Nonprofit · EIN 91-1663391
EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH
Tax-exempt · SEATTLE, WA 98105
Financials
| Year ended | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Net income | Total assets | Liabilities | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 30, 2025 | 990 | $1,454,644 | $1,421,113 | $33,531 | $730,488 | $365,197 | $365,291 |
| June 30, 2024 | 990 | $1,453,365 | $1,470,644 | -$17,279 | $743,050 | $411,290 | $331,760 |
| June 30, 2023 | 990 | $1,275,961 | $1,363,906 | -$87,945 | $638,414 | $289,375 | $349,039 |
Financial details: 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025
Revenue
- Contributions, gifts and grants
- $1,440,449
- of which government grants
- $1,440,449
- Program service revenue
- $4,568
- Investment income
- $6,390
- Other revenue
- $3,237
Expenses
- Grants and similar amounts paid
- $0
- Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
- $523,175
- Other salaries and wages
- $403,606
- Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
- $1,087,108
- Professional fundraising fees
- $0
- Accounting fees
- $26,900
- Occupancy
- $55,038
- Travel
- $44,811
- Depreciation
- $1,285
- Program services (functional)
- $1,132,300
- Management and general (functional)
- $288,813
Balance sheet and other
- Total assets, start of year
- $743,050
- Total assets, end of year
- $730,488
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $365,197
- Net assets, end of year
- $365,291
- Land, buildings and equipment
- $17,183
- Net assets without donor restrictions
- $345,603
- Net assets with donor restrictions
- $19,688
- Gross receipts
- $1,454,644
- Employees
- 9
- Volunteers
- 12
- Year formed
- 1995
- State of legal domicile
- WA
From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.
Officers, directors and key employees
As listed on the 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025, highest compensation first.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLEG MELNECHENKO | SENIOR SCIENTIST Highest-paid employee | 40 | $152,334 | $44,234 |
| SUSAN HOWARD | SENIOR SCIENTIST Highest-paid employee | 40 | $123,623 | $31,362 |
| MICHAEL TOWN | VICE PRESIDENT/RESEARCH SCIENTIST Officer | 40 | $124,069 | $26,356 |
| JULIAN SCHANZE | PRESIDENT/SENIOR SCIENTIST Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $129,864 | $20,286 |
| LAURIE PADMAN | DIRECTOR/SENIOR SCIENTIST Trustee or director, Officer | 20 | $114,342 | $13,114 |
| JESSICA ANDERSON | TREASURER/SECRETARY/RESEARCH SCIENTIST Officer | 33 | $81,048 | $17,369 |
| GAEL TARTLETON | DIRECTOR AND TREASURER UNTIL JUNE Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| GARY LAGERLOEF | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| DAVID THURMAN | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
990 for the year ended June 30, 2024: 9 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLEG MELNICHENKO | SENIOR SCIENTIST Highest-paid employee | 40 | $143,830 | $42,179 |
| SUSAN HOWARD | SECRETARY AND STAFF SCIENTIST Officer | 40 | $122,412 | $27,883 |
| JULIAN SCHANZE | VP, SENIOR SCIENTIST AND DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $119,676 | $21,462 |
| DR LAURENCE PADMAN | PRESIDENT, SENIOR SCIENTIST AND DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 26 | $109,998 | $12,680 |
| SCOTT SPRINGER | SECRETARY AND RESEARCH SCIENTIST Officer | 20 | $49,555 | $13,564 |
| GARY LAGERLOFF | TREASURER AND DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| GAEL TARLETON | TREASURER AND DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| DAVID THURMAN | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| KRISTINA KATSOROS | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
990 for the year ended June 30, 2023: 8 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLEG MELNICHENKO | SENIOR SCIENTIST Highest-paid employee | 40 | $152,770 | $40,630 |
| JULIAN SCHANZE | VP AND SENIOR SCIENTIST Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $117,425 | $22,073 |
| SUSAN HOWARD | RESEARCH ASSOCIATE Highest-paid employee | 40 | $115,343 | $23,480 |
| DR LAURENCE PADMAN | PRESIDENT AND SENIOR SCIENTIST Trustee or director, Officer | 26 | $94,346 | $11,719 |
| SCOTT SPRINGER | SECRETARY/RESEARCH SCIENTIST Officer | 20 | $51,462 | $16,143 |
| GARY LAGERLOEF | TREASURER Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| GAEL TARLETON | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| KRISTINA KATSAROS | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
Address and contacts
- Address (IRS master file)
- 1107 NE 45TH ST STE 320, SEATTLE, WA 98105-4656
- In care of
- % LANCE LAROWE
- Principal officer (990 for 2024)
- JULIAN SCHANZE, 1107 NE 45TH ST 320, SEATTLE, WA 98105
- Signed the 990
- JULIAN SCHANZE, PRESIDENT/SENIOR SCIENTIST
- Phone
- (206) 726-0501
- Website
- WWW.ESR.ORG
- Return prepared by
- GREENWOOD OHLUND PS
Mission
INCREASE SOCIETAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE EARTH SYSTEM THROUGH SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.
Program accomplishments
- NASA: [1] PRODUCE ICESAT2 ICEBERG DRAFT ESTIMATES AROUND ANTARCTICA TO IMPROVE WATER DEPTH ESTIMATES, IMPROVING NAVIGATION IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN; UNDERSTANDING & MODELLING EDDY-SEA ICE INTERPLAY USING ICESAT2; SWOTICESAT-2 COMPARISONS TO IMPROVE SATELLITE RETRIEVALS. [2] CALIBRATION AND VALIDATION OF NASA SMAP DATASETS: DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL METHODS AND PLATFORMS TO COMPARE WITH IN SITU MEASUREMENTS; PRODUCTION OF CONTINUOUS DATA RECORD FROM ALL SALINITY SATELLITES.[3] ESR PRODUCES THE OSCAR OCEAN SURFACE CURRENT ANALYSIS, INFORMING BOTH FRESHWATER TRANSPORT AND SUPPORTING MARITIME INDUSTRIES.[4] LINKING NORTH ATLANTIC SALINITY AND EDDIES TO ARCTIC FRESHWATER TRANSPORT, A KEY DRIVER OF DENSITY WHICH CONTROLS SEA ICE FORMATION.[5] EVALUATE SALINITY & SEA ICE FORMATION IN THE ARCTIC. [CONTINUED][1] AS PART OF ESR'S EFFORT TO OBSERVE AND QUANTIFY INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SEA ICE, ICE SHELVES, ICEBERGS AND THE OCEAN AROUND ANTARCTICA USING ICESAT-2 ALTIMETRY, NOVEL TECHNIQUES WERE DEVELOPED TO PROCESS ICESAT-2 DATA TO ESTIMATE ICEBERG DRAFTS IN COASTAL ANTARCTIC REGIONS TO IMPROVE WATER DEPTH ESTIMATES. THESE ESTIMATES CAN INFORM MARITIME TRAFFIC IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN AND PROVIDE OCEAN DEPTH ESTIMATES IN AN AREA OF VERY SPARSE DEPTH SOUNDINGS. IN A NEW STUDY, ESR IS LEVERAGING BOTH THE NASA ICESAT-2 AND SWOT SATELLITES TO STUDY THE ICE-OCEAN CO-EVOLUTION ALONG THE ANTARCTIC AMUNDSEN SEA COAST FROM SWOT USING OPEN CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE.[2] ESR'S WORK AS PART OF THE NASA INFRASTRUCTURE TEAM IS TO ENSURE THE CONTINUITY OF NASA-SUPPORTED SALINITY VALIDATION AND THE CONSISTENCY AND RELIABILITY OF THE SEA SURFACE SALINITY DATA PRODUCTS. WE MAINTAIN AND CONTINUALLY ENHANCE THE IN-SITU VALIDATION DATA SYSTEM FOR SMAP DATA VALIDATION AND COLLABORATE WITH THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ON A JOINT VALIDATION PLATFORM. ESR IS CONTINUING THE PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENOUS AND CONTINUOUS RECORD FROM THREE SATELLITES (SMOS, AQUARIUS, SMAP) TO PROVIDE A NEAR 15-YEAR BEST-ESTIMATE OF SEA SURFACE SALINITY (SSS). SSS CAN BE USED TO TRACK AND PREDICT SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS, PREDICT SEA ICE, AND TO MONITOR RIVERINE FLOWS INTO THE OCEAN.[3] THE OCEAN SURFACE CURRENT ANALYSIS REALTIME (OSCAR) IS A GLOBAL SURFACE DATABASE. ESR SCIENTISTS CALCULATE GLOBAL OCEAN SURFACE MIXED LAYER VELOCITIES FROM SATELLITE-SENSED SEA SURFACE HEIGHT GRADIENTS, WINDS, AND SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE FIELDS USING OCEAN DYNAMICAL EQUATIONS. OUR RESEARCH PROVIDES THESE DATASETS TO THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY, AND WE ARE CONTINUALLY IMPROVING MODELS OF HOW WIND ENERGY IS TRANSFERRED FROM THE ATMOSPHERE TO THE OCEAN THROUGH THE PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER. AS PART OF THIS EFFORT, WE ARE INVESTIGATING VARIABILITY IN OCEAN CIRCULATION PATTERNS OBSERVED OVER MORE THAN THREE DECADES OF OSCAR DATA.