Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reported $232.7 million in revenue and $199.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $82.19 went to program services, $16.72 to management and general costs and $1.09 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 61.9% of the total. Government grants made up 24.4%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $1,139,136 (CEO AND TRUSTEE). 200 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 24% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $200MFor 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 $233MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 82.2% | 83.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 16.7% | 15.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 1.1% | 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 | 61.9% | 51.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 24.4% | 3.2% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 12.3% | 19.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $1,139,136 | $513,729 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.57% | 1.72% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 200 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 69.0 | 14.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 30 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 expenseResearch: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (cshl), founded in 1890, is a world-renowned, private research and education institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, quantitative biology, and bioinformatics & genomics. The research environment is highly collaborative, allowing cshl scientists to work together across disciplines to solve biology's most challenging problems. The ultimate goal is to apply this research on basic biological mechanisms to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, neurological disorders and other diseases
Educational meetings & courses program: cshl's reputation as one of the premier hubs of activity in biology and genetics is linked to its meetings and courses program. With roots in the legendary annual symposia in quantitative biology series, which began in 1933, the program organizes more than 60 meetings and courses annually, covering a wide range of topics in the biological sciences. In 2024, the program continued to successfully hold virtual meetings and courses attracting close to 13,000 participants
Publications: with origins in the 1930's, cshl press enhances the laboratory's educational mission by publishing original work that assists in the advance and spread of scientific knowledge. Sale of its publications enhances the laboratory's international reputation for excellence. The press publishes research and review journals, books, manuals, primers and other information sources, in electronic and print form. In 2024, the press published 283 print books, including 15 new titles. The press also produces 3 print/online journals, 4 online only journals and 1 no-charge journals
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO AND TRUSTEE Director/trustee, officer, 50.00 hrs/week | $975,312 | $0 | $163,824 | $1,139,136 |
| CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Officer, 50.00 hrs/week | $584,160 | $0 | $109,033 | $693,193 |
| SCIENTIST Highest compensated employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $543,180 | $0 | $77,399 | $620,579 |
| SCIENTIST Highest compensated employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $440,079 | $0 | $74,865 | $514,944 |
| SENIOR VP ADVANCEMENT Highest compensated employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $427,202 | $0 | $77,670 | $504,872 |
| CFO Officer, 50.00 hrs/week | $413,390 | $0 | $77,621 | $491,011 |
| SCIENTIST Highest compensated employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $403,117 | $0 | $75,714 | $478,831 |
| VP, GENERAL COUNSEL Key employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $389,211 | $0 | $75,272 | $464,483 |
200 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $3.4M (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 · 30 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 26Yes
- 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 51,333
- Volunteers Part I, line 622
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| CENTERBROOK ARCHITECTS Architectural | $2,490,333 |
| AKF ENGINEERS LLP Engineering | $602,462 |
| HURON CONSULTING GROUP INC Consulting | $338,359 |
| WOLF GREENFIELD & SACKS PC Legal | $312,999 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 7 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
61 private foundations reported grants to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory totaling $17M 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 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory spent in 2024, $82.19 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reported that 82.2% of its $199.8 million in expenses went to program services, 16.7% to management and general and 1.1% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $1,139,136, for the role of CEO AND TRUSTEE (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory get its money?
Of $232.7 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 61.9% came from contributions and grants (including 24.4% from government grants) and 12.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 11-2013303 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 202543169349308959 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202433109349304203 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202343109349303609 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021 (amended), object 202233359349301118 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202123169349307307 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202023179349303647 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 11-2013303: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.