American Studies Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
510232804
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Arlington, VA, USA
Phone
7033021000
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,657,232
Expenses
$7,184,000
Assets
$7,624,377
Liabilities
$2,875,696

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL PARADISO (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • TIM HOLBERT (PRESIDENT - AMERICAN VETER)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL PARADISO (PRESIDENT & CEO): $372,003 total reported compensation
  • JAMES ROBERTS (EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN): $288,544 total reported compensation
  • TIM HOLBERT (PRESIDENT - AMERICAN VETER): $251,366 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To engage in nonpartisan analysis, study, and research into the interrelationship of governmental system activities and policies on the private sector of the united states and to make the results available to the public.

What it reported doing in 2025

The american veterans center's mission is to preserve and promote the legacy of the america's military men and women of every generation. The center works directly with veterans to provide a forum for them to share their lessons and experiences with the public and future generations. Programming includes documentaries, speaker programs, its magazine american valor quarterly featuring first-hand accounts directly from veterans, its annual veterans conference and the national memorial day parade, the nations' largest memorial day event. The center houses the world war ii veterans committee, which specifically focuses on those veterans of the greatest generation as well as the national vietnam veterans committee, which honors the service and sacrifice of all those who served in vietnam.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 69% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.4%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 81.1%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 23rd 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: 6.2%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.06; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.38; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.3%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.4% of revenue deployed · 81.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $5.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $372K · 17 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.4M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.