American Lung Association

What it reported doing in 2024

Lung cancer, asthma, lung disease and tobacco control: as part of our mission, the american lung association is committed to supporting and improving the lives of the more than 35 million people living with lung disease - a leading cause of death in the united states. We do this by investing in research; advocating for policies and legislation that champion clean air, optimal care and reduced access to tobacco products; and providing programs, resources and support to help individuals living with lung disease and their families to better understand and manage their disease.in fiscal year 2025, the american lung association research institute invested $22 million in groundbreaking research, reinforcing our role as one of the nation's largest private funders of lung health studies. We expanded educational programs for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers, and delivered targeted tobacco cessation initiatives, including efforts to prevent youth tobacco use and support cessation among teens and adults. Throughout the year, we also championed critical healthcare and clean air protections - advocating for medicaid preservation, policies and programs that limit pollution, and federal funding for lung disease research. In march, our lung force heroes traveled to Washington, dc, to meet with lawmakers and advocate for lifesaving coverage and support for those affected by lung cancer. In november, we released our 7th annual "state of lung cancer" report, highlighting a jump in the five-year lung cancer survival - to 28.4%, an increase of 52% over the past decade. While lung cancer remains the deadliest form of cancer, significant advancements in treatment and care are helping people to live longer and healthier than ever before. Hindering progress, however, are ongoing gaps in the rates of biomarker testing - the evaluation of lung tumor tissue to help determine an individual's specific type of lung cancer, allowing for precise and potentially more successful treatment - and lung cancer screening, as highlighted in the report. We know that if lung cancer is caught before it spreads, the likelihood of surviving five years or more jumps to 64%, and that nearly one-quarter of lung cancer patients receive chemotherapy or radiation before undergoing biomarker testing. In response, we continue to expand our programs and resources aimed at promoting awareness and greater participation in these lifesaving programs. In fiscal year 2025, we launched our biomarker, education, awareness and testing (beat) lung cancer campaign, aimed at promoting the importance and value of biomarker testing through new website resources, targeted advertising, and educational videos. We also worked with the ad council to create a new public service announcement (psa), "if your lungs could talk," highlighting the importance of lung cancer screening, especially among individuals with a history of tobacco use. The campaign resulted in 649,000 visits to our website and 250,000 completions of our saved by the scan quiz to determine screening eligibility. Of the more than 1.5 million people who have taken our online quiz, 20% learned they qualify for low- or no-cost screening. Because clinical trials can play a critical, lifesaving role in ensuring optimal lung cancer treatment and care, we launched an awareness, trust and action program to specifically promote the importance and availability of clinical trials among hispanic lung cancer patients and caregivers. Hispanic individuals represent 19% of the population but just 6% of clinical trial participants. The program aims to raise awareness about clinical trials, address misconceptions, and empower patients and caregivers to ultimately improve lung cancer care and outcomes. Our new and improved educational programs this year included resources and tools for individuals living with copd, asthma, bronchiectasis, autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, pulmonary arterial hypertension and pneumococcal pneumonia.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 92.7%; rating input score 93
• Program expense ratio: 84.7%; rating input score 85
• Fundraising efficiency: $7.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 1.5%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.93; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 14.2% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings