Dark Skies Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 841475282
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2018–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2008
- Location
- Westcliffe, CO, USA
- Phone
- 7193981284
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Pollution Abatement and Control Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $35,648
- Expenses
- $33,810
- Assets
- $115,568
- Liabilities
- $35,000
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CHARLES JAGOW (PRESIDENT)
- ERIC MESSICK (VICE PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- COURTNEY MILLER (BOARD MEMBER)
- LIN MILLER (BOARD MEMBER)
- STEVE MCALLISTER (OBSERVATORY DIRECTOR)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Preserve custer ctys natural dark skies
What it reported doing in 2025
Provide educational seminars at the observatory and other appropriate venues to encourage use of dark-sky-friendly lighting and to promote interest in astronomy
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 85% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 55
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.9%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 73.4%; rating input score 73
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 5.2%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.42; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.3; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 71.9% of revenue deployed · 73.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 4 filed program accomplishments · $25K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 8 filing years from 2018 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.