The International Dark-sky Association Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
742493011
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Tucson, AZ, USA
Phone
5202933198
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,911,140
Expenses
$2,508,216
Assets
$2,439,695
Liabilities
$213,184

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • THOMAS REINERT (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • RUSKIN HARTLEY (EXECUTIVE DI): $194,364 total reported compensation
  • BRIAN LIEBEL (CHF PROGRAM): $179,253 total reported compensation
  • SUSAN SERVEN (DIRECTOR OF): $139,959 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Darksky international restores the nighttime environment and protects communities from the harmful effects of light pollution through outreach, advocacy, and conservation.

What it reported doing in 2024

Darksky's policy and technical initiatives advance the adoption of effective lighting practices and influence standards worldwide. In 2024, darksky empowered communities, governments, and professionals with tools, data, and strategic partnerships to reduce light pollution and protect the night sky. During international dark sky week 2024, darksky advocates and delegates secured 117 official proclamations from local governments and communities, recognizing the importance of protecting natural darkness. These proclamations were granted from more than 200 applications submitted globally, reflecting an expanding recognition of light pollution as a public policy concern. To support regulatory change, darksky released new codes and statutes templates, offering model language to guide communities and professionals in crafting effective ordinances that reduce light pollution while improving lighting quality. In europe, darksky played a leading role in a campaign supporting the european light pollution manifesto, which aims to integrate light pollution into environmental policy frameworks that safeguard biodiversity, public health, and energy efficiency. At the u.s. Federal level, darksky endorsed the dark and quiet skies act of 2024, a proposed u.s. Bill to establish a center of excellence to address the impact of satellites on the night sky and support innovation in light pollution mitigation. Scientific research continued to inform and strengthen policy through the annual state of the science report, which added 527 new peer-reviewed references in 2024, bringing the total to over 5,000. These resources provide a foundation for evidence-based decision-making around the world. Darksky's influence also grew within the professional lighting sector. A memorandum of understanding signed with the luci association, an international network of cities on urban lighting, marked a significant step toward aligning quality lighting practices with environmental responsibility. The agreement was announced at luci's annual conference, where darksky delivered the keynote address, signaling a broader cultural shift toward sustainable lighting in urban environments.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 61.3%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 70.5%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.4 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 13.8%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.97; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 25.4%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.7% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.7% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 61.3% of revenue deployed · 70.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $194K · 17 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.