The Earth Species Project
The Earth Species Project reported $20.8 million in revenue and $4.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $79.17 went to program services, $9.53 to management and general costs and $11.30 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.1% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $213,444 (Head of Operations). 8 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 5841% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $4.8MFor context, the median across 2,433 covered unclassified charities: $88.27 programs, $11.68 management, $0.05 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 $21MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.2% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 9.5% | 11.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 11.3% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.03 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 99.1% | 29.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 58.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $213,444 | $301,601 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 4.41% | 1.38% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 44.4 | 6.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 6 of 8 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseOrganizational Growth and Development: Strategy Development and Theory of Change: In 2024, we developed a new organizational strategy that will guide ESP into the future by allowing us to advance not just the science of animal communication, but the broader change we hope to see in the world. The new strategy relies on three pillars to achieve impact: Research to Decode, Building The Field, and Preparing Society for Impact. Scaling our team: In 2024, we added six new full time employees bringing our total team to 23 across communications, research, and impact. Notably we brought on key…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head of Operations Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $180,000 | $0 | $33,444 | $213,444 |
| CEO Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $180,000 | $0 | $11,655 | $191,655 |
| Senior AI Research Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $155,000 | $0 | $36,445 | $191,445 |
| Senior Research Sc Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $155,000 | $0 | $34,004 | $189,004 |
| Senior AI Research Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $155,000 | $0 | $25,493 | $180,493 |
| Senior AI Research Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $155,000 | $0 | $24,979 | $179,979 |
| Senior AI Research Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $155,000 | $0 | $18,884 | $173,884 |
| President Director/trustee, officer, 20.00 hrs/week | $144,000 | $0 | $4,320 | $148,320 |
8 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Earth Species Project (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $553K (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–1b8 · 6 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 514
- Volunteers Part I, line 65
Private foundation grants it received
3 private foundations reported grants to The Earth Species Project totaling $735K 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 The Earth Species Project'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 Earth Species Project, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Earth Species Project spent in 2024, $79.17 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All unclassified charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of The Earth Species Project's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, The Earth Species Project reported that 79.2% of its $4.8 million in expenses went to program services, 9.5% to management and general and 11.3% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Earth Species Project pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Earth Species Project reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $213,444, for the role of Head of Operations (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Earth Species Project get its money?
Of $20.8 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 99.1% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Earth Species Project a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 82-5167508 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 202543219349319929 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202432269349301428 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202312789349301876 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202202739349301415 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202133169349309148 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202043219349317684 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 82-5167508: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.