Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 561708547
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2011
- Forms available
- Form 990 2011
- Location
- Afton, VA, USA
- Phone
- 5404566170
- Rating confidence
- Limited
- Sector
- Astronomy
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $269,330
- Expenses
- $322,753
- Assets
- $572,645
- Liabilities
- $716
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2011. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2011. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Education and research into the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence
What it reported doing in 2011
Research: 6 week-long research expeditions; two 2-3-day events. These programs provide research opportunities and trained approximately 460 individuals to do research in their home locations. Expeditions include night-time viewing of the sky and recording of anomalous events, with subsequent evaluation by the group. Discussions and interviews with military, scientific and corporate witnesses and whistleblowers, who have worked on or seen et vehicles under human control or who have worked on vehicles back-engineered from downed et vehicles. These witnesses find out about cseti through the website and networking.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 67% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
The verdict
- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 32
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: Limited
- Program expense ratio: Limited
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Limited
- Other executive compensation review process: Limited
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -19.8%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.77; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: Limited
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
- Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $277K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed
- Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.