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Institute for Advanced Study

EIN 21-0634988 · Princeton, NJ

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood82 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY (THE INSTITUTE) IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S LEADING CENTERS FOR THEORETICAL RESEARCH AND INTELLECTUAL INQUIRY. SEE SCHEDULE O.

Income
$88.9 million
Spending
$95.2 million
Spent on programs
62%
Reserves
41.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 68%
Employees
575
Volunteers
61
Highest pay
$1.0 million, director/trustee

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 82 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (science, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 41.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 10% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 7% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 28% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    62% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (science, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    23 of 24 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $59.4 million spent. SCHOOL PROGRAMS: THE WORK AT THE INSTITUTE TAKES PLACE IN FOUR SCHOOLS: HISTORICAL STUDIES, MATHEMATICS, NATURAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE. SEE SCHEDULE O FOR FURTHER DETAILS. WORK AT THE INSTITUTE TAKES PLACE PRIMARILY IN FOUR SCHOOLS: HISTORICAL STUDIES, MATHEMATICS, NATURAL SCIENCES, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE. CURRENTLY, A PERMANENT FACULTY OF TWENTY-SIX EMINENT ACADEMICS GUIDES THE WORK OF THE SCHOOLS AND EACH YEAR AWARDS FELLOWSHIPS TO SOME 220 VISITING MEMBERS, FROM ABOUT ONE HUNDRED UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE JONATHAN M. NELSON CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH IS DEDICATED TO FURTHERING THE INSTITUTE'S MISSION OF ADVANCED STUDY BY PROVIDING THE FUNDING, SPACE AND TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERTISE NECESSARY FOR COMPLEX COLLABORATIONS THAT MAY EXTEND BEYOND THE RESOURCES OF A SINGLE SCHOLAR, DISCIPLINE, OR ORGANIZATION. SUPPORTING RESEARCH AT SCALE WITHIN AND ACROSS FIELDS AND INSTITUTIONS, THE NELSON CENTER SEEKS TO ADVANCE FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE BY OVERRCOMING CONSTRAINTS THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE RESTRICT THE CAPACITY FOR DISCOVERY OF THE INSTITUTE'S SCHOLARS. DAVID NIRENBERG, THE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE, IS A HISTORIAN WHO WAS THE FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE NEUBAUER COLLEGIUM FOR CULTURE AND SOCIETY, DEAN OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, AND EXECUTIVE VICE PROVOST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. AS FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE NEUBAUER COLLEGIUM FOR CULTURE AND SOCIETY, NIRENBERG CHAMPIONED A PROGRAM THAT AFFORDED BOTH FUNDING AND SPACE TO CATALYZE COLLABORATIONS ACROSS EVERY DIVISION, SCHOOL AND AFFILIATED LABORATORY AT THE UNIVERSITY. THESE ENDEAVORS SHARED THE GOAL OF ACCELERATING THE DIFFUSION OF NEW METHODOLOGIES ACROSS DISCIPLINARY BOUNDARIES AND EXPANDING POSSIBILITIES FOR DISCOVERY. THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY IS DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE FRONTIERS OF KNOWLEDGE ACROSS THE SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES. IN THE MORE THAN NINETY-FIVE YEARS SINCE ITS FOUNDING, THE WORK OF THE INSTITUTE'S FACULTY AND MEMBERS HAS HAD A PERMANENT IMPACT, IN BOTH INTELLECTUAL AND PRACTICAL TERMS. IN THE EARLIEST DAYS OF COMPUTING, ONE OF THE FIRST STORED-PROGRAM COMPUTERS WAS DESIGNED AND BUILT ON THE INSTITUTE'S CAMPUS, AND ITS STRUCTURE (VON NEUMANN ARCHITECTURE) HAS INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF TODAY'S COMPUTERS AND FORMED THE MATHEMATICAL BASIS FOR COMPUTER SOFTWARE. THE FOUNDATIONS OF GAME THEORY, A POWERFUL TOOL IN ECONOMICS, WERE FORMED IN THE SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS AT THE INSTITUTE, AND MUCH OF THE BASIS FOR MODERN THEORETICAL METEOROLOGY WAS LAID BY RESEARCH THERE. RESEARCH IN THE SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES HAS GREATLY ADVANCED PARTICLE PHYSICS, INCLUDING STRING THEORY, AND ASTROPHYSICS. RESEARCH IN THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE HAS WIDE-REACHING IMPACT ON THE FIELD OF GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIAL CHANGE. BOOKS BY FACULTY IN THE SCHOOL OF HISTORICAL STUDIES HAVE BECOME KEY TEXTS IN A RANGE OF HISTORICAL DISCIPLINES AND, IN PARTICULAR, HAVE MADE ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ART HISTORY AS A DISCIPLINE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE INSTITUTE'S MORE THAN EIGHT-THOUSAND FORMER MEMBERS HOLD POSITIONS OF INTELLECTUAL AND SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMIC WORLD. SOME THIRTY-SIX NOBEL LAUREATES AND FORTY-SIX OUT OF SIXTY-FOUR FIELDS MEDALISTS, AND TWENTY-FOUR OF THE TWENTY-EIGHT ABEL PRIZE LAUREATES, AS WELL AS MANY WINNERS OF THE PULITZER PRIZE IN HISTORY; THE WOLF, HOLBERG AND KLUGE PRIZES; AND MANY MACARTHUR AND GUGGENHEIM FELLOWS, HAVE BEEN AFFILIATED WITH THE INSTITUTE. THE INSTITUTE HAS NO FORMAL LINKS TO OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. HOWEVER, SINCE ITS FOUNDING, IT HAS ENJOYED CLOSE, COLLABORATIVE TIES WITH PRINCETON UNIVERSITY AND OTHER NEARBY INSTITUTIONS. THE ABUNDANT NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE INSTITUTE'S 700-ACRE SITE, INCLUDING THE INSTITUTE WOODS, FARM FIELDS, AND WETLANDS, FORM A KEY LINK IN A NETWORK OF GREEN SPACES IN CENTRAL NEW JERSEY. THESE LANDS, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH HAVE BEEN PERMANENTLY CONSERVED, PROVIDE A TRANQUIL ENVIRONMENT FOR THE INSTITUTE SCHOLARS AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION TO THE MAIN WORK TAKING PLACE IN THE FOUR SCHOOLS, THERE ARE SEVERAL SPECIAL PROGRAMS: THE IAS/PARK CITY MATHEMATICS INSTITUTE IS AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM THAT INTEGRATES MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND STUDENTS; WAM IS DESIGNED TO NURTURE MATHEMATICIANS OF EXCEPTIONAL TALENT; AND PROSPECTS IN THEORETICAL PHYSICS IS A SUMMER PROGRAM FOR ADVANCED GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCS IN THEORETICAL PHYSICS. THE INSTITUTE ALSO HAS AN ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES AN ANNUAL SERIES OF CONCERTS AND LECTURES FOR THE INSTITUTE AND THE BROADER COMMUNITY.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since May 1931.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.