Charity profile · Historical source record

Lowell Observatory

EIN 86-0098918Research and Public Policy Arizona Mid-sized

Historical collection: May 2019 · Rating details mostly from 2017. Source & context

The mission

What this organization describes

Pursuing the study of astronomy

The mission of Lowell Observatory is to pursue the study of astronomy, especially the study of our solar system and its evolution; to conduct pure research in astronomical phenomena; and to maintain quality public education and outreach programs to bring the results of astronomical research to the public. Founded in 1894, the Observatory has been the site of many important findings including the discovery of the large recessional velocities (redshift) of galaxies by Vesto Slipper in 1912-1914, and the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. Today, Lowell's 20 astronomers use ground-based telescopes around the world, telescopes in space, and NASA planetary spacecraft to conduct research in diverse areas of astronomy and planetary science. The Observatory welcomes more than 75,000 visitors each year for tours, telescope viewing, and special programs.

Mission and tagline reproduced from the source record.

Historical scorecard

Three perspectives. One record.

88.56Overall score
out of 100

93.97Financial score
out of 100

85.00Accountability & transparency
out of 100

These are the dataset’s historical numeric fields, not a current rating or a new DonorAPI.com assessment. Read the score context ↗

Financial context

Revenue, expenses, and composition

Total revenue · USD$22,523,259

Total expenses · USD$12,648,803

Program expenses

$10,296,125.64 recorded amount

81.4%

Fundraising expenses

$885,416.21 recorded amount

7.0%

Administrative expenses

$1,441,963.54 recorded amount

11.4%

Fundraising efficiency: $0.09 spent per $1 raised in donations, as defined in the source.

Expense shares are displayed as percentages. Component amounts in this collection match total expenses multiplied by the source ratios; rounding can leave a small difference from the total. The source does not supply a row-specific fiscal year. Field definitions ↗

Historical leadership record

The leadership information supplied

Recorded leader: Jeffrey C. Hall
Recorded compensation: $156,208.00
Recorded compensation percentage: 1.23%

These fields do not establish the current officeholder or current compensation. The metadata does not specify the denominator of the leader compensation percentage. Read with context ↗

Inspect all 23 original source fields

Exact source strings are retained below, including numeric precision. A blank value is marked as not reported; zero remains zero.

All 23 original fields for Lowell Observatory
Source field	Original source value
`ascore` Accountability & transparency score	85.0
`category` Category	Research and Public Policy
`description` Mission & description	The mission of Lowell Observatory is to pursue the study of astronomy, especially the study of our solar system and its evolution; to conduct pure research in astronomical phenomena; and to maintain quality public education and outreach programs to bring the results of astronomical research to the public. Founded in 1894, the Observatory has been the site of many important findings including the discovery of the large recessional velocities (redshift) of galaxies by Vesto Slipper in 1912-1914, and the discovery of Pluto by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. Today, Lowell's 20 astronomers use ground-based telescopes around the world, telescopes in space, and NASA planetary spacecraft to conduct research in diverse areas of astronomy and planetary science. The Observatory welcomes more than 75,000 visitors each year for tours, telescope viewing, and special programs.
`ein` EIN	86-0098918
`tot_exp` Total expenses	12648803.0
`admin_exp_p` Administrative expense fraction	0.114
`fund_eff` Fundraising efficiency ($ per $1 raised)	0.09
`fund_exp_p` Fundraising expense fraction	0.07
`program_exp_p` Program expense fraction	0.8140000000000001
`fscore` Financial score	93.97
`leader` Recorded leader	Jeffrey C. Hall
`leader_comp` Recorded leader compensation	156208.0
`leader_comp_p` Recorded leader compensation fraction	0.0123
`motto` Tagline	Pursuing the study of astronomy
`name` Charity name	Lowell Observatory
`tot_rev` Total revenue	22523259.0
`score` Overall score	88.56
`state` State code	AZ
`subcategory` Subcategory	Non-Medical Science & Technology Research
`size` Source size label	mid
`program_exp` Program expenses	10296125.642
`fund_exp` Fundraising expenses	885416.2100000001
`admin_exp` Administrative expenses	1441963.5420000001

Identity & classification

At a glance

EIN: 86-0098918
Source category: Research and Public Policy
Source subcategory: Non-Medical Science & Technology Research
Recorded location: Arizona (AZ)
Expense-based size: Mid-sized
$3.5M–$13.5M in total expenses · source label: mid

Explore alongside

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Linked by source subcategory, prioritizing the same recorded state. Not a recommendation or ranking.

A useful next step

Keep the context.

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Giving research guide ↗

Source: Charity Navigator Scores Expenses Dataset, version 1, attributed to katyjqian on Kaggle. Collection: May 2019; rating details mostly from 2017. Read attribution, scope, and reuse notes.