Tax-exempt status 

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a tax-exempt non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1987 (Federal Identification Number 74-2493011). IDA receives its funding from several sources, including membership dues, donations, and grants.

Deductibility of donations

If you live in the U.S., you may deduct your donation to IDA from your federally-taxable income when filing your itemized tax return. Please consult the Internal Revenue Service or a tax professional for more information.

Federal tax returns

IDA’s federal tax returns (Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax) for fiscal years 2001 through 2007 are available for public viewing:

2008 Federal Tax Return (Form 990)

2007 Federal Tax Return (Form 990)

2006 Federal Tax Return (Form 990)

2005 Federal Tax Return (Form 990)

2004 Federal Tax Return (Form 990)

2003 Federal Tax Return (Form 990)

2002 Federal Tax Return (Form 990)

2001 Federal Tax Return (Form 990)

Membership dues

As a membership-based organization, IDA receives most of its funding from your membership dues.  Membership dues — including gift memberships and lifetime memberships — are considered tax-exempt donations in the U.S.

Please join IDA!

Donations

IDA welcomes your donations to continue our mission against light pollution. Donations not in exchange for goods or services are considered tax-exempt in the U.S. 

• Unrestricted donations support the organization in general, covering everything from everyday operating expenses to expenses urgently needed for unforeseen circumstances.
• Restricted donations support programs specified by the donor, such as public outreach or the International Dark Sky Community program.
• Memorial contributions recognize loved ones by supporting the causes in which they believed. Memorial contributions may also be used to establish awards in honor of loved ones.
• Planned gifts, which may be restricted or unrestricted, are living memorials that help IDA grow and plan for the future.

Please consider making a donation to IDA.

To see if your employer provides matching gifts, please view our current list of employers that provide matching gift donations.

Annual Corporate Partners

IDA does have annual corporate partners.  Corporate partnership is open to any organization.  Benefits include advertisement in the award winning Nightscape magazine and sponsorship opportunities at our Annual General Meeting and Conference.  For more information, please contact our Public Affairs Officer, Kim Patten.     

For more information click here >>   

ong>Grants

 
Gildea Foundation Grant

A generous grant by the Gildea Foundation for $20,000 per year for three years, received by IDA in October, 2008, has made possible a new conservation project designed to assemble the latest information on wildlife and artificial light and distribute it to a number of specific audiences, including activists, city planners, and conservation experts. Read more >>

Thanks to this funding, the first lesson plan in a series of curricula designed for use in elementary and middle schools. The lesson plans offer an interactive introduction to the topics of astronomy, wildlife, and the impacts of light pollution is now available for download.

 
The lesson plans and additional resources, such as a full color printable brochure, are the first steps of an outreach plan designed for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and to promote awareness of the negative effects of artificial night lighting on wildlife and ecosystems. Open brochure >>

Pauley Foundation Grant

On 2000 April 03, the Edwin W. Pauley Foundation of Los Angeles, California, U.S., awarded a generous grant of $100,000 to IDA. The grant was provided for organizational fundraising activities. Dr. Stephen M. Pauley, the president of the foundation, researches the adverse effects of light pollution on human health.

 National Science Foundation Grants

In 2000, the National Science Foundation awarded IDA a grant (AST 99-06557) totaling $150,000 for the purpose of developing the organization.

In 2007, the National Science Foundation awarded IDA a grant (AST 06-49395) totaling $39,750 for the purpose of organizing a symposium, “The Night: Why Dark Hours Are So Important.”

NSF AST 99-06557 Grant abstract

This proposal seeks a one-time organizational development grant which will allow the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) to expand its membership base with a targeted strategy that is expected to lead to a firm financial basis, ensuring the vitality of the organization as it pursues its goal of fighting light pollution. IDA seeks to preserve dark skies for the benefit of astronomy and society in general, through promotion of good outdoor lighting practices. IDA has been effective in over the past decade in developing awareness of the light pollution issue, and in devising effective solutions. IDA now must expand to meet its significantly increasing workload, and must create an organizational structure to eliminate dependence on volunteers, who carried the work of the organization until now. IDA intends to significantly expand its membership base, to support its budget from membership contributions. The strategy IDA intends to follow to achieve its membership goal is to do large mailings to selected groups with an interest in astronomy. With the funding sought, IDA will be able to greatly expand its outreach efforts and expects to achieve its goals. IDA has been a major factor in protecting U.S. investment in astronomical facilities (optical telescopes) and developed an effective working relationship with the business and professional lighting communities, by adopting a cooperative win-win strategy for ameliorating light pollution, that at the same time results in large savings through energy conservation. The organization expects to be strengthened, to continue its battle against light pollution, and in defense of U.S. and worldwide optical astronomy facilities.

NSF AST 06-49395 Grant abstract

This award will support a two-day, multi-disciplinary symposium, “The Night: Why Dark Hours Are So Important,” on February 21 and 22, 2007 at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C. The conference will focus on the importance of a dark nighttime environment and its wide ranging connection to such disciplines as astronomy, biology, ecology, energy, engineering, government, human health, outdoor lighting, and urban planning. As a first-of-its-kind event, this symposium will bring together leaders and innovators from the fields of astronomy, ecology, medicine, lighting technology, business, and public policy to discuss the effects of light pollution on humans and on our environment. Discussion topics will be divided into four distinct sessions: Protecting the Nighttime Environment, Ecological and Human Health Concerns, Energy Efficiency and Technology, and the Solutions Necessary for Providing a Quality Nightscape. The symposium will coordinate and focus discussion from seemingly disparate disciplines into a single multidisciplinary topic, the night. This topic impacts human health and well-being, the balance and diversity of the environment, economic prosperity, scientific advancement, and governmental representation. By including top researchers, educators, innovators, and executives, this conference will highlight the importance and necessity of bridging disciplines in order to preserve society's heritage of dark skies and present a quality nighttime environment. The symposium will be designed to attract representatives from major governmental agencies such as the Department of Energy, Department of Interior, and Department of Commerce as well as the NSF and the NIH. The convergence of such a diverse set of scientists, engineers and agency representatives, discussing topics from the effect of artificial lighting on the growth of breast cancer cells, through the optimum designs for safety and security lighting and energy conservation, to the effect of artificial lighting on astronomical observations could have positive repercussions in the crafting of future public policy.

Southwest Parks and Monuments Association Grant

IDA received a grant in 2000 from the Southwest Parks and Monuments Association (now called the Western National Parks Association) to develop a light pollution measurement protocol for our national parks.