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B612 Foundation

EIN 54-2078469 · Mill Valley, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood81 out of 100GovernanceStrong93 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Develops tools and technologies to understand, map, and navigate our solar system and to protect Earth from asteroid impacts. Our mission combines science, technology, education, and advocacy programs.

Income
$5.6 million
Spending
$4.3 million
Spent on programs
92%
Reserves
4.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 99%
Employees
8
Volunteers
6
Highest pay
$293,940, head of software engineering

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 4.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 25% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 24% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 64% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    92% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 56% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    6 of 8 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

    0 of 7

    Reports no 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

    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 December 31, 2024, 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. $3.4 million spent. Asteroid Institute - In 2024, the Asteroid Institute advanced asteroid discovery by identifying 27,500 new asteroids using large-scale computation on the ADAM platform applied to archival datasets. ADAM combined curated datasets totaling 5.3 billion point sources, expanding our unified collection of observations and enabling future discoveries. We strengthened collaborations with the Minor Planet Center and ATLAS Observatory, refined open-source tools for global researchers, and prepared for the Vera Rubin Observatory's first light in 2025 to transform solar system mapping. Learn more at B612.ai
  2. $474,372 spent. Asteroid Education and Advocacy - At Google Next, B612's partnership with Google Cloud was featured for enabling discovery of previously undetected asteroids using large-scale computation on the ADAM platform. During 2024, B612 sustained support for the LSST Solar System Science Collaboration, funding software tools, technical workshops, and fellowships to improve Rubin Observatory data analysis and coordination. Outreach included a prize-winning thesis presentation at the IAU, public programs during the solar eclipse in Texas, and expanded mentoring at observatories to strengthen global asteroid research. Asteroid Day, recognized by the United Nations each June 30, grew to 600 events worldwide in 2024. Learn more at b612foundation.org
  3. $26,000 spent. Schweickart Prize Program - The Schweickart Prize, established in 2023 and named for Apollo 9 Astronaut Rusty Schweickart, aims to advance our ability to protect life on Earth from asteroid impacts. In 2024, the Asteroid Institute awarded the first student prize to Joseph "Joe" DeMartini for his SUNSET Collaboration proposal to detect Sunward Near-Earth Objects (SNEOs), which are hard to observe yet pose high impact risk. The ceremony, co-hosted at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, presented DeMartini with a meteorite and $10,000 grant to help realize the SUNSET Collaboration. Learn more at schweickartprize.org

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 October 13, 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 December 2024.

    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 July 2003.

    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 October 21, 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.