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Cave Research Foundation Inc

EIN 31-6052842 · Cave City, KY

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong95 out of 100GovernanceGood86 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Facilitate and support research, management, and interpretation of caves and karst resources in the United States and overseas; Promote the long-term conservation of caves and karst ecosystems; Explore, survey, and document all aspects of the underground environment; Assist government agencies and private landowners with management and protection of caves on their land; Educate the public about the importance of caves and karst ecosystems for conservation and water supplies.

Income
$289,593
Spending
$151,368
Spent on programs
95%
Reserves
106.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 59%
Employees
0
Volunteers
780
Highest pay
$2,562, president

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

Financial health

Strong: 95 out of 100. Higher than 80% of charities in its peer group (science, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 106.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 48% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 1% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    95% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

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

Governance

Good: 86 out of 100. Higher than 75% of charities in its peer group (science, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    11 of 11 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

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 September 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 (3)
  1. $122,225 spent. CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH, MANAGEMENT, AND CARTOGRAPHY: The primary focus of the Foundation is assisting government land managers who are responsible for cave and karst areas. Support includes inventorying caves and karst features, developing management plans to protect these unique resources, constructing protective gates on sensitive caves, performing biological and other inventories in the caves, and systematically mapping the caves. Working agreements are in place with the Mammoth Cave National Park, Carlsbad Caverns NP, Buffalo National River, Mark Twain National Forest, Lava Beds National Monument, Craters of the Moon National Monument, Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP, and others. The Foundation has a pool of over 200 active volunteers who do the actual work under the guidance of the various agency land managers. Over 23,000 hours of volunteer time were donated to the Foundation in 2024-25.
  2. $6,187 spent. PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CAVE-RELATED BOOKS AND MAPS: The Foundation publishes and distributes a variety of cave-related technical, scientific, and popular books and maps related to the science, history, exploration, and management of caves and karst landforms. Most of the books are sold through the visitor centers in national parks that contain caves.
  3. $15,000 spent. GRADUATE RESEARCH GRANTS: The Foundation awards a variable number of graduate-level research grants each year to support thesis research in fields related to cave and karst studies. The grants are awarded solely on the merits of the grant requests. Grant requests are reviewed by an independent committee of academic researchers working in cave and karst-related fields. Grants are not awarded directly to the recipient, but are sent to their university and the university administers the grant for the recipient. Grant recipients are required to publish their research results in a public document, which can be the Foundation's CRF Newsletter or other appropriate publication. There were twelve grants awarded in 2025.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 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 September 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 November 1947.

    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.

  7. Could it be confused with another charity? Worth knowing.

    A much larger organization has a similar name: Purdue Research Foundation (West Lafayette, IN), EIN 35-1052049. If that is the one you meant, check the EIN before giving.

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