Clinical Research Forum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043809491
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2023671176
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies, Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$484,021
Expenses
$578,416
Assets
$1,110,173
Liabilities
$244,543

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDREA VAN HOOK (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • HARRY P SELKER MD MSPH (CHAIR)
  • WILLIAM L LOWE JR MD (TREASURER UNTIL APRIL)
  • RACHEL HESS MD MS DIRECTOR (UNTIL SEPTEMBER THEN TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To provide leadership to the national clinical and translational research enterprise and promote understanding and support for clinical research and its impact on health and healthcare.

What it reported doing in 2025

Advocacy - the coalition for clinical and translational science (ccts) is the unified voice of the clinical and translational science research community, of which the clinical research forum is a member. Started as a coalition of organizations with a shared mission to support clinical and translational science, ccts has grown into a nationwide grassroots network of dedicated individuals who work together to educate congress and the administration about the value and importance of federal clinical and translational research and research training and career development activities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 91% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Expenses are high relative to revenue and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 65.4%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -19.5%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.92; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77% of revenue deployed · 65.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $378K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 20 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $432K reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 24 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.