The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies reported $181.4 million in revenue and $176.9 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $84.00 went to program services, $12.79 to management and general costs and $3.21 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 85.8% of the total. Government grants made up 47.4%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $969,960 (PRESIDENT / PROFESSOR). 168 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 8% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $177MFor 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
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $181MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 84.0% | 83.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 12.8% | 15.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 3.2% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.04 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 85.8% | 51.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 47.4% | 3.2% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 19.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $969,960 | $513,729 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.55% | 1.72% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 168 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 46.6 | 14.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 24 of 29 | 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
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 / PROFESSOR Director/trustee, officer, 50.0 hrs/week | $907,583 | $0 | $62,377 | $969,960 |
| PROFESSOR Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $490,287 | $0 | $64,146 | $554,433 |
| PROFESSOR Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $453,121 | $0 | $63,722 | $516,843 |
| SECRETARY/GENERAL COUNSEL Officer, 50.0 hrs/week | $430,675 | $0 | $68,461 | $499,136 |
| TREASURER/SVP FINANCE & ADMN (OUTGOING OCT 2024) Officer, 50.0 hrs/week | $446,572 | $0 | $49,909 | $496,481 |
| TRUSTEE/PROFESSOR (OUTGOING MAR 2025) Director/trustee, 50.0 hrs/week | $411,517 | $0 | $58,573 | $470,090 |
| PROFESSOR Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $383,288 | $0 | $65,927 | $449,215 |
| PROFESSOR Highest compensated employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $356,518 | $0 | $65,789 | $422,307 |
168 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $3.9M (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–1b29 · 24 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 11aNo
- 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 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 51,092
- Volunteers Part I, line 626
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| EAST END ADVISORS LLC Investment advisor | $2,785,048 |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO Trng program/subcont | $1,636,683 |
| AO REED & CO Construction service | $852,627 |
| SHOW IMAGING INC Entertainment service | $459,528 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 14 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
51 private foundations reported grants to The Salk Institute for Biological Studies totaling $8.7M 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 Salk Institute for Biological Studies'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 Salk Institute for Biological Studies, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Salk Institute for Biological Studies spent in FY2025, $84.00 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of The Salk Institute for Biological Studies's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies reported that 84.0% of its $176.9 million in expenses went to program services, 12.8% to management and general and 3.2% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Salk Institute for Biological Studies pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Salk Institute for Biological Studies reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $969,960, for the role of PRESIDENT / PROFESSOR (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Salk Institute for Biological Studies get its money?
Of $181.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 85.8% came from contributions and grants (including 47.4% from government grants) and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Salk Institute for Biological Studies a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 95-2160097 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 June 30, 2025, object 202621199349301662 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202531019349301513 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202441309349302309 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202321329349308622 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202231329349302028 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202101349349303555 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 95-2160097: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.