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Waitt Institute

Organization summary

Type of Nonprofit

Designated as a Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition (as long as it doesn't provide athletic facilities or equipment), or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

Category: Arts, Culture and Humanities / Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis (NTEE)

Donations to this organization are tax deductible.

Summary charts: organization finances over time

Revenue
$7.94M (2023)

Expenses
$8.36M (2023)

Total Assets
$1.58M (2023)

Total Liabilities
$995k (2023)

Source: Form 990 tax filings from 2011 to 2023

Tax Filings by Year

Form 990 is an information return that most organizations claiming federal tax-exempt status must file yearly with the IRS. Nonprofit Explorer has IRS digitized Form 990 data for filings processed in 2012 and later. If this organization filed an amended return, it may not be reflected below. Duplicate download links may indicate a resubmission or amendment to this organization's original return. Form 990 data is from the IRS.

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2023

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$7,937,219
Expenses
$8,360,204
Net Income
-$422,985
Net Assets
$583,276
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $7,886,911
99.4%
Interest Revenue $50,308
0.6%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $7,262,793
86.9%
Compensation of Officers* $251,510
3.0%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,578,619
Total Liabilities $995,343
Net Assets $583,276
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Kathryn Mengerink (Executive Director) $224,975 $26,535
Joe Lepore (Special Projects Man) $161,891 $11,373
Mike Dessner (Director Of Special) $156,669 $24,471
John Weber (Msp Program Director) $156,482 $10,721
Ute Zischka (Senior Director Of P) $156,014 $35,568
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $154,854 $49,693
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Josh Sherer (Treasurer) $0 $0
David Stoos (Secretary) $0 $0
Emily Waitt (Director) $0 $0
Sophie Waitt (Director) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2022

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$6,837,596
Expenses
$6,601,073
Net Income
$236,523
Net Assets
$1,006,200
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $6,824,425
99.8%
Interest Revenue $13,646
0.2%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets -$475
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $6,537,424
99.0%
Compensation of Officers* $239,356
3.6%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,761,258
Total Liabilities $755,058
Net Assets $1,006,200
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Kathryn Mengerink (Executive Director) $208,893 $23,792
John Weber (Msp Program Director) $145,336 $9,608
Mike Dessner (Director Of Special) $142,106 $22,069
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $141,564 $36,612
Ute Zischka (Senior Director Of P) $140,746 $32,032
Andrew Estep (Science And Field Di) $139,092 $15,597
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Josh Sherer (Treasurer) $0 $0
David Stoos (Secretary) $0 $0
Emily Waitt (Director) $0 $0
Sophie Waitt (Director) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2021

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$5,461,658
Expenses
$4,899,459
Net Income
$562,199
Net Assets
$769,490
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $5,460,469
100.0%
Interest Revenue $573
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $108
0.0%
Other Income $508
0.0%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $4,877,042
99.5%
Compensation of Officers* $227,769
4.6%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,194,996
Total Liabilities $425,506
Net Assets $769,490
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Kathryn Mengerink (Executive Director) $199,099 $28,760
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $134,864 $34,918
Mike Dessner (Director Of Operatio) $131,887 $20,876
Andrew Estep (Dive Safety Supervis) $126,171 $17,743
Ute Zischka (Program Manager) $124,107 $29,418
Joe Lepore (Science Manager) $119,077 $7,945
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Josh Sherer (Treasurer) $0 $0
Mark Dickey (Secretary) $0 $0
Emily Waitt (Director) $0 $0
Sophie Waitt (Director) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2020

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$2,009,933
Expenses
$3,326,918
Net Income
-$1,316,985
Net Assets
$207,293
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $2,000,000
99.5%
Interest Revenue $5,334
0.3%
Dividends $1,457
0.1%
Sales of Assets $3,142
0.2%
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $3,149,490
94.7%
Compensation of Officers* $224,970
6.8%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $548,095
Total Liabilities $340,802
Net Assets $207,293
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Kathryn Mengerink (Executive Director) $196,677 $28,293
Joe Lepore (Science Manager) $132,325 $9,061
Mike Dessner (Director Of Operatio) $130,385 $20,934
Ute Zischka (Program Manager) $123,888 $8,298
Andrew Estep (Dive Safety Supervis) $121,197 $17,586
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $115,786 $35,163
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Josh Sherer (Treasurer) $0 $0
Mark Dickey (Secretary) $0 $0
Emily Waitt (Director) $0 $0
Sophie Waitt (Director) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2019

