Seti Institute
339 Bernardo Ave Ste 200, Mountain View, CA · IRS data through FY2025
Revenue, expenses and net assets
Revenue Expenses Net assets
| Tax year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $27,357,400 | $30,913,579 | $239,000,275 |
| FY2024 | $55,182,076 | $28,838,314 | $228,634,756 |
| FY2023 | $209,908,662 | $25,047,459 | $202,222,269 |
| FY2022 | $28,045,270 | $24,508,635 | $17,291,252 |
| FY2021 | $25,926,114 | $21,934,929 | $12,979,906 |
| FY2020 | $22,680,216 | $23,138,089 | $8,959,587 |
| FY2019 | $24,921,264 | $22,256,048 | $9,456,198 |
| FY2018 | $20,108,757 | $19,984,987 | $6,793,190 |
| FY2017 | $20,349,472 | $20,609,248 | $6,664,142 |
| FY2016 | $18,976,195 | $19,358,070 | $6,887,506 |
| FY2015 | $17,357,611 | $17,724,247 | $7,485,177 |
| FY2014 | $15,895,739 | $16,121,428 | $7,959,650 |
| FY2013 | $19,379,639 | $17,604,310 | $8,209,139 |
| FY2012 | $17,303,944 | $18,948,710 | $6,362,849 |
Form 990 filings
The returns filed by Seti Institute (EIN 94-2951356), including Form 990 PDFs and e-file data by year, are available in ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. The figures on this page come from IRS data files built from those returns.
Where the revenue came from
| Source | Amount | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions & grants | $26,940,031 | 98% |
| Program service revenue | $0 | 0% |
| Other revenue | $417,369 | 2% |
Where the money was spent
| Category | Amount | % of expenses |
|---|---|---|
| Program services | $21,515,804 | 70% |
| Management & general | $8,472,061 | 27% |
| Fundraising | $925,714 | 3% |
What the numbers show
- Contributions & grants made up 98% of total revenue in FY2025.
- Program services accounted for 70% of functional expenses, management & general 27%, and fundraising 3%.
- 70% of functional expenses went to program services in FY2025. That is higher than 15.8% of 171 Science & Technology organizations nationwide (too few in CA for a state comparison).
- Net assets covered about 92.8 months of expenses at the end of the reporting year. That puts it in the 86th percentile among 321 Science & Technology organizations in CA.
- Total revenue was higher than 96% of 326 Science & Technology organizations in CA.
- Total revenue rose from $17,303,944 in FY2012 to $27,357,400 in FY2025. Revenue increased in 8 and decreased in 5 of 13 year-over-year comparisons.
- Expenses exceeded revenue in 7 of 14 reported years (FY2012, FY2014, FY2015, FY2016, FY2017, FY2020, FY2025).
- The highest revenue on record here is $209,908,662 in FY2023.
- Net assets grew from $6,362,849 to $239,000,275 between FY2012 and FY2025.
- Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity).
Figures compared against other organizations of the same NTEE program area in the same state. See the methodology page for how these are calculated and the guide to reading nonprofit financials for their limits.
About this organization
TO EXPLORE, UNDERSTAND AND EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE AND THE EVOLUTION OF INTELLIGENCE.
IRS status
| Ruling year | 1985 |
| Subsection | 501(c)(3) |
| Classification | Public charity |
| Program area (NTEE) | U310 — Science & Technology (in CA) |
| Donations | Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity). |
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Source: Internal Revenue Service — Exempt Organizations Business Master File (downloaded November 4, 2026), Statistics of Income extracts, Form 990 e-file data, Publication 78 and the Automatic Revocation list. Figures are as reported by the organization; IRS processing may adjust them. This is not a charity rating and not tax advice. Confirm deductibility in IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
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