Explore Mars Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 271811686
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Natick, MA, USA
- Phone
- 6179094425
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $441,446
- Expenses
- $432,358
- Assets
- $24,703
- Liabilities
- $73,933
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JR EDWARDS (PRESIDENT)
- JOSEPH CASSADY (EXEC. VICE PRESIDENT)
- RICK ZUCKER (VICE PRESIDENT FOR POLICY)
- CHRISTOPHER CARBERRY (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- CHRISTOPHER CARBERRY (CEO): $120,250 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To educate the public about the planet mars and promote the scientific exploration and settlement of the planet mars by the united states, other countries, and private entitites. By doing so to encourage young people to study science, technology engineering, the arts and math.
What it reported doing in 2024
Tenth and eleventh community workshops for achievability and sustainability of human exploration of mars (amx & amxi): these workshops and reports build consensus between key stakeholders in the space industry. In 2024, the final report for amx was produced, and the majority of planning for amxi(which took place in march 2025) occurred.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 74
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 79
- Sustainability: 23
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.1%; rating input score 75
- Program expense ratio: 76.7%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: $23.37 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 2.1%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.06; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 2.99; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 27.8%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 75.1% of revenue deployed · 76.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $332K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $120K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2013 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 4/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.