California · Nonprofit
TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC
TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC (California) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $5,000 to it, the largest being MITHUN FAMILY FOUNDATION ($5,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $13M
- Funders on record
- 1
- Grants received
- $5k
- Net assets
- $202M
What Tmt International Observatory LLC does
Mission
Tmt international observatory (tio) was founded by the members listed below exclusively to further charitable, educational and scientific purposes and, within such limits, to advance scientific knowledge and education through the study, observation, and collection of images and information from deep space with the objective of furthering human understanding of astronomy and the origins of the universe: 1. The regents of the university of california ("uc") 2. California institute of technology ("caltech") 3. The national institutes of natural sciences ("nins") 4. The national astronomical observatories of the chinese academy of sciences ("naoc") (until 5/24) 5. The national research council of canada ("nrc") 6. The department of science and technology, government of india ("dst") tio is pursuing its purpose by designing, developing, constructing, and operating a "state-of-the-art" thirty-meter, world class telescope and associated observatory on mauna kea in hawai'I (the "tmt project") and, in relation thereto, fostering academic and scientific interaction among educational and other research institutions on a global basis.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Program
Not described on the e-filed return.
$12,614,699 spentof which $20,158 as grants100% of program spending
The program described on its FY2024 Form 990. Program spending in total: $12,614,699.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 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 2021 to 2022, from $170M to $225M (+33%).
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: 2023 2% · 2024 33%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
94% of TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (52% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 8 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
Robert Kirshner
Executive director
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2018 → 2023: the base held at 1 funder, grant income held at $1k.
From the IRS filings of TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC’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.
Where its funders are
TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC draws 100% of its grant income from funders outside California, across 1 state in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. 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
TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 149 science & tech nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 149 science & tech nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2024
Government funding TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $13.0M on record.
- National Science Foundation$13.0M
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 TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC
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 California
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
93%
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 TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC: 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 TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC?
- TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC (California) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $5,000 to it, the largest being MITHUN FAMILY FOUNDATION ($5,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC have?
- IRS filings report 1 organization giving $5,000 in grants to TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC, 1 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC?
- MITHUN FAMILY FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $5,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like TMT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY LLC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 1 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