINANCE & ADMN (OUTGOING OCT 2024) · 50 hrs/week $496,481Base $446,572 · Other $49,909

REUBEN SHAW PHDTRUSTEE/PROFESSOR (OUTGOING MAR 2025) · 50 hrs/week $470,090Base $411,517 · Other $58,573

EDWARD CALLAWAY PHDPROFESSOR · 50 hrs/week $449,215Base $383,288 · Other $65,927

SUSAN KAECH PHDPROFESSOR · 50 hrs/week $422,307Base $356,518 · Other $65,789

KIMBERLY CASTILLOCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER · 50 hrs/week $415,207Base $353,369 · Other $61,838

WOLFGANG BUSCH PHDTRUSTEE/PROFESSOR · 50 hrs/week $400,877Base $340,005 · Other $60,872

JERRY SHEEHANCHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER · 50 hrs/week $398,562Base $354,307 · Other $44,255

CHRISTIAN METALLO PHDTRUSTEE/PROFESSOR (INCOMING APR 2025) · 50 hrs/week $370,444Base $310,492 · Other $59,952

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 (39)

GERALD JOYCE MD PHDPRESIDENT / PROFESSOR

JAN KARLSEDER PHDPROFESSOR

FRED GAGE PHDPROFESSOR

JULIA A MILLER JDSECRETARY/GENERAL COUNSEL

KIM E WITMERTREASURER/SVP FINANCE & ADMN (OUTGOING OCT 2024)

REUBEN SHAW PHDTRUSTEE/PROFESSOR (OUTGOING MAR 2025)

EDWARD CALLAWAY PHDPROFESSOR

SUSAN KAECH PHDPROFESSOR

KIMBERLY CASTILLOCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

WOLFGANG BUSCH PHDTRUSTEE/PROFESSOR

JERRY SHEEHANCHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

CHRISTIAN METALLO PHDTRUSTEE/PROFESSOR (INCOMING APR 2025)

JANELLE AYRES PHDTRUSTEE/PROFESSOR

MARNA C WHITTINGTON PHDCHAIR

MARY JANE SALKTRUSTEE

MARKUS REINHARDTRUSTEE

MARK KNICKREHMTRUSTEE

RICHARD A HEYMAN PHDTRUSTEE

LYN HUTTONTRUSTEE

SANJAY K JHA PHDTRUSTEE

TERRY ROSEN PHDVICE CHAIR

TIMOTHY M SCHOENTRUSTEE

IRVING WEISSMAN MDTRUSTEE

JAY FLATLEYTRUSTEE

AMY JACOBSTRUSTEE

HOWARD H NEWMAN PHDTRUSTEE

HORACIO VALEIRASTRUSTEE (INCOMING MAY 2025)

HAEYOUNG KONG TANG PHDTRUSTEE

FREDERIK PAULSEN PHDTRUSTEE

FREDERICK J DOTZLERTRUSTEE

FRED LUDDYTRUSTEE

ERIC SAGERMANTRUSTEE

EDWIN K HUNTERTRUSTEE (OUTGOING NOV 2024)

DAVID DOLBYTRUSTEE

DANIEL C LEWISTRUSTEE (OUTGOING NOV 2024)

DANIEL TIERNEYTRUSTEE

CORINNE MENTZELOPOULOSTRUSTEE

CAROL GALLAGHER PHARMDTRUSTEE

BENJAMIN H LEWISTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1961
Location: 10010 N TORREY PINES RD, LA JOLLA, CA 92037-1002
County: San Diego
In care of: % PAYROLL DEPARTMENT
Primary officer: Marie Carter-Dubois, CFO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailcommunications@salk.eduPhone Phone(858) 453-4100

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: ERNST & YOUNG US LLP
NTEE classification: Science & Technology (U500)