Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Overview
Mission
Protecting the ocean starts with science. At WHOI, we believe the greatest challenges and opportunities require a collective effort to really make a difference. To support our mission for a collaborative community WHOI has hired a consultant Ombudsperson. You can contact Ombudsperson Alicia Booker at [email protected]. What is an Ombudsperson? Today, the WHOI community numbers over 1,000, including scientific and technical staff, ships’ crew and officers, and a variety of scientific, service, and administrative support staff, as well as about 130 Joint Program students. All of these individuals contribute to a common goal: to help advance research and understanding of the ocean and its role in shaping and sustaining the planet. It is not a mission that WHOI takes lightly, now or at any time over the course of its history. The ocean is too important to all of us. > I think that...
What it reported doing in 2024
Sponsored and institutional research in oceanography and related fields: of the 852 sponsored research awards, 572 awards are from 9 federal agencies and 280 are from 117 other sponsors. Institution research sponsored 347 projects from unrestricted funds. In addition, woods hole oceanographic institution issued 585 publications in 2024.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 74% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 042105850
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Aug 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Headquarters
- Woods Hole, MA, United States
- Phone
- (508) 289-2252
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Marine Science and Oceanography
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 87
- Transparency & Controls: 81
- Accountability: 96
- Sustainability: 43
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 89.3%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 87%; rating input score 87
- Fundraising efficiency: $63.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 93.5%; rating input score 94; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -2.6%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.22; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 89.3% of revenue deployed · 87% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 29 of 31 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $307.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1.3M · 46 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5.7M reported
- Consistency: 43 of 43 current checks pass
- Schedules: 12 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 18 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Leadership & pay
46 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- PETER DE MENOCAL (PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR): $1,338,162 total reported compensation
- RICHARD MURRAY (DD & VP SCI & ENG (UNTIL 9/24)): $799,518 total reported compensation
- KATHRYN LINK (VP OPS & CFO): $592,822 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.