The American Ceramic Society Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
314379422
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Westerville, OH, USA
Phone
6148904700
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Visual Arts Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,637,026
Expenses
$8,102,554
Assets
$19,912,654
Liabilities
$3,635,697

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

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RAJENDRA BORDIA (PAST PRESIDENT (EXIT 10/25))
  • MONICA FERRARIS (PAST PRESIDENT (ENTER 10/25))
  • MARIO AFFATIGATO (PRESIDENT (ENTER 10/25))
  • SHIBIN JIANG (PRESIDENT ELECT (ENTER 10/25))
  • MARK MECKLENBORG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARK MECKLENBORG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $323,338 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL JOHNSON (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $232,382 total reported compensation
  • JAMES JANERI (COO/PUBLISHER, CERAMICS ARTS NETWORK): $221,566 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To foster the study, understanding, development, and application of ceramics, glasses, and related materials for the benefit of our members, industry, and the global society.

What it reported doing in 2025

The society published four peer-reviewed journals and three magazines related to ceramics in the application of the arts and sciences. Numerous books were published, media content produced, and media streamed on the applications of ceramic arts and on the proceedings of meeting lectures and papers presented at meetings. The society's 2025 meetings included the 49th international conference and expo on advanced ceramics and composites (icacc) in daytona beach, fl. The society's 127th annual meeting was held in columbus, oh, as part of the materials, science & technology (ms&t) conferences and exhibition. The 16th pacific rim conference on ceramic and glass technology, including annual glass and optical materials division (pacrim with gomd) was held in vancouver, bc, canada. Several other meetings and two ceramic arts cultural tours in japan and portugal were held. The society's foundation provided grants for student outreach and travel assistance, scholarships to students studying materials science, and distributed materials science classroom kits to middle and high schools.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 87% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 47
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 90.6%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $0.98 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: 68%; rating input score 68; 24th 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: 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: 6.2%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.46; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.9%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97% of revenue deployed · 90.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $323K · 25 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $982K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 2/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.