Totals
- Total revenue
- $3,636,361
- Total expenses
- $5,292,002
- Contributions and grants received
- $0
- Grants paid
- $0
- Program service revenue
- $3,571,882
- Investment income
- $64,479
- Other revenue
- $0
- Total assets, end of year
- $20,527,121
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $1,462,416
- Net assets or fund balances, end of year
- $19,064,705
- Program services expenses (Part IX)
- $4,644,330
- Management and general expenses
- $647,672
- Fundraising expenses
- $0
- Program service expenses (Part III)
- $4,644,330
Program services were 87.8% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.
Line items
Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.
Revenue
Part VIII, the statement of revenue.
-
2a · Program service revenue: MEMBERSHIP DUES
total $3,571,882 · related or exempt $3,571,882
-
3 · Investment income
total $29,261 · excluded $29,261
-
7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory
securities $3,000,000
-
7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses
securities $2,964,782
-
7c · Gain or loss
securities $35,218
-
7d · Net gain or loss
total $35,218 · excluded $35,218
Functional expenses
Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.
-
11c · Fees: accounting
total $32,591 · management and general $32,591
-
11g · Fees: other
total $4,116,262 · program services $3,520,826 · management and general $595,436
-
13 · Office expenses
total $393,017 · program services $393,017
-
16 · Occupancy
total $46,315 · program services $46,315
-
17 · Travel
total $41,889 · program services $41,889
-
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization
total $642,283 · program services $642,283
-
23 · Insurance
total $19,645 · management and general $19,645
Balance sheet
Part X, book values.
-
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments
beginning of year $3,459,133 · end of year $2,549,914
-
10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis
$31,996,670
-
10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation
$14,019,463
-
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net
beginning of year $18,575,467 · end of year $17,977,207
-
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses
beginning of year $761,084 · end of year $1,462,416
-
19 · Deferred revenue
beginning of year $547,712 · end of year $0
-
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions
beginning of year $20,725,804 · end of year $19,064,705
Mission and programs · 2024
Mission
TO ADVANCE ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION BY CONSTRUCTING AND OPERATING THE SOAR TELESCOPE.
Activities or mission (Part I)
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY.
-
OPERATION OF ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH FACILITY- 4.2 METER TELESCOPE.
Expenses $4,644,330 · Revenue $3,571,882
As filed on the 2024 return.
Listed in Part VII
-
Dr Nicole Van Der BliekDR NICOLE VAN DER BLIEK
PRESIDENT
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Alberto Roderiguez ArdilaDR ALBERTO RODERIGUEZ ARDILA
VICE PRESIDENT
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Nicholas LawDR NICHOLAS LAW
TREASURER
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Katia CunhaDR KATIA CUNHA
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Charles R EvansDR CHARLES R EVANS
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Douglas A GageDR DOUGLAS A GAGE
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Stephen R HeathcoteDR STEPHEN R HEATHCOTE
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Nicholas MoskovitzDR NICHOLAS MOSKOVITZ
DIRECTOR (THRU 2/25)
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Alexandre S OliveiraDR ALEXANDRE S OLIVEIRA
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Stephen E ZepfDR STEPHEN E ZEPF
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Dr Jonathan EliasDR JONATHAN ELIAS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 09/30/24)
- Total calculated
- $224,008
- From this org
- $185,511
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $38,497
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $178,860
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $6,651
- Deferred
- $18,462
- Nontaxable benefits
- $20,035
- Filer's total
- $224,008
-
Cesar BricenoCESAR BRICENO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (AS OF 10/24)
- Total calculated
- $152,680
- From this org
- $138,471
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $14,209
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $137,794
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $677
- Deferred
- $13,645
- Nontaxable benefits
- $564
- Filer's total
- $152,680
-
Marcela UrquietaMARCELA URQUIETA
SECRETARY
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.
Schedule J
Answered yes
None.
Answered no
- 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
- 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
- 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
- 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
- 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
- 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
- 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
- 7 · Other non-fixed payments
- 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception
The filer's explanations (Part III)
- PART I, LINE 3
- THE DIRECTOR'S COMPENSATION, SINCE KNOWN, HAS BEEN LISTED ON PART VII AND SCHEDULE J PURSUANT TO THE FORM 990 INSTRUCTIONS. NAME: DR. JONATHAN ELIAS COMPENSATION FROM UNRELATED ORGANIZATION: $224,008 TYPE OF COMPENSATION: WAGES AND BENEFITS NAME OF UNRELATED ORGANIZATION: AURA NAME: CESAR BRICENO COMPENSATION FROM UNRELATED ORGANIZATION: $152,680 TYPE OF COMPENSATION: WAGES AND BENEFITS NAME OF UNRELATED ORGANIZATION: AURA
Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.
Grants on this return
No itemized grants to organizations on this return.
Provenance
- Return type
- form_990
- Tax year
- 2024
- Filed
- 5 August 2026
- IRS schema version
- 2024v5.5
- Source object
- 202642199349301014
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