Cancer Research Institute

Legal name: Cancer Research Institute Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
131837442
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
(212) 688-7515
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Health

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$35,485,656
Expenses
$42,146,188
Assets
$129,632,160
Liabilities
$44,752,449

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

Leadership & pay

47 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ALICIA ZHOU START 82024 (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • JILL O'DONNELL-TORMEY PHD (FORMER CEO (THRU 8/2024))

Highest reported compensation

  • JILL O'DONNELL-TORMEY PHD (FORMER CEO (THRU 8/2024)): $747,735 total reported compensation
  • ALFRED R MASSIDAS (FORMER CFO (THRU 2/2025)): $542,543 total reported compensation
  • LYNNE A RAPINO (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $443,557 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Uniting for a World Immune to Cancer Together, CRI is turning immunotherapy research into real-world impact by changing the way we treat and defeat cancer. CRI’s data ecosystem thrives on collaboration — from researchers who generate insights to donors who make them possible. Help us accelerate the next breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy. Together, we can make data matter more — transforming information into cures. Icon - money Support Fuel the technology, training, and collaboration that turn complex data into lifesaving immunotherapies. Icon - talk Collaborate Join CRI’s global network of scientists and data experts to accelerate discovery through shared insights and innovation.

What it reported doing in 2024

Research: career development awards + translational innovation and clinical impact awards - see schedule ocri supports world-class scientists across career stages to drive discovery in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Career development awards, including postdoctoral fellowships and the lloyd j. Old star program, provide flexible, multi-year funding to emerging and established investigators pursuing high-impact, innovative research. Awards range from approximately $243,000 over three years for fellowships to $1.25 million over five years for stars. Translational innovation and clinical impact awards, including clip (clinic and laboratory integration program) grants (up to $300,000 over two years) and technology impact awards (up to $300,000 over two years) support projects that deepen understanding of tumor-immune interactions and advance new immunotherapeutic strategies toward clinical application.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 85% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - 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: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 79.2%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 24th 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: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Limited
    • May suspend future funding: Limited
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Limited
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 94.9%; rating input score 95; 24th 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; 66th 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: -18.8%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.08; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.35; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.2%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 79.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 33 of 33 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $33.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $748K · 47 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.1M reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 42 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 52 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 39 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.