Universities Space Research Association
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 520892064
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 4107302656
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Physical & Earth Sciences,
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $50,543,825
- Expenses
- $53,067,466
- Assets
- $39,305,421
- Liabilities
- $12,781,188
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
27 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Dr Elsayed Talaat (President & CEO (start jan 25))
- Jeffrey Isaacson (Former President and CEO (end Jan 25))
Highest reported compensation
- Jeffrey Isaacson (Former President and CEO (end Jan 25)): $806,311 total reported compensation
- Bernard Seery (VP, Science and Technology): $383,509 total reported compensation
- David G Bell (Director, NAMS AND RIACS): $369,563 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Advancing knowledge through space and aeronautics research, developing new technologies, and furthering STEM education.
What it reported doing in 2024
RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED COMPUTER SCIENCE (RIACS): THE RIACS IS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL FACILITATE BOTH HUMAN AND ROBOTIC SPACE EXPLORATION. SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1983, THE INSTITUTE HAS CONDUCTED BASIC AND APPLIED COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH ACROSS A VARIETY OF AEROSPACE-RELATED DISCIPLINES, INCLUDING SUPERCOMPUTING, COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS, COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, HIGH-PERFORMANCE NETWORKING, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. NASA Academic Mission Services (NAMS) contract to deliver new concepts, tools and technologies related to aeronautics, science and aeroflightdynamics. This five-year agreement for a $193 million award launches an integrated multi-year research effort to be conducted at NASA's Ames Research Center, which ranges from fundamental research and development through field test deployments and operational science missions. the low-gravity science program at nasa's glenn research center continues to achieve mission success on numerous flight experiments on the international space station (iss) and other suborbital platforms while also supporting ground-based r&d that is often the precursor of future iss flight experiments. E street technologies llc (ESt) is a for-for profit organization with small business designation, created to support USRA's mission of advancing science and technology for the benefit of the public. The glenn engineering and reasearch support (GEARS) provides engineering, research and scientific support for communications and intelligent systems, power, propulsion, materials and structures, and systems engineering and architecture.. The program is vital for the development and evaluation of technologies in space and aeronautics, including specialized work in quantum technologies and electric propulsion. CENTER FOR SPACE NUCLEAR RESEARCH (CSNR): THE CSNR IS OPERATED BY USRA IN COLLABORATION WITH THE IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY to foster collaboration with department of energy, nasa, department of defense, university and industry scientists and programs. CSNR scientists and engineers research and develop advanced space nuclear systems, including power and energy transmission systems, nuclear thermal propulsion, and radioisotopic generators. The Earth from Space Institute (EfSI) is dedicated to building the science that responds to urgent sustainable development challenges across climate, disasters, and energy systems.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 92% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 86% 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
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 71
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 96
- Sustainability: 22
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 80.8%; rating input score 81
- Program expense ratio: 76.7%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 45th 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: -5%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.74; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.1%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -6.2% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 11 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 80.8% of revenue deployed · 76.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 16 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $40.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $806K · 27 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 24 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.