The Aspen Institute Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
840399006
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2027365800
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Social Science

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$443,841,184
Expenses
$234,264,178
Assets
$756,622,679
Liabilities
$109,549,561

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

81 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANIEL R PORTERFIELD (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • ELLIOT GERSON (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)
  • DAVID LANGSTAFF EVP (UNTIL 11/24, SEN. ADV. TO PRES/CEO)
  • JAMES SPIEGELMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • STEPHEN PATRICK (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • ANNE MOSLE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • DANIEL R PORTERFIELD (PRESIDENT & CEO): $911,570 total reported compensation
  • ELLIOT GERSON (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT): $585,353 total reported compensation
  • DAVID LANGSTAFF EVP (UNTIL 11/24, SEN. ADV. TO PRES/CEO): $559,194 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We drive change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society's greatest challenges.the aspen institute ignites human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. We drive change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the greatest challenges of our time in service of a more free, just, and equitable society. We do so by convening a broad spectrum of people, with a focus on dialogue, community building, and creative collaboration; creating transformational experiences that enable diverse leaders to discover and refine their approaches; and enabling powerful, practical, and applicable solutions that accelerate progress, emphasizing co-creation and partnership. The aspen institute is headquartered in Washington, dc, and has a campus in aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.

What it reported doing in 2024

Campus activities: in addition to its headquarters in Washington, dc, the aspen institute also conducts much of its work on its founding campus in aspen, Colorado, which provides natural beauty and quiet surroundings that encourage thoughtful reflection and refreshes mind, body and spirit. One of our programs that use the campus is our aspen executive seminar which challenges individuals to think more deeply, listen more attentively, and refine their ability to lead in an increasingly complex and conflicting world. Seminar participants engage in challenging conversations about enduring questions of ethical and effective leadership, gaining a greater capacity to lead with courage and conviction.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 85% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 80% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 99
  • Sustainability: 82
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 43.1%; rating input score 43
  • Program expense ratio: 79.2%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $75.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 98.5%; rating input score 98; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 47.2%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.23; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.5%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 43.1% of revenue deployed · 79.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 65 of 66 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $185.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $912K · 81 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $7.2M reported
  • Consistency: 44 of 45 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 185 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 172 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 43/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 46/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.