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$1,526,174
Expenses
$2,304,680
Net Income
-$778,506
Net Assets
$1,529,055
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $1,500,000
98.3%
Interest Revenue $24,931
1.6%
Dividends $8,330
0.5%
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $2,303,211
99.9%
Compensation of Officers* $178,520
7.7%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,743,817
Total Liabilities $214,762
Net Assets $1,529,055
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Kathryn Mengerink (Executive Director) $178,520 $21,136
Joe Lepore (Science Manager) $141,872 $9,324
Mike Dessner (Director Of Operatio) $130,430 $20,348
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $113,278 $35,647
Ute Zischka (Program Manager) $86,620 $6,825
Andrew Estep (Dive Safety Supervis) $85,757 $14,413
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Josh Sherer (Treasurer) $0 $0
Mark Dickey (Secretary) $0 $0
Emily Waitt (Director) $0 $0
Sophie Waitt (Director) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2018

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$1,825,599
Expenses
$1,947,776
Net Income
-$122,177
Net Assets
$2,290,862
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $1,666,489
91.3%
Interest Revenue $19,087
1.0%
Dividends $18,728
1.0%
Sales of Assets $121,295
6.6%
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $1,907,214
97.9%
Compensation of Officers* $156,870
8.1%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $2,507,847
Total Liabilities $216,985
Net Assets $2,290,862
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Kathryn Mengerink (Executive Director) $156,870 $13,734
Mike Dessner (Director Of Operatio) $129,961 $18,705
Joe Lepore (Dive Safety Supervis) $126,326 $8,794
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $107,289 $23,921
Andrew Estep (Science Manager) $85,085 $12,013
Ute Zischka (Program Manager) $67,801 $4,533
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Josh Sherer (Treasurer) $0 $0
Mark Dickey (Secretary) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2017

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$1,745,988
Expenses
$2,076,468
Net Income
-$330,480
Net Assets
$2,415,703
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $1,722,978
98.7%
Interest Revenue $20,006
1.1%
Dividends $5,421
0.3%
Sales of Assets -$2,417
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $1,039,230
50.0%
Compensation of Officers* $120,028
5.8%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $2,577,984
Total Liabilities $162,281
Net Assets $2,415,703
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Mike Dessner (Director Of Operatio) $126,148 $42,005
Joe Lepore (Dive Safety Supervis) $124,827 $31,823
Kathryn Mengerink (Executive Director) $120,028 $23,455
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $98,759 $26,117
Andrew Estep (Science Manager) $86,100 $17,828
Ute Zischka (Program Manager) $78,925 $2,903
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Josh Sherer (Treasurer) $0 $0
Mark Dickey (Secretary) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2016

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$1,996,754
Expenses
$1,820,512
Net Income
$176,242
Net Assets
$2,747,853
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $1,985,912
99.5%
Interest Revenue $119
0.0%
Dividends $26,542
1.3%
Sales of Assets -$15,819
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $1,911,614
> 100%
Compensation of Officers* $138,134
7.6%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $2,897,477
Total Liabilities $149,624
Net Assets $2,747,853
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Joe Lepore (Dive Safety Supervis) $159,219 $9,207
Mike Dessner (Director Of Operatio) $128,931 $18,933
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $110,700 $26,151
Andrew Estep (Science Manager) $84,000 $12,354
Ayana Johnson Phd (Executive Director/Programs & Strategy) $73,967 $4,173
Kathryn Mengerink (Executive Director) $64,167 $3,345
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Jacob James (Managing Director) $0 $0
Stan Ray (Treasurer) $0 $0
Mark Dickey (Secretary) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2015

