Open Research Lab
Open Research Lab reported $18.3 million in revenue and $3.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $86.41 went to program services, $13.58 to management and general costs and $0.01 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.3% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $191,632 (Director). 6 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 959% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $3.8MFor 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 $18MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 86.4% | 83.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 13.6% | 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 | 99.3% | 51.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.2% | 19.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $191,632 | $513,729 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 5.04% | 1.72% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 6 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 9.3 | 14.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 2 of 3 | 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 expenseIn 2024, the Organization completed the initial dissemination of research findings for the Unconditional Cash Study (also called ORUS), a randomized controlled trial. This work included publishing working papers, presenting at conferences, completing interviews, and developing a website to clearly share documentation and findings with the public. The Organization also hosted research briefings to engage policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders, and reached out directly to study participants to answer their questions about the results. The research team invited all participants to…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director Director/trustee, 1.00 hrs/week | $171,172 | $0 | $20,460 | $191,632 |
| Strategy Director Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $148,787 | $0 | $33,649 | $182,436 |
| Data Director Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $135,986 | $0 | $30,312 | $166,298 |
| Research Engineer Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $128,606 | $0 | $15,661 | $144,267 |
| Research Manager Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $115,067 | $0 | $18,870 | $133,937 |
| Researcher Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $95,227 | $0 | $23,335 | $118,562 |
6 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Open Research Lab (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $192K (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–1b3 · 2 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13No
- Document retention policy Part VI 14No
- 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 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 510
- Volunteers Part I, line 62
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Open Research Lab's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Open Research Lab, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Open Research Lab spent in 2024, $86.41 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Altasea at the Port of Los AngelesSan Pedro, CA · revenue $18M · programs 71.9% · 2024
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- Society for Mining Metallurgy & Exploration (Sme)Englewood, CO · revenue $19M · programs 90.0% · FY2025
- Georgia Southern University Research and Service FoundationincStatesboro, GA · revenue $18M · programs 90.3% · FY2025
All science & technology charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of Open Research Lab's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Open Research Lab reported that 86.4% of its $3.8 million in expenses went to program services, 13.6% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Open Research Lab pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Open Research Lab reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $191,632, for the role of Director (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Open Research Lab get its money?
Of $18.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 99.3% came from contributions and grants and 0.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Open Research Lab a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 81-0861414 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 202610309349300226 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023 (amended), object 202610309349301431 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202323259349301112 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202213199349328891 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202113209349301966 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202011399349301581 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 81-0861414: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.