[4] THIS WORK COMBINES NASA SEA SURFACE SALINITY, ALTIMETRY, AND OCEAN VECTOR WIND PRODUCTS TO QUANTIFY THE FLUX OF FRESHWATER AND SALT FROM THE NORTH ATLANTIC INTO THE ARCTIC. THE FRESHWATER AND SALT FLUXES INTO THE ARCTIC DETERMINE THE CIRCULATION PATTERN, DEEP WATER FORMATION, AND THE TIMING OF AUTUMNAL SEA ICE FORMATION. [5] THE SALINITY AND STRATIFICATION AT THE SEA ICE EDGE FIELD CAMPAIGN HAS PRODUCED BOTH NOVEL MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS. THESE INCLUDE A FIDUCIARY REFERENCE MEASUREMENT OF SEA SURFACE SALINITY AT A DEPTH OF 1-2CM PERFORMED BY ESR SCIENTISTS, AND THE ANALYSIS OF THE LINK BETWEEN SEA SURFACE SALINITY (SSS) AND THE TIMING OF THE AUTUMNAL SEA ICE ADVANCE IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. WE HAVE FOUND THAT SSS IS AN EXCELLENT PREDICTOR OF SEA ICE FORMATION, A CRUCIAL VARIABLE FOR ARCTIC MARITIME INDUSTRIES AND DEFENSE APPLICATIONS. [6] ESR SCIENTISTS CONTRIBUTED TO AN INVESTIGATION SEA SURFACE SALINITY VARIABILITY AND ITS UNDERLYING PROCESSES IN THE SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN (SIO). THE WORK IMPROVES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESSES CONTROLLING LONG-TERM CHANGES IN THE SALINITY DISTRIBUTION IN THE UPPER-LAYER SIO AND ITS HALOSTERIC CONTRIBUTION TO SEA LEVEL.Expenses $917,163
- NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF):EARTH AND SPACE SCIENTISTS SUPPORTED A FIELD SEASON IN SOUTH-WEST GREENLAND IN SUPPORT OF THE ICECAPS-MELT PROGRAM. ICECAPS-MELT IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND ATMOSPHERESNOW INTERACTIONS ON THE GREENLAND ICE SHEET, WITH A FOCUS ON MELT PROCESSES IN THE HIGH INTERIOR. ESR SCIENTISTS CURATED AND PUBLISHED IN-SITU SNOW PROPERTY DATASETS AND RAN HIGH-RESOLUTION SNOW AND ENERGY-BUDGET MODELS, INTEGRATING OBSERVATIONS FROM AUTONOMOUS OBSERVATORIES AT SUMMIT STATION AND CAMP RAVEN AND LEVERAGING CITIZEN SCIENCE. THIS WORK PROVIDES CRITICAL CONTEXT FOR SATELLITE MEASUREMENTS AND IMPROVES PREDICTIONS OF HOW SURFACE MELT WILL EVOLVE.Expenses $135,876
- NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE: EARTH AND SPACE RESEARCH SCIENTISTS INSTALLED AND SUPPORTED THE INTEGRATED CLOUD AND BOUNDARY-LAYER OBSERVATORY AT THE TROLL OBSERVING NETWORK, A RESEARCH STATION IN ANTARCTICA THAT IS OPERATED BY THE NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE. THE OBSERVATION STATION COMBINES STATE-OF-THE-ART SENSORS INCLUDING SCANNING CLOUD RADAR, MICROWAVE RADIOMETRY, DEPOLARIZATION LIDAR, AND AUTOMATED RADIOSONDE SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE CONTINUOUS OBSERVATIONS OF ANTARCTIC CLOUDS, RADIATION, AND BOUNDARY-LAYER PROCESSES. ESR SCIENTISTS COLLABORATE ON INSTALLATION, DATA ANALYSIS, AND MODELING, DELIVERING REAL-TIME DATASETS THAT HELP UNRAVEL HOW ANTARCTIC CLOUDS REGULATE ENERGY EXCHANGE AND CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL WEATHER PATTERNS.Expenses $79,106
- ESR SUMMER INSTITUTE:THE SUMMER INSTITUTE IS A MENTORED RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAM THAT ENGAGES STUDENTS IN GEOSCIENCE AND DATA SCIENCE PROJECTS ADDRESSING REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES. IN 2025, WE DEVELOPED THE SKILLS OF FOUR STUDENTS, RESULTING IN EXTERNALLY VISIBLE OUTCOMES, INCLUDING BLOG PUBLICATIONS, CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS, AND PEER-REVIEW ARTICLES, WHILE STRENGTHENING THE EARTH SCIENCE WORKFORCE PIPELINE.Expenses $155 · revenue $4,568
What it must file and when
IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in June, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.
| Tax year | Year ended | Due | IRS public records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | June 30, 2026 | November 16, 2026 | Not due yet |
| 2024 | June 30, 2025 | November 17, 2025 | 990 on file |
| 2023 | June 30, 2024 | November 15, 2024 | 990 on file |
IRS record
- EIN
- 91-1663391
- Tax-exempt status
- 501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
- Foundation status
- Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))
- Donations deductible (Pub 78)
- Public charity, 50% deduction limit
- Exempt since
- 1995
- Accounting year ends
- June
- Files
- Form 990 or 990-EZ
- Category (NTEE)
- Science and technology (U30)
- Assets (IRS master file)
- $730,488
- Income (IRS master file)
- $1,454,644
Filing history
| Form | Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | June 2025 | $1,454,644 | $1,421,113 | $730,488 | XML |
| 990 | June 2024 | $1,453,365 | $1,470,644 | $743,050 | XML |
| 990 | June 2023 | $1,275,961 | $1,363,906 | $638,414 | XML |
| 990 | June 2022 | $1,487,563 | $1,390,893 | $592,727 | IRS |
| 990 | June 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | June 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | June 2019 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | June 2018 | – | – | – | IRS |
990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 91-1663391).
Questions about EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH
- What is the EIN of EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH?
- The employer identification number (EIN) of EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH is 91-1663391.
- Is EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH tax-exempt?
- Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1995.
- Are donations to EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH tax-deductible?
- Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
- Which annual return does EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH file?
- Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.
- When is the next return of EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH due?
- The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending June 30, 2026) is due November 16, 2026. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
- When did EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH last file with the IRS?
- The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended June 2025.
- Who is the principal officer of EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH?
- The 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 names JULIAN SCHANZE.
- Who are the officers and directors of EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH?
- The 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 lists 9 people; 6 received compensation from the organization, the highest $152,334 (OLEG MELNECHENKO, SENIOR SCIENTIST).
- How much revenue does EARTH & SPACE RESEARCH have?
- On its 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 it reported revenue of $1,454,644, expenses of $1,421,113 and total assets of $730,488 at year end.
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