MDM Observatory Consortium Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 020513199
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Hanover, NH, USA
- Phone
- 6036463011
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $577,696
- Expenses
- $465,947
- Assets
- $1,697,884
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- John Thorstensen (President/Trustee)
People named in this filing
- John Thorstensen (President/Trustee)
- Jules Halpern (Secretary/Trustee)
- Christopher Miller (Trustee)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
MDM Observatory Consortium, Inc.'s mission is to provide opportunities for education and research in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics; to promote and advance the studies of astronomy, astrophysics and related fields; to own, lease, operate, acquire, purchase, dispose of, transfer, sell and otherwise deal with facilities appropriate to the foregoing purposes including without limitation, observatories, telescopes, and other items.
What it reported doing in 2024
The function of the Consortium is to own and operate an astronomical observatory to provide opportunities for scientific research and education for the faculty, research scientists, and students of its member institutions.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 87% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- 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
STRONG - 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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 91
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 79
- Growth: 40
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 83.1%; rating input score 83
- Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: 19.3%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.64; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 83.1% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $466K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $137K reported
- Consistency: 19 of 20 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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: 2 of 6 not reported.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.