American Society of Civil Engineers

Legal name: American Society of Civil Engineers Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
131635293
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Reston, VA, USA
Phone
7032956118
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies, Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$58,896,001
Expenses
$58,550,448
Assets
$92,005,260
Liabilities
$25,629,834

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • FENIOSKY A PENA-MORA PE (PRESIDENT)
  • MARSIA GELDERT-MUPHEY PE (PAST-PRESIDENT)
  • MARSHA D ANDERSON BOMAR (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
  • THOMAS W SMITH III (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • THOMAS W SMITH III (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $626,552 total reported compensation
  • LISA GREEN (CFO): $256,689 total reported compensation
  • DANA COMPTON (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $239,066 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Deliver value to our members, advance civil engineering, and protect the public health, safety, and welfare. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) offers a variety of meetings, events, and activities that provide opportunities to learn, grow professionally, and exchange ideas; and, where all participants can participate fully in an atmosphere that is free of harassment and discrimination based on any identity-based factors. At all ASCE events, we are committed to: incorporating the highest standards of professional integrity, dignity, fairness, justice, and respect for everyone, regardless of identity.

What it reported doing in 2024

Professional activities: through its professional advancement activities, asce encourages, guides, and promotes the professional development of civil engineers. These programs include definition of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to practice as a civil engineer, including those related to ethical and professional behavior. The society develops education, training, and resources to help civil engineers develop these knowledge areas and skillsets and promotes the use of appropriate credentials, such as licensure and certification, to demonstrate competence. Asce works towards its vision of civil engineers as global leaders by offering online and in person leader development trainings and workshops on topics like leadership skills and effective communication. The society also offers career advancement resources to inform current and prospective civil engineers on the diverse career paths available in the profession and equip them to better navigate career challenges, transitions, and opportunities. Asce has long considered sustainability a strategic issue confronting practicing civil engineers. Its integration into professional practice is required to address changing environmental, social, and economic conditions ethically and responsibly. Although challenging issues such a climate change, urbanization, and the rapid pace of technological advancement create opportunities, they also require serious re-evaluation of current professional practice and standards. To address this state of affairs, asce has outlined a roadmap to transform the profession. Asce's efforts are guided by the asce five-year roadmap to sustainable development with four specific goals: 1) sustainable project development - do the right project2) standards and protocols - do the project right3) expand technical capacity 4) communicate and advocate.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 61% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.6%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 90.3%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $39.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 12th 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: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Limited
    • Conducts field audits: Limited
    • May suspend future funding: Limited
    • Requires financial reports: Limited
    • Conducts site visits: Limited
    • Requires grant agreements: Limited
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 87.5%; rating input score 87; 20th 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 0.6%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.57; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.28; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.8%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 90.6% of revenue deployed · 90.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 12 filed program accomplishments · $52.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $627K · 31 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $4.1M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 38 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 41 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 31 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 35/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.