National Geographic Society: $232.0M Revenue, $212.7M Expenses
Washington, District of Columbia · EIN 530193519 · Filing year 2023
National Geographic Society reported $232.0M in total revenue, $212.7M in total expenses, and $1.9B in total assets on its 2023 IRS Form 990. Total compensation for current officers and key employees was $7.2M (3.09% of revenue). NonprofitTruth efficiency grade: C (54/100).
Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer — IRS Form 990 filings, filing year 2023.
Key Facts (2023 Form 990)
- Total Revenue
- $232.0M
- Total Expenses
- $212.7M
- Total Assets
- $1.9B
- Reserve Months
- 105.6 months
- Surplus / (Deficit)
- $19.2M
- EIN
- 530193519
- Latest 990 Year
- 2023
- Current-Officer Compensation
- $7.2M
- Officer Comp % of Revenue
- 3.09%
National Geographic Society earns a C on the efficiency rubric — the median bucket on the NonprofitTruth scale, indicating performance close to the national midpoint across financial reserves, officer compensation, and revenue consistency. Composite score: 54/100.
Annual revenue at National Geographic Society runs $232.0M (2023), placing it among the larger U.S. nonprofits in the IRS Form 990 dataset. On the financial-health factor, National Geographic Society runs thin — assets relative to annual spending fall below the cushion nonprofit-finance experts typically recommend.
Five-year revenue trajectory is strongly positive: National Geographic Society has grown materially in real terms, which usually signals successful fundraising and program expansion. Compensation for current officers and key employees runs $7.2M against $232.0M in revenue — within the band third-party charity raters typically consider reasonable for an organization of this size and complexity. This is an aggregate across all listed officers, not a single executive's salary. In the Education category, National Geographic Society sits alongside universities, K-12 systems, scholarship funds, and education-research organizations. Education-sector nonprofits often hold large endowments, which affects how the reserves-and-revenue figures should be read.
How National Geographic Society Compares
National Geographic Society earns a NonprofitTruth efficiency grade of C (54/100). That is 10 points below the Education category average. Compensation for current officers and key employees represents 3.09% of total revenue. The organization holds 105.6 months of operating reserves, indicating strong financial cushion.
990 Financial Snapshot
Based on IRS tax-exempt organization data, National Geographic Society reported $232.0M in revenue against $212.7M in total functional expenses for filing year 2023, holding roughly 105.6 months of operating reserves. A program-vs-overhead split is not shown here because total program service expenses (Form 990 Part IX, line 25, column B) are not available in the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer feed this site ingests; that breakdown can be read directly from the organization’s e-filed 990.
The 990 reports $7.2M in total compensation for current officers, directors, trustees, and key employees (Part IX, line 5) — 3.09% of total revenue. This is an aggregate across all listed officers; per-person amounts appear on Schedule J.
Revenue History
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National Geographic Society has a NonprofitTruth Efficiency Score of C (54/100), a financial-structure summary based on operating reserves, multi-year revenue consistency, and officer compensation relative to revenue — all drawn from the organization's IRS Form 990.
National Geographic Society, Donor FAQ
National Geographic Society has a NonprofitTruth Efficiency Score of C (54/100), a financial-structure summary based on operating reserves, multi-year revenue consistency, and officer compensation relative to revenue — all drawn from the organization's IRS Form 990.
National Geographic Society reports $7.2M in total compensation for current officers, directors, trustees, and key employees (IRS Form 990 Part IX, line 5), representing 3.09% of the organization's $232.0M in annual revenue. This is an aggregate figure for all listed officers, not a single executive's salary; per-person pay is detailed on Schedule J of the 990.
National Geographic Society reported $232.0M in annual revenue and $212.7M in total expenses for filing year 2023. The organization holds $1.9B in total assets.
National Geographic Society holds approximately 105.6 months of operating reserves (total assets relative to annual expenses) based on its 2023 IRS Form 990, one input into its C efficiency grade.
National Geographic Society is a registered 501(c) organization with EIN 530193519, based in Washington, District of Columbia. Financial data is sourced from publicly available IRS 990 filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Similar Education Nonprofits
Financial data is sourced from IRS Form 990 filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. The Efficiency Score combines three signals the 990 feed actually reports: financial health / operating reserves (40%), multi-year revenue consistency (35%), and current-officer compensation relative to revenue (25%). It does not include a program-spending ratio, because total program service expenses are not exposed by the ProPublica feed; no program ratio is estimated. Filing data may lag 6-18 months from the tax year.