The Amer Research Inst of the South

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
830459187
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2011
Location
West Lafayette, IN, USA
Phone
7652699383
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Promotion of International Understanding

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$338,292
Expenses
$164,687
Assets
$253,532
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEGHNAR WATENPAUGH (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • HEGHNAR WATENPAUGH (PRESIDENT)
  • STEPHEN JONES (VICE PRESIDE)
  • ELIZABETH FAGAN (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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The american research institute of the south caucasus (arisc) encourages and supports scholarly study of the south caucasus states (armenia, azerbaijan, and Georgia) across all disciplines of the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Arisc's mission is to promote and encourage american research in the region and to foster intellectual inquiry across boundaries within the south caucasus as well as between the south caucasus and its neighbors.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024-25, arisc began the fiscal year with the intention of running ten competitive funding opportunities, but was only able to successfully run four funding opportunities, awarding four fellows to conduct research projects about the south caucasus and one south caucasus scholar to travel to the us to present their research at a conference. Arisc ran the multi- day workshop, teaching the south caucasus for experts, inviting six regional scholars to workshop best practices and resources for teaching about the region. Arisc also successfully closed out another seven fellowships from the prior fiscal year. Arisc co-sponsored a panel at the association for slavic, east european, and eurasian studies annual convention. Arisc has received and responded to 138 requests for assistance by scholars with the logistics of their research. Thirty-four virtual and in-person lectures and events have been organized or co-organized in the south caucasus. Arisc has a branch in armenia and in Georgia and a representative in azerbaijan. Our representatives abroad have collected information on language learning programs, archives and museums, and lists of scholars in the south caucasus for those interested in building collaborative partnerships. Arisc greatly increased our fundraising activities in 2024-25.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 68% for direct work, and 32% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 50
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 32.4%; rating input score 32
  • Program expense ratio: 66.4%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: $251.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • 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: Limited
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 51.3%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.54; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -23.3% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 35.5% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 32.4% of revenue deployed · 66.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $109K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 32/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 52/100.