Massachusetts · Nonprofit
EXPLORE MARS INC
EXPLORE MARS INC (Massachusetts) receives grants from 2 organizations whose IRS filings report $129,150 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($114,150). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 88% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $441k
- Funders on record
- 2
- Grants received
- $129k
- Net assets
- $-49230
What Explore Mars Inc does
Mission
To educate the public about the planet mars and promote the scientific exploration and settlement of the planet mars by the united states, other countries, and private entitites. By doing so to encourage young people to study science, technology engineering, the arts and math.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Humans to mars summit (h2m 2024): the conference successfully advances dialog regarding mars mission architecture and science, innovations that can benefit earth, diversity and inclusivity in the space industry and stem education.
$165,840 spent$29,648 earned by the program50% of program spendingTenth and eleventh community workshops for achievability and sustainability of human exploration of mars (amx & amxi): these workshops and reports build consensus between key stakeholders in the space industry. In 2024, the final report for amx was produced, and the majority of planning for amxi(which took place in march 2025) occurred.
$82,920 spent25% of program spendingTrades in space: explore mars launched the trades in space program, highlighting the role of skilled tradespeople in the space industry.
$33,168 spent10% of program spendingMars innovation challenge: explore mars conducted the 2nd mars innovation challenge. The contest challenges students around the world to come up with innovation ideas that enable sustainable human missions to mars.
$49,751 spent15% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $331,679.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2021, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2021, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $69k to $32k (−54%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 10% · 2022 7%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
93% of EXPLORE MARS INC’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (57% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 4 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Christopher Carberry
CEO
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2019 → 2023: the base held at 1 funder, grant income fell $25k → $15k.
1 of 2 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 88% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of EXPLORE MARS INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
EXPLORE MARS INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 88% of grant income and the top three 100%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
88% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund EXPLORE MARS INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2019 100% · 2022 100% · 2023 100% — broadly stable.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
88% of EXPLORE MARS INC's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $15k that is directly attributable, 100% of it comes from funders outside Massachusetts, across 1 state.
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $114k arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
EXPLORE MARS INC's revenue grew 18% between 2021 and 2024.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 22,812 education nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2024
Government funding EXPLORE MARS INC receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $350k on record.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration$350k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like EXPLORE MARS INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Massachusetts
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
77% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
99%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for EXPLORE MARS INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds EXPLORE MARS INC?
- EXPLORE MARS INC (Massachusetts) receives grants from 2 organizations whose IRS filings report $129,150 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($114,150). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 88% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does EXPLORE MARS INC have?
- IRS filings report 2 organizations giving $129,150 in grants to EXPLORE MARS INC, 1 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of EXPLORE MARS INC?
- FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $114,150 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like EXPLORE MARS INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Massachusetts. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Explore Mars →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2021–2024), and the filings of 2 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing