Public Library of Science
Public Library of Science reported $41.3 million in revenue and $37.0 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $83.94 went to program services, $16.06 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 92.1% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $543,320 (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER). 45 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 35% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $37MFor 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 $41MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 83.9% | 83.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 16.1% | 15.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 6.1% | 51.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 92.1% | 19.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $543,320 | $513,729 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.47% | 1.72% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 45 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 7.5 | 14.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 12 of 13 | 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 expenseThe Public Library of Science (plos) advances its charitable purpose by driving open science forward with measurable, meaningful change in research publishing, policy, and practice. We publish a portfolio of peer-reviewed, open access scientific journals, removing financial, legal, and technical barriers to accessing research by ensuring that all articles and associated data are freely available to the public without subscription fees. During the tax year, plos published approximately 20,000 peer-reviewed articles from authors in 163 countries across 14 scientific journals and provided $5.7…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $502,639 | $0 | $40,681 | $543,320 |
| CHIEF OF STAFF AND CHIEF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATI Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $311,457 | $0 | $38,465 | $349,922 |
| PUBLISHER & EXEC EDITOR Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $314,457 | $0 | $25,845 | $340,302 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $298,202 | $0 | $31,911 | $330,113 |
| CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $203,890 | $0 | $44,040 | $247,930 |
| PRIN. SW ENGINEER, PLATFORM & ENG Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $202,081 | $0 | $29,467 | $231,548 |
| GEN. COUNSEL & CORPORATE SECRETARY Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $209,897 | $0 | $20,003 | $229,900 |
| SENIOR MANAGER, STRATEGIC RESEARCH Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $208,987 | $0 | $8,530 | $217,517 |
45 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Public Library of Science (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.8M (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–1b13 · 12 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 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5236
- Volunteers Part I, line 613,500
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| APEX COVANTAGE LLC Composition | $1,814,542 |
| SPI TECHNOLOGIES INC Technology services | $1,436,796 |
| ARIES SYSTEMS CORPORATION Manuscript submission and tracking syste | $1,104,930 |
| EDITORIAL OFFICE LTD Editorial services | $505,687 |
| CLARIVATE ANALYTICS (US) LLC Author connect services | $375,199 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 18 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Public Library of Science's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Public Library of Science, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Public Library of Science spent in 2024, $83.94 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
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- IcipeKenya, · revenue $39M · programs 0.0% · 2025
All science & technology charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of Public Library of Science's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Public Library of Science reported that 83.9% of its $37.0 million in expenses went to program services, 16.1% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Public Library of Science pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Public Library of Science reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $543,320, for the role of CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Public Library of Science get its money?
Of $41.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 6.1% came from contributions and grants and 92.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Public Library of Science a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 68-0492065 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 202513219349304931 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202423189349309007 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202323189349313927 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202233199349309178 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202103199349310900 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202033169349305923 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 68-0492065: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.