CARI has been registered as an NGO in Peru since 2012 and as a 501(c)(3) in the US since 2023. This more formal institutional structure arose from the growing academic interest in the Collasuyo region, along with changes in Peruvian government regulations concerning the curation of collections and the issuance of excavation permits.

CARI maintains close ties with the Peruvian Ministerio de Cultura in Lima and the regional office in Puno, as well as the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano in Puno.  Researchers have contacts with development agencies and NGOs, and work closely with local communities throughout the Titicaca Basin.  Collaborative work with the Ministerio de Cultura has also resulted in the founding or improvement of two site museums (Museo de Pukara and Museo de Taraco).

Undergraduate and graduate students from the United States, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, and Chile have been brought to Puno to participate in excavations, survey, and lab work in the Titicaca Basin. CARI has also been used as a staging area for field schools in Taraco, Pucara, Juli, and Ilave, providing cultural and educational opportunities to undergraduate students.

As a nonprofit charitable organization, the Collasuyo Archaeological Research Institute Inc. is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code and operates under tax ID 93-2311571. 

President: BrieAnna Langlie

Vice President: Sarah Kennedy

Treasurer: Elizabeth Arkush

Secretary: Elizabeth Klarich

Assistant Secretary, Social Media Coordinator: Randall Haas

Board Member: Elizabeth Klarich

General Coordinator: Cecilia Chavez Justo