Institute for Figuring
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT SCIENCE, MATH AND TECHNOLOGY.
- Income
- $39,325
- Spending
- $49,610
- Reserves
- 3.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 93%
- Highest pay
- $12,000, president
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 (4)
- $38,221 spent. EXHIBITIONS PROGRAM THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE INSTITUTE FOR FIGURING IS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT SUBJECTS IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS. TO THIS END, THE IFF CREATES AND PARTICIPATES IN EXHIBITIONS AT THE INTERSECTION OF SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND ART. IN 2024 THE ORGANIZATION'S CROCHET CORAL REEF PROJECT - WHICH REFLECTS ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CORAL REEFS DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, AS WELL AS MANIFESTATIONS OF MATHEMATICS IN NATURE - WAS EXHIBITED IN A MAJOR SOLO-SHOW AT SCHLOSSMUSEUM LINZ IN AUSTRIA IN THE MUSEUM'S NATURAL HISTORY WING. THIS WAS THE SECOND EXHIBITION OF OUR WORK AT THE SCHLOSSMUSEUM. THE NEW SHOW WAS MOUNTED IN RESPONSE TO POPULAR AUDIENCE DEMAND AND ONGOING COMMUNITY INTEREST. LIKEWISE, AN EXHIBITION OF THE PROJECT AT THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART IN PITTSBURGH (FIRST SHOWN IN 2023) WAS EXTENDED TO RUN THROUGH THE END OF 2024 - AGAIN IN RESPONSE TO POPULAR DEMAND. IN AUSTRIA, THE MUSEUM HAD RECORD ATTENDANCE, WITH MANY VISITORS SAYING IT WAS THEIR FIRST TIME EVER AT THE MUSEUM. A MASSIVE SLATE OF PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAMMING IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE EXHIBITION ENGAGED OVER 3,500 PEOPLE ACROSS AUSTRIA. THE EXHIBITION WAS REVIEWED IN MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WAS ON LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION. IN PITTSBURGH, OVER 300 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED FROM ACROSS THE CITY; AND THE FINISHED EXHIBITION WAS FEATURED IN LOCAL PRESS AND ON A NATIONAL PBS TELEVISION PROGRAM. OUR WORK WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN TWO LARGE-SCALE EXHIBITIONS: AT GUSTAV LUBCKE MUSEUM (HAMM, GERMANY) AROUND THE THEME OF ENVIRONMENTAL COLLAPSE; AND AT ARTCENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN (LA/PASADENA), AS PART OF THE GETTY CENTER'S CITY-WIDE PST-2024 ART AND SCIENCE INITIATIVE; THE EXHIBITION THEME WAS "DATA, DESIGN, ART." IN ADDITION, WE CONTRIBUTED WORK TO AN EXHIBITION TITLED SEEING THE UNSEEN: MATH AND ART AT THE WIGNALL MUSEUM AT CHAFFEY COLLEGE IN EASTERN LA - THE EXHIBITION WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A ROBUST SLATE OF EVENTS ABOUT MATHEMATICS FOR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. FINALLY, OUR WORK WAS INCLUDED IN A MUSEUM-WIDE EXHIBITION TITLED IMAGERY OF THE SEA AT MUSEE CANTONAL DES BEAUX ARTS LAUSANNE (SWITZERLAND) - THE EXHIBITION BOUGHT TOGETHER SCIENTIFIC AND ARTISTIC IMAGES OF OCEAN PHENOMENA AND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A LAVISH CATALOG BOOK, IN DUAL FRENCH/ENGLISH, IN WHICH OUR WORK WAS DISCUSSED.
- $9,031 spent. PUBLIC PROGRAMMING, EVENTS, AND WORKSHOPS PROGRAM DURING 2024, THE IFF CONTINUED WORKING WITH SCHLOSSMUSEUM LINZ ON A LARGE- SCALE COMMUNITY SCIENCE+ART PROJECT THAT ENGAGED PEOPLE ACROSS AUSTRIA WITH THE SUBJECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, CORAL REEFS, AND MATHEMATICS IN NATURE. DURING THE 2 YEARS OF THIS PROJECT, 3,500 AUSTRIANS PARTICIPATED, INCLUDING ALMOST 1,000 SCHOOL STUDENTS
- $712 spent. WEBSITE PROGRAM DURING 2024, THE IFF EXTENDED OUR WEBSITE ABOUT OUR CROCHET CORAL REEF PROJECT AND ITS AFFILIATED EDUCATIONAL OFFSHOOTS IN MATHEMATICS, ECOLOGY, AND THE SCIENCE OF CORAL REEFS. THE SITE CONTAINS A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC AND MATHEMATICAL TOPICS UNDERLYING THE PROJECT AND ITS NETWORK OF WORLDWIDE PROGRAMMING. THIS MATERIAL SERVES AS A VALUABLE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE FREELY AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND EDUCATORS. SEE WWW.CROCHETCORALREEF.ORG. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO CONTINUED TO SUPPORT AND ADD TO OUR WEBSITE FOR THE INSTITUTE ITSELF WWW.THEIFF.ORG - WHICH CONTAINS ONLINE EXHIBITS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ON SCIENTIFIC AND MATHEMATICAL TOPICS SUCH AS FRACTAL GEOMETRY, MATHEMATICAL PAPER FOLDING, AND PRIME NUMBERS.
- PUBLICATIONS PROGRAM IN 2024, WORK CONTINUED ON A BOOK ABOUT THE INSTITUTE'S CROCHET CORAL REEF PROJECT TO BE PUBLISHED IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR TWO EXHIBITIONS AT SCHLOSSMUSEUM LINZ IN AUSTRIA. THE BOOK CONTAINS ESSAYS ABOUT THE MATHEMATICAL, GEOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNITY DIMENSIONS OF THE PROJECT, AND HAS JUST BEEN PUBLISHED - IN JULY 2025 - IN A DUAL ENGLISH/GERMAN EDITION. MS WERTHEIM ALSO WROTE ABOUT THE PROJECT IN A LONG SCHOLARLY ESSAY FOR THE FORTHCOMING BOOK SEEING THE UNSEEABLE: DATA, DESIGN, ART PUBLISHED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXHIBITION AT ARTCENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN. (THE BOOK IS FORTHCOMING FALL 2025).
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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.
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.
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.
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.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since December 2003.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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.