American Association for Cancer Research Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
233100004
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
215-440-9300
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Health

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$44,069,852
Expenses
$45,910,473
Assets
$3,791,610
Liabilities
$662,743

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

Leadership & pay

35 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Dr Margaret Foti (Secretary and CEO)
  • Michael STEWART (Vice President, CFO)
  • Stephen Ryan (Chairman and President)
  • Dr Patricia Larusso (PRESIDENT (JAN - MAR))
  • Dr Lillian Siu (PRESIDENT (APR - DEC))

Highest reported compensation

  • Dr Margaret Foti (Secretary and CEO): $1,705,978 total reported compensation
  • Michael STEWART (Vice President, CFO): $545,581 total reported compensation
  • MITCHELL STOLLER (VP of Development, CHIEF PHILA): $495,904 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The american association for cancer research foundation accelerates progress in the conquest of cancer by providing financial support for scientific research, education and communication. The foundation funds programs deemed by the american association for cancer research to be of the highest priority and impact.

What it reported doing in 2025

Support to its parent organization (american association for cancer research, inc.) for carrying on its tax-exempted activities. This includes research grants, scientific awards, fellowships, career development awards, young investigator awards, travel awards and conference support.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Affiliate network. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending through affiliated organizations.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 48
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 89%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 84.7%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.3%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.08; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.6% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.5% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 89% of revenue deployed · 84.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 26 of 27 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $38.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.7M · 35 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.