American Academy of Political and Social Science

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
230341915
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2158985081
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public, Societal Benefit

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,448,523
Expenses
$692,343
Assets
$8,054,192
Liabilities
$68,078

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARTA TIENDA (PRESIDENT UNTIL 8/2025)
  • SHELDON DANZIGER (PRESIDENT AS OF 9/2025)
  • THOMAS KECSKEMETHY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • MARTA TIENDA (PRESIDENT UNTIL 8/2025)
  • SHELDON DANZIGER (PRESIDENT AS OF 9/2025)
  • PAULA D MCCLAIN (CHAIR)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To disseminate scholarly research in both print and electronic formats and to sponsor conferences, briefings and symposia.

What it reported doing in 2025

Annually, the academy recognizes outstanding scholars in the social sciences and awards the daniel patrick moynihan prize to a scholar who has made outstanding contributions in the social sciences. As part of the award, the recipient gives a lecture which is open to the public. The 2025 prize was awarded to timothy david snyder, temerty chair in modern european history at the university of toronto. The lecture was held in october of 2025.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 29
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 92
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 13%; rating input score 13
  • Program expense ratio: 52.3%; rating input score 52
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 71.7%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.63; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 13% of revenue deployed · 52.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $362K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 18 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $357K reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 13/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 52/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.