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Nonprofit · EIN 82-3945232

OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC

Tax-exempt · SAN DIEGO, CA 92130

Financials

$997$142K2022$42K$56K2023$17K$19K2024$11K$12K2025
Revenue Expenses · by fiscal year end
Financials of OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC by year, from its e-filed returns
Year endedFormRevenueExpensesNet incomeTotal assetsLiabilitiesNet assets
December 31, 2025990$11,291$11,507-$216$524,061$0$524,061
December 31, 2024990$17,182$18,780-$1,598$524,277$0$524,277
December 31, 2023990$41,627$55,638-$14,011$525,875$0$525,875
December 31, 2022990 (amended)$997$142,268-$141,271$539,886$0$539,886
Financial details: 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025

Revenue

Contributions, gifts and grants
$2,353
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$8,938
Other revenue
$0

Expenses

Grants and similar amounts paid
$0
Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
$0
Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
$0
Professional fundraising fees
$0
Accounting fees
$1,284
Travel
$580
Program services (functional)
$8,662
Management and general (functional)
$2,845

Balance sheet and other

Total assets, start of year
$524,277
Total assets, end of year
$524,061
Total liabilities, end of year
$0
Net assets, end of year
$524,061
Land, buildings and equipment
$79,719
Net assets without donor restrictions
$524,061
Gross receipts
$11,291
Employees
0
Volunteers
2,000
Year formed
2019
State of legal domicile
CA

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
Keith WheelerSecretary
Trustee or director, Officer
5$0
Anshul MakkarDirector
Trustee or director
10$0
Michelle ThompsonCEO
Trustee or director, Officer
30$0
Steve ConklinCFO
Trustee or director, Officer
10$0
Matthew WishekDirector
Trustee or director
10$0
990 for the year ended December 31, 2024: 5 people
NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
Frank BrickleDirector
Trustee or director
10$0
Anshul MakkarDirector
Trustee or director
10$0
Michelle ThompsonCEO
Officer
30$0
Steve ConklinCFO
Officer
10$0
Keith WheelerSecretary
Officer
5$0
990 for the year ended December 31, 2023: 5 people
NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
Frank BrickleDirector
Trustee or director
5$0
Anshul MakkarDirector
Trustee or director
5$0
Michelle ThompsonCEO
Officer
20$0
Steve ConklinCFO
Officer
5$0
Keith WheelerSecretary
Officer
5$0
990 for the year ended December 31, 2022: 5 people
NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
keith wheelerDirector
Trustee or director
10$0
anshul makkarDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Michelle ThompsonCEO
Officer
20$0
Karen RuckerSecretary
Officer
1$0
Steve ConklinCFO
Officer
10$0

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)
3525 DEL MAR HEIGHTS ROAD 1873, SAN DIEGO, CA 92130-2199
In care of
% MICHELLE THOMPSON
Mailing address (990-N for 2019)
BOX 8552, Berkeley CA 94707
Principal officer (990 for 2025)
Michelle Thompson, 5379 Carmel Knolls Drive, San Diego, CA 92130
Principal officer (990-N for 2019)
Michelle Thompson, 5379 Carmel Knolls Drive, San Diego CA 92130
Signed the 990
Michelle Thompson, CEO
Phone
(858) 229-3399

California records

California keeps its own records of charities and corporations. Search them by EIN 82-3945232 or by the name OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC.

Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers
Registration status and filed reports (CT-TR-1, RRF-1)

Mission

Open Research Institute ORI is a non-profit research and development organization which provides all of its work to the general public under the principles of Open Source and Open Access to Research.

990 for the year ended December 31, 2025

Program accomplishments

  • Our largest program expense for 2025 was supporting open source digital radio research and development in Remote Labs. These expenses were to repair update and maintain Remote Labs workbenches and Remote Labs information technology infrastructure for Opulent Voice Haifuraiya HF Meander Antenna Polynomial Spline Modeling Synthetic Aperture Radar Modeling Phased Array Drone Near Field Modeling Neptune Earth Venus Earth Modeling and Mode Dynamic Transponder Modeling work.
    Expenses $4,296
  • Our second largest program expense for 2025 was demonstrating prototypes of all active projects at the DEFCON conference in Las Vegas NV. Our open source digital radio exhibit in RF Village was visited by thousands of participants. Opulent Voice open source Synthetic Aperture Radar RFBitBanger and Ribbit were demonstrated live. Exhibits about successful sounding rocket launches with the University of Puerto Rico collaboration with Deep Space Exploration Society and IEEE were also presented and interpreted by four volunteers who worked the event full time from open to close Thursday through Sunday.
    Expenses $3,500
  • Our third largest program expense for 2025 was AmbaSat launch costs. This expense puts an open source design in low earth orbit. This work was funded by a grant and has educated eleven individuals in the areas of printed circuit board design circuit analysis VHF UHF and microwave propagation and embedded processing and programming.
    Expenses $866

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990-N (e-Postcard). Gross receipts normally $50,000 or less. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

Tax yearYear endedDueIRS public records
2025December 31, 2025May 15, 2026990 on file
2024December 31, 2024May 15, 2025990 on file
2023December 31, 2023May 15, 2024990 on file

IRS record

EIN
82-3945232
Tax-exempt status
501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
Foundation status
Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))
Donations deductible (Pub 78)
Public charity, 50% deduction limit
Exempt since
2019
Accounting year ends
December
Files
Form 990-N (e-Postcard)
Assets (IRS master file)
$524,061
Income (IRS master file)
$11,291

Filing history

FormYear endedRevenueExpensesAssetsReturn
990December 2025$11,291$11,507$524,061XML
990December 2024$17,182$18,780$524,277IRS
990December 2023$41,627$55,638$525,875XML
990December 2022$997$142,268$539,886XML
990December 2021–––IRS
990December 2020–––IRS
990-N for 2019
Officer: Michelle Thompson
December 31, 2019≤ $50,000 receipts––e-Postcard

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 82-3945232).

Questions about OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC

What is the EIN of OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC?
The employer identification number (EIN) of OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC is 82-3945232.
Is OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC tax-exempt?
Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 2019.
Are donations to OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC tax-deductible?
Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
Which annual return does OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC file?
Form 990-N (e-Postcard). Gross receipts normally $50,000 or less.
When is the next return of OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC due?
The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
When did OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC last file with the IRS?
The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.
Who is the principal officer of OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC?
The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names Michelle Thompson.
Who are the officers and directors of OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC?
The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 5 people; 0 received compensation from the organization.
How much revenue does OPEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC have?
On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $11,291, expenses of $11,507 and total assets of $524,061 at year end.

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