Griffith Observatory Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
953374645
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
2134730879
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Astronomy

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,034,630
Expenses
$2,354,667
Assets
$2,408,739
Liabilities
$143,549

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANISH KHAN (PRESIDENT)
  • EVE HABERFIELD (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ELIZABETH GREENWAY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (AS OF 03/2025))

Highest reported compensation

  • BENJAMIN ROUDENIS (DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY): $143,641 total reported compensation
  • ELIZABETH GREENWAY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (AS OF 03/2025)): $139,373 total reported compensation
  • TROY POWERS (PROGRAM PRODUCTION ENGINEER): $111,708 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To support and promote griffith observatory as a home for science literacy, education, and public astronomy through resource development and advocacy in partnership with the community.

What it reported doing in 2025

See schedule o

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 42% for direct work, and 58% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.8%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 62.7%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -15.7%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.8%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.8% of revenue deployed · 62.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $144K · 21 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.