International Neuroethics Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
205230980
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2015
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
3013076020
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Brain Disorders Research

Reported finances

Revenue
$166,640
Expenses
$206,448
Assets
$119,579
Liabilities
$5,150

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ROBERT BEETS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • DEBRA MATTHEWS PHD MA (PRESIDENT)
  • JOSEPH J FINS MD MACP (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ROBERT BEETS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $79,718 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 mission of the international neuroethics society is to foster an inclusive and interdisciplinary community advancing dialogue and research on the ethical, legal, clinical, social, and policy considerations raised by brain sciences and technology.

What it reported doing in 2024

The international neuroethics society held an annual meeting in april 2024 in baltimore, md, USA. The theme of the meeting was 'expressing wonder, making meaning: neuroethics engages the arts.' it attracted attendees form around the world. Much of the planning for our 2025 meeting in munich, germany in april 2025 was also conducted in the 2024 calendar year. The ins annual meeting includes opportunities to participate in-person and virtually.calls for research abstracts, session proposals, and essays went out in 2024 which constituted much of the scientific program of the 2025 annual meeting in munich, germany. Neuroethics researchers from a wide range of disciplines and regions around the world submitted their work and ideas to be considered by a panel of peers. Top selections from these submissions are ultimately shared at the meeting and online as posters, oral presentations, and written essays.the society continued its affinity groups program in 2024. The groups aim to provide a platform for engagement with the broader membership focused around a particular topic such as: ai and consciousness; cognitive enhancement; cross-cultural collaboration; diversity, equity and inclusion; law and legal matters; neural interfaces; public communication and publishing. The groups have organized webinars, published papers, launched a public interest magazine, and more.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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 - 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 the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 63
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.3%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 65.5%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 50%; rating input score 50; 42nd 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -23.9%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.58; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 38.6%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6.1% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.3% of revenue deployed · 65.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $135K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 18 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 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.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 50/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 27/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.