Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reported $344.3 million in revenue and $353.2 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $87.05 went to program services, $11.48 to management and general costs and $1.47 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 96.3% of the total. Government grants made up 73.9%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $1,338,162 (PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR). 524 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 32% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $353MFor context, the median across 192 covered science & technology charities: $84.33 programs, $15.67 management, $0.00 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $344MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 87.0% | 83.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 11.5% | 15.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 1.5% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.02 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 96.3% | 51.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 73.9% | 3.2% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 3.2% | 19.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $1,338,162 | $513,729 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.38% | 1.72% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 524 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 21.7 | 14.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 29 of 31 | 94.3% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseSponsored and institutional research in oceanography and related fields: of the 852 sponsored research awards, 572 awards are from 9 federal agencies and 280 are from 117 other sponsors. Institution research sponsored 347 projects from unrestricted funds. In addition, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution issued 585 publications in 2024
Education: joint graduate program with m.I.t. In the marine sciences. In 2024, there were 149 graduate students, 35 degree recipients, 37 post-doctoral scholars and fellows, 10 geophysical fluid dynamics program participants, 27 summer student fellows and 123 guest students
Highest reported compensation
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR Director/trustee, officer, 50.0 hrs/week | $682,313 | $0 | $655,849 | $1,338,162 |
| DD & VP SCI & ENG (UNTIL 9/24) Key employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $767,692 | $0 | $31,826 | $799,518 |
| VP OPS & CFO Officer, 50.0 hrs/week | $543,958 | $0 | $48,864 | $592,822 |
| VP MARINE FACILITIES & OPS Key employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $413,668 | $0 | $80,865 | $494,533 |
| VP FOR ADVANCEMENT & CMO Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $405,704 | $0 | $71,939 | $477,643 |
| CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $332,776 | $0 | $76,317 | $409,093 |
| MASTER SHIP OPERATIONS Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $322,643 | $0 | $82,223 | $404,866 |
| SR. DIR. INFORMATION SYSTEMS Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $325,819 | $0 | $70,734 | $396,553 |
524 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $4.0M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b31 · 29 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 51,446
- Volunteers Part I, line 661
Private foundation grants it received
69 private foundations reported grants to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution totaling $7.9M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution spent in 2024, $87.05 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- University Corporation for Atmospheric ResearchBoulder, CO · revenue $289M · programs 87.0% · FY2025
- Institute for Defense AnalysesAlexandria, VA · revenue $345M · programs 90.6% · FY2025
- The Alfred E Mann Foundation for Scientific ResearchSanta Clarita, CA · revenue $258M · programs 91.1% · FY2026
- Climateworks FoundationSan Francisco, CA · revenue $351M · programs 93.9% · 2024
- Southeastern Universities Research AssociationWashington, DC · revenue $252M · programs 71.2% · FY2025
All science & technology charities · Largest charities in Massachusetts
Questions people ask
How much of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reported that 87.0% of its $353.2 million in expenses went to program services, 11.5% to management and general and 1.5% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $1,338,162, for the role of PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution get its money?
Of $344.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 96.3% came from contributions and grants (including 73.9% from government grants) and 3.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 04-2105850 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202523189349305667 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202413209349316576 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202303189349319470 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202213199349303141 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202113169349312216 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202033189349309793 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 04-2105850: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.