Sansum Diabetes Research Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
951684086
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Phone
8056827638
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,303,337
Expenses
$7,162,681
Assets
$28,805,606
Liabilities
$4,051,624

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Elizabeth Thompson (CEO)
  • Dr Andrew Rhinehart (CEO/CMO)
  • James Sloan (President)
  • Matthew Rowe CIMA (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Elizabeth Thompson (CEO): $349,314 total reported compensation
  • Kristin Castorino DO (Research Physician): $290,760 total reported compensation
  • Kristen Nelson (Dir Clinical Rese): $270,167 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Dedicated to improving the lives of people impacted by diabetes through research, education and care.

What it reported doing in 2025

ResearchClinical Research Type 1 DiabetesSansum Diabetes Research Institute (SDRI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people impacted by diabetes through clinical research, education, and specialized patient care. During 2025, SDRI initiated 13 clinical research trials involving 197 individual participants. These studies evaluated new technologies, medications, and treatment approaches intended to improve diabetes management and health outcomes.Research activities included automated insulin delivery systems, continuous glucose monitoring, inhaled insulin therapies, GLP-1 medications, ketone and lactate monitoring, digital health tools, and other emerging diabetes technologies. SDRI collaborated with leading diabetes technology and pharmaceutical companies to conduct research that supports the development of safer and more effective treatments for people living with diabetes.During 2025, SDRI also launched Screen & Support, a community-based type 1 diabetes early detection program. Through autoantibody screening, education, monitoring, and follow-up care, the program identifies children and adults at increased risk for developing type 1 diabetes before symptoms occur. Earlier identification helps reduce the likelihood of diagnosis during diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), provides families with education and support, and expands access to therapies that may delay progression to insulin-dependent disease. SDRI also continued leading the California Type 1 Diabetes Screening Collaborative to expand early detection efforts throughout California.Clinical Research Type 2 DiabetesSDRI continued research designed to improve treatment options and clinical outcomes for individuals living with type 2 diabetes. During 2025, the SDRI participated in studies evaluating automated insulin delivery systems, continuous glucose monitoring technologies, and emerging therapeutic approaches intended to improve glycemic control while reducing the burden of diabetes management.Research findings contributed to the growing body of evidence supporting advanced diabetes technologies for adults with type 2 diabetes and included participation from diverse populations to improve the applicability of study findings across communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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

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: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.8%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 73.7%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: -13.6%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.02; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 27.5%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.8% of revenue deployed · 73.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $349K · 27 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $7M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.