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The Wright Brothers Institute
The Wright Brothers Institute reported $28.9 million in revenue and $29.0 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $93.46 went to program services, $6.54 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: 99.3% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $283,618 (PRESIDENT). 9 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 69% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $29MFor context, the median across 479 covered community improvement & capacity building charities: $90.45 programs, $9.31 management, $0.24 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $29MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 93.5% | 89.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 6.5% | 9.2% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | Not reported | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 0.4% | 80.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.4% | 14.9% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 99.3% | 11.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $283,618 | $291,103 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.98% | 1.49% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 9 | 5 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 0.5 | 9.2 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 11 of 11 | 100.0% |
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
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseHighest reported compensation
FY2025 · 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 Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $224,006 | $0 | $59,612 | $283,618 |
| EMPLOYEE Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $149,883 | $0 | $54,736 | $204,619 |
| VICE PRESIDENT Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $174,922 | $0 | $6,245 | $181,167 |
| EMPLOYEE Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $147,015 | $0 | $20,799 | $167,814 |
| EMPLOYEE Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $127,102 | $0 | $37,192 | $164,294 |
| EMPLOYEE Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $140,852 | $0 | $5,232 | $146,084 |
| EMPLOYEE Highest compensated employee, 1.00 hrs/week | $133,345 | $0 | $4,897 | $138,242 |
| FORMER PRESIDENT Former, 40.00 hrs/week | $127,657 | $0 | $972 | $128,629 |
9 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Wright Brothers Institute (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.5M (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
FY2025 · 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–1b11 · 11 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 2Yes
- 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 536
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| GAME PLAN TECH LLC Software engineers specializing in ai, m | $4,156,359 |
| TREBLE ONE LLC Buisness case analysis subject matter ex | $322,310 |
| DOAB SOLUTIONS Digital engineering subject matter exper | $261,927 |
| DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE LLC Agile processess and principles consulta | $235,572 |
| THE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CORPS LLC Innovative solution and project manageme | $221,785 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 5 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from The Wright Brothers Institute's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Wright Brothers Institute, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Wright Brothers Institute spent in FY2025, $93.46 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of The Wright Brothers Institute's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, The Wright Brothers Institute reported that 93.5% of its $29.0 million in expenses went to program services, 6.5% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Wright Brothers Institute pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Wright Brothers Institute reported for one person in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 was $283,618, for the role of PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Wright Brothers Institute get its money?
Of $28.9 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 0.4% came from contributions and grants (including 0.4% from government grants) and 99.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Wright Brothers Institute a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 82-0546129 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
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, object 202620169349300912 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, object 202530299349301813 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, object 202440389349301509 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, object 202340339349301024 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, object 202240529349301104 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, object 202122019349300952 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 82-0546129: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.