For foundations and funders
Facts, language, financials, and governance in one place. If you need something that is not here, write to me directly. I answer funder questions myself.
At a glance
Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center is the nonprofit that operates the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory and its 141-year weather record.
Ready to use
Our mission is to foster public understanding of Earth’s weather, climate and environmental systems and to continue to produce, maintain, and analyze a meticulous, consistent record of weather and climate observations.
Blue Hill Observatory will be a globally recognized center for climate and weather, and their relationship to the environment and society, leveraging a world-class meteorological record to fuel modern research, education, and public engagement.
Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, a National Historic Landmark in Milton, Massachusetts, keeps the longest continuous weather record in the Western Hemisphere, unbroken since February 1, 1885. The nonprofit sustains that record every day and uses it to help more than 15,000 visitors a year understand a changing climate.
Since February 1, 1885, observers atop Great Blue Hill in Milton, Massachusetts, have recorded the weather every day without a single gap, creating the longest continuous weather record in the Western Hemisphere. Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, a National Historic Landmark and the only privately operated WMO Centennial Observing Station in the United States, sustains that record and puts it to work. Its Chief Scientist serves on the Commonwealth’s Climate Science Advisory Panel. Its programs reach more than 15,000 visitors and 4,000 students and educators a year, with philanthropic support covering costs for under-resourced schools.
What funding does
A year keeps daily observations running, with a trained observer on the summit every day.
Digitizes more than 100 years of handwritten logbooks so researchers and the public can use the full record.
Bus subsidies and reduced or waived fees bring students from under-resourced schools to the summit.
FY2027 operating budget.
FY2026 revenue received. 47% came from individual donors.
Individual donors in FY2026, twice the year before.
We welcome general operating support as well as program and project grants. The record at work and education and community describe the programs in detail.
How we measure it
Every teacher and student group completes a post-program survey mapped to our goals: standards alignment, climate understanding, data literacy, STEM career exposure, and reaching students who would not otherwise come. Launch Your Meteorology Career students rate their skills before and after the week, and staff use the results to refine lessons each season.
Recent results: 94% of teachers said students analyzed authentic data, and 15 of 16 LYMC students improved at reading weather maps.
Due diligence
In fiscal year 2026 we adopted new bylaws and elected a new Board of Trustees, with committees for finance and audit, governance and nominations, and development. Board-approved policies, including our Conflict of Interest and Whistleblower policies, and our current budget are available on request.
Partners
We are grateful to the National Weather Service, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for their continuing partnership, and to the foundations, companies, and 407 individual donors who sustained the record in FY2026.
The best way to understand the Observatory is to stand on the summit. I would be glad to show you around.
Monthly Skymail, event announcements, and research summaries.
