The American Institute of Architects

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
530025930
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Jun 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
8002423837
Rating confidence
Limited

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$70,085,469
Expenses
$68,575,808
Assets
$230,344,971
Liabilities
$68,008,277

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KIMBERLY DOWDELL (PRESIDENT)
  • EVELYN LEE (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
  • LAKISHA ANN WOODS CAE (EVP/CEO)
  • PRAVEEN PATEL (SR. VICE PRESIDENT, TECHNOLOGY)

Highest reported compensation

  • LAKISHA ANN WOODS CAE (EVP/CEO): $1,717,494 total reported compensation
  • ANDREW FLANK (SVP, SALES, EVENTS & EXHIBITS): $513,939 total reported compensation
  • TERRI STEWART (CHIEF FINANCE & ADMIN. OFFICER): $483,358 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Vision: drive positive change through the power of design and focused activism.mission: aia inspires and empowers architects to improve society and transform the world.

What it reported doing in 2024

Member services - aia offers member services including: component relations: local networking activities, educational seminars, and regional updates are available through state and local component chapters.website members section: provides an entry point for services provided to aia members.honors and awards: program provides recognition of individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements in support of the profession of architecture and the aia. Media relations support center: a tool to aid members in implementing effective media relations efforts in the member's local and regional market. Sustainability: a voluntary program for aia member firms and other entities in the built environment to pledge to develop multi-year action plans, and implement steps