 Additionally, JPL is home to the JPL-RPIF (Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Regional Planetary Image Facility) which is chartered as a repository for all robotic spacecraft hard-copy data and thus provides a valuable resource to NASA funded science investigators, and an important conduit for distribution of NASA generated materials to local educators in the Los Angeles/southern California area.JPL is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) managed and operated by Caltech under a contract from NASA.In fiscal year 2012, the laboratory's budget was slightly under $1.5 billion, with the largest share going to Earth Science and Technology development.