American Board of Medical Specialties Research and Education Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237304902
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3124362600
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,664,147
Expenses
$1,878,040
Assets
$527,780
Liabilities
$311,280

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RICHARD E HAWKINS MD (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • RICHARD E HAWKINS MD (PRESIDENT & CEO): $953,044 total reported compensation
  • GREGORY OGRINC MD (SVP, CERT STANDARD & PRGM): $596,993 total reported compensation
  • JENNIFER MICHAEL (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $473,001 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Through its activities, abms ref supports the scientific, scholarly and public education purposes of abms by encouraging and conducting research to (1) improve measurement, assessment, and evaluation of the educational, scientific, clinical, and (continued on sch o) professional qualifications and performance of physicians and medical specialists; (2) conduct educational programs and disseminate information to the public to assist in the recognition, evaluation, and understanding of the significance and importance of board certification of physician and medical specialists; and (3) foster national and international cooperation and the exchange of information related to initial certification, continuing certification and ongoing professional development.

What it reported doing in 2025

The abms ref oversees the implementation and coordination of the abms scholars program (sp). The sp is established to support research projects of early-career physicians, medical and surgical specialists, and research professionals, junior faculty, fellows, and residents, as well as individuals holding master or doctorate degrees in public health, health services research, educational evaluation and statistics, public health policy and administration, or other relevant disciplines.sp participants are exposed to the fields of physician and medical specialists professional assessment and continuing professional development, quality improvement, health care (continued on sch o) policy and regulation, and health services research. Sp participants conduct research in collaboration with mentors from their institutions, abms, and abms member boards. Through their research and program engagement, scholars inform the study of continuing professional development, physician assessment, self-regulation, and quality improvement.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 48% for direct work, and 52% for grants.

The verdict

MIXED - 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: 26
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 15.1%; rating input score 15
  • Program expense ratio: 53.4%; rating input score 53
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.8%; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 21st 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: 71.8%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.28; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.59; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 39.2%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6.5% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 15.1% of revenue deployed · 53.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $953K · 15 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $199K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 39 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 20 filed related-organization links
  • 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 15/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 13/100.