Science and technology charities, by the numbers.
1,444 of them filed a full Form 990 and spent $42.1B between them.
- 1,444
- charities filing a full Form 990, 636 spending $1M+
- $42.1B
- spent in their latest year, with $23.7B coming in as gifts and grants
- 66%
- of all that spending by the 10 biggest
The biggest 387 science and technology charities.
| # | Charity | Spending | Program share | Cost to raise $1 | Savings | CEO pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Advanced Technology International Summerville, SC · Other · FY 2025 | $4.8B | 99% | – | 0 mo | $710K |
| 2 | Alliance for Energy Innovation LLC Golden, CO · Other · FY 2025 | $1.1B | 98% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $1.04M |
| 3 | American Chemical Society Washington, DC · Other · FY 2024 | $756.6M | 88% | 29¢ | 28 mo | $1.38M |
| 4 | Weizmann Institute of ScienceOur file Israel, IS · Other · FY 2025 | $738.4M | 61% | 2¢ | 91 mo | $360K |
| 5 | Blueforge Alliance Bryan, TX · Other · FY 2025 | $697.6M | 96% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $526K |
| 6 | Fermi Forward Discovery Group LLC Batavia, IL · Other · FY 2025 | $643.7M | 99% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $772K |
| 7 | Association of Universities for Research Washington, DC · Other · FY 2025 | $465.0M | 91% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $604K |
| 8 | National Academy of Sciences Washington, DC · Other · FY 2024 | $378.8M | 79% | 2¢ | 43 mo | $1.09M |
| 9 | Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionOur file Woods Hole, MA · Other · FY 2024 | $353.2M | 87% | 2¢ | 22 mo | $682K |
| 10 | Climateworks FoundationOur file San Francisco, CA · Other · FY 2024 | $317.3M | 94% | 1¢ | 17 mo | $623K |
| 11 | University Corporation for Atmospheric Boulder, CO · Other · FY 2025 | $306.1M | 87% | 0¢ | 10 mo | $819K |
| 12 | Southeastern Universities Research Washington, DC · Other · FY 2025 | $252.6M | 71% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $512K |
| 13 | New York Center for Research Economic Advancement Technology EngineeringandOur file Albany, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $240.7M | 100% | 0¢ | -5 mo | $424K |
| 14 | Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium N Bethesda, SC · Other · FY 2024 | $233.0M | 99% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $188K |
| 15 | University of Kansas Center for Research Lawrence, KS · Other · FY 2025 | $212.1M | 90% | – | 9 mo | – |
| 16 | Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryOur file Cold Spg Hbr, NY · Other · FY 2024 | $199.8M | 82% | 2¢ | 69 mo | $975K |
| 17 | Defensewerx Niceville, FL · Other · FY 2025 | $195.7M | 100% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $383K |
| 18 | Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers Los Angeles, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $186.6M | 74% | 0¢ | 36 mo | $60K |
| 19 | American Type Culture Collection Manassas, VA · Other · FY 2024 | $181.9M | 62% | – | 12 mo | $2.31M |
| 20 | The Salk Institute for Biological StudiesOur file La Jolla, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $176.9M | 84% | 4¢ | 47 mo | $908K |
| 21 | Fermi Research Alliance LLC Batavia, IL · Other · FY 2025 | $168.4M | 99% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $772K |
| 22 | Associated Universities Vienna, VA · Other · FY 2025 | $145.6M | 89% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $541K |
| 23 | Analytic Services Arlington, VA · Other · FY 2025 | $139.9M | 79% | – | 20 mo | $582K |
| 24 | National Advanced Mobility Consortium Ann Arbor, MI · Other · FY 2025 | $136.3M | 97% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $368K |
| 25 | American Association for the Advancement Washington, DC · Other · FY 2024 | $132.2M | 84% | 7¢ | 12 mo | $983K |
Program share = program expenses ÷ total expenses (Part IX, line 25). Cost to raise $1 = fundraising expenses ÷ contributions (Part IX, Part VIII line 1h). Savings = net assets ÷ annual spending × 12, which includes buildings, endowments and restricted gifts, so zoos and aquariums run high. CEO pay is reportable compensation from the charity (Part VII). “CPA view” moves joint fundraising costs reported on line 26 out of programs. Names link to our file where we have one, otherwise to the filing on ProPublica.
Benchmarks for science and technology.
Medians across 636 charities spending $1M or more. Use them to judge any charity in this cause.
- 82%
- median program share, as reported
- 1¢
- median cost to raise $1, among charities taking in $100K+ in gifts
- 11 mo
- median net assets, in months of spending
| Annual spending | Charities | Median CEO pay | Median program share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1–5M | 356 | $176K | 80% |
| $5–25M | 176 | $300K | 82% |
| $25–100M | 62 | $506K | 84% |
| $100M+ | 42 | $879K | 87% |
The yes-or-no answers.
Counts of science and technology charities answering “yes” (or failing a basic check) in their latest Form 990. The charities answer these themselves.
charities told the IRS they discovered a significant diversion of assets (theft, embezzlement or misuse).
charities reported a paid fundraiser that kept half or more of what it raised.
charities reported an excess benefit transaction with an insider.
charities had $2M+ in revenue and no audited financial statements.
charities had $1M+ in revenue and no conflict-of-interest policy.
charities reported loans to or from officers or directors.
A “yes” is a reason to read the filing, not a verdict. Learn what each answer means in how to check a charity, and see how we read a 990.
Every science and technology charity we cover.
- Climateworks Foundation
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Concurrent Technologies
- Convergent Research
- Mriglobal
- New York Center for Research Economic Advancement Technology Engineeringand
- Renaissance Philanthropy Fund
- Society for Science & the Public
- The Hawaii Pacific Foundation
- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
- Weizmann Institute of Science
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Questions about science and technology charities.
What is the largest science and technology charity?
By spending, Advanced Technology International (SC), at $4.8B in its fiscal year ending 2025, per its Form 990.
How much do science and technology charity CEOs make?
The median CEO of a science and technology charity spending $1–5M a year was paid $176K. At charities spending $100M or more, the median was $879K. Figures are reportable compensation from the charity, Form 990 Part VII.
What percentage of donations to science and technology charities goes to programs?
The median science and technology charity spending $1M or more reported 82% of its spending on programs, on Form 990 Part IX. That is the charity's own split. Some charities count part of their fundraising mail as program work; our pages show the number both ways.
How many science and technology charities are there?
1,444 science and technology organizations filed a full Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, 636 of them spending $1 million or more. Thousands more file the short 990-EZ or the 990-N postcard.
Where this comes from.
Each charity's latest Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, joined to the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File for its NTEE cause code. Organizations that file as charities but aren't funded like one (research contractors, sports bodies and similar) are left out of the comparison table. Charities that file a 990-EZ or 990-N aren't included. Figures are as filed; we haven't reviewed each one, except where a charity has our full file.
Charity Math, “Science and technology charities, by the numbers,” data as of 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/causes/science-and-technology/