Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 843926982
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Santa Monica, CA, USA
- Phone
- 3109079216
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,805,696
- Expenses
- $1,245,798
- Assets
- $1,219,692
- Liabilities
- $240,755
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ALEXANDER SASHA BYSTRITSKY (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- NICCO REGGENTE (RESEARCH DIRECTOR): $136,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The institute for advanced consciousness ("iacs or organization") is dedicated to furthering the scientific understanding of consciousness.
What it reported doing in 2024
Accelerating meditation and fostering empathy through neuroscience. Our research explores the frontiers of consciousness and empathy using cutting-edge neurotechnology.neuroimaging-guided neuromodulation: we employ fmri, eeg, and machine learning to identify and induce deep meditative states in vipassana practitioners, aiming to expedite and prolong these experiences.virtual reality neurofeedback: utilizing eeg and vr, we guide meditators to optimal states, focusing on efficiency, duration, and adaptability for novices.continued on schedule oemulating entheogenic states: we simulate self-transcendent experiences to enhance empathic concern, advancing our understanding of consciousness.prosocial ai development: we're investigating methods to cultivate empathy in artificial agents through targeted learning curricula.aesthetic chills as belief catalysts: we explore how profound aesthetic experiences can reshape mindsets towards more beneficial paradigms.our goal: to deepen scientific insights into consciousness while developing tools to enrich human experience and foster empathy in both biological and artificial intelligences.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% 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.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 78
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 78
- Sustainability: 60
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 65.4%; rating input score 65
- Program expense ratio: 94.8%; rating input score 95
- Fundraising efficiency: $132.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 31%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.98; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 10.9%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 25.1% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 20.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 23.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 65.4% of revenue deployed · 94.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $136K · 5 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $273K reported
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.