Nonpartisan civic infrastructure
AllCiv·Legis1
·

Lowell Observatory

Public charityFed auditsIRS 990
DBA: % R MELENA
Other · FLAGSTAFF, AZ · EIN 86-0098918

About

The mission of lowell observatory is to pursue the study of astronomy, especially the study of our solar system and its evolution; to conduct pure research in astronomical phenomena; and to maintain quality public education and outreach programs to bring the results of astronomical research to the public.

In care of R Melena

Donations are tax-deductible
Category
Other
Employees
183
Volunteers
94

Financial Snapshot

FY ending 2024-12-31
Revenue
$11.9M
Expenses
$19.5M
Assets
$102.6M
Liabilities
$53.8M

Financial history

$29.2M$14.6M$0
161718192021222324
RevenueExpenses
Latest FY2024: $11.9M · Peak FY2019: $29.2M · Avg: $18.8M

Political & Grant Activity

Campaign Spending
—
Lobbying
—
Grants Given
$175K
LOWELL OBSERVATORY
Your actions

Address

1400 W MARS HILL RD
Flagstaff, AZ, 86001-447

Governance

Voting board members1
Independent members0
Conflict-of-interest policyYes
Whistleblower policyYes
Doc-retention policyYes
Audit committeeYes
990 reviewed by boardYes

Compensation practices

Severance paymentsNo
Equity-based compNo
Supplemental retirement planNo
Used comp surveyYes
Board approved compYes
Initial contract exceptionNo

Financial detail (Schedule D)

Board-designated %68.4%
Permanent endowment %25.8%
Endowment held by related orgYes
Public records
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer ↗
Full 990 PDFs going back to 2001, plus parsed financial extracts. The easiest place to read actual filings.
IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search ↗
IRS-side authoritative source. Confirms current exempt status and pulls the latest determination letter.
These open in a new tab. AllCiv doesn't host filings directly — these are the authoritative public-record sources.