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$624,276
Expenses
$2,278,516
Net Income
-$1,654,240
Net Assets
$2,528,194
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $584,104
93.6%
Interest Revenue $191
0.0%
Dividends $39,054
6.3%
Sales of Assets -$4,073
Other Income $5,000
0.8%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $1,995,736
87.6%
Compensation of Officers* $150,000
6.6%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $2,840,774
Total Liabilities $312,580
Net Assets $2,528,194
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Ayana Johnson Phd (Exec Director/Programs & Strategy) $150,000 $16,550
Joe Lepore (Dive Safety Supervis) $120,867 $7,410
Mike Dessner (Director Of Operatio) $120,069 $17,583
Stephanie Roach (Program Manager) $79,560 $10,560
Andrew Estep (Science Manager) $78,000 $11,260
Tamara Marshall (Operations Manager) $62,246 $15,655
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Shane Hartnett (Director) $0 $0
Jacob James (Managing Director) $0 $0
Stan Ray (Treasurer) $0 $0
Mark Dickey (Secretary) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2014

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$19,130
Expenses
$1,471,659
Net Income
-$1,452,529
Net Assets
$4,210,885
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $0
Interest Revenue $3,290
17.2%
Dividends $16,073
84.0%
Sales of Assets -$233
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $1,384,989
94.1%
Compensation of Officers* $222,112
15.1%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $4,308,005
Total Liabilities $97,120
Net Assets $4,210,885
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Ayana Johnson (Exec Dir/Programs Dir/Exec Committee) $166,250 $16,839
Joe Lepore (Dive Safety Supervis) $116,700 $7,182
Mike Dessner (Director Of Operatio) $108,905 $13,533
Dominique Rissolo (Exec Dir/Operations Dir/Exec Committee) $55,862 $10,950
Theodore W Waitt (Chairman/Director) $0 $0
Dave Russell (Director) $0 $0
Jacob James (Director/Executive Committee) $0 $0
Stan Ray (Treasurer) $0 $0
Mark Dickey (Secretary) $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2013

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$1,896,123
Expenses
$1,635,741
Net Income
$260,382
Net Assets
$5,685,964
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $1,000,000
52.7%
Interest Revenue $2,384
0.1%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $893,596
47.1%
Other Income $143
0.0%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $1,374,644
84.0%
Compensation of Officers* $187,550
11.5%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $5,754,614
Total Liabilities $68,650
Net Assets $5,685,964

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2012

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$262,990
Expenses
$2,137,099
Net Income
-$1,874,109
Net Assets
$3,879,224
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $0
Interest Revenue $4,459
1.7%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $258,531
98.3%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $956,392
44.8%
Compensation of Officers* $139,256
6.5%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $4,118,910
Total Liabilities $239,686
Net Assets $3,879,224

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2011

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$504,797
Expenses
$1,348,882
Net Income
-$844,085
Net Assets
$5,753,333
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $0
Interest Revenue $8,461
1.7%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $500,500
99.1%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $331,690
24.6%
Compensation of Officers* $124,800
9.3%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $5,811,561
Total Liabilities $58,228
Net Assets $5,753,333

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2010

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2009

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2008

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2007

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2006

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2005

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

About This Data

Nonprofit Explorer includes summary data for nonprofit tax returns and full Form 990 documents, in both PDF and digital formats.

The summary data contains information processed by the IRS during the 2012-2019 calendar years; this generally consists of filings for the 2011-2018 fiscal years, but may include older records. This data release includes only a subset of what can be found in the full Form 990s.

In addition to the raw summary data, we link to PDFs and digital copies of full Form 990 documents wherever possible. This consists of separate releases by the IRS of Form 990 documents processed by the agency, which we update regularly.

We also link to copies of audits nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year since 2016. These audits are copied from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

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Every organization that has been recognized as tax exempt by the IRS has to file Form 990 every year, unless they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets, in which case they have to file form 990-EZ. Organizations making less than $50,000 don’t have to file either form but do have to let the IRS they’re still in business via a Form 990N "e-Postcard."

Nonprofit Explorer has organizations claiming tax exemption in each of the 27 subsections of the 501(c) section of the tax code, and which have filed a Form 990, Form 990EZ or Form 990PF. Taxable trusts and private foundations that are required to file a form 990PF are also included. Small organizations filing a Form 990N "e-Postcard" are not included in this data.

Types of Nonprofits

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For those interested in acquiring the original data from the source, here’s where our data comes from:

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