Skys the Limit Observatory & Nature Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
814312310
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Twentynine Palms, CA, USA
Phone
7602855311
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Astronomy

Reported finances

Revenue
$65,230
Expenses
$34,822
Assets
$415,246
Liabilities
$16,096

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANN CONGDON (President)
  • DARRELL SHADE (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • ANN CONGDON (President)
  • DARRELL SHADE (Vice President)
  • MIKE SCHMITT (Treasurer)

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

Education of the public, youngest to oldest, from the smallest on earth to the largest in the cosmos. Education of the cosmos via telescope observation and lectures. Education of the mojave desert via the nature trails and the surrounding geology.

What it reported doing in 2025

Stl campus - 15 acres, open to the public 24 - 7 with self-guided tours via posted qr codes. Dome with 14" celestron telescope; accessible star walkway with telescope stations with tables & power always available to amature astronomers; a solar scope; orrery: a model of the solar system true to position at 1:20 billion scale, containing four inner planets (outer planes are tracked); nature trail with qr codes providing plant info and photos in bloom; meditation garden based on zen design principles; steel sculptures abstractly representing astronomical events & objects; solar calendar/dundial marking hours, solstices, and equinoxes; accessible restrooms; a workshop, welcome center, and storage containers that provide a backdrop to a stage. Stl has agreed to allow the local community college, copper mountain college, to use the campus. The stl campus has been designated as a satellite campus for weekly calsses. Stl has purchased a container to store cmc telescopes and equipment.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 88% 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

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 78
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 49.5%; rating input score 50
  • Program expense ratio: 90.8%; rating input score 91

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: 46.6%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.92; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 35.4% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 49.5% of revenue deployed · 90.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 4 filed program accomplishments · $32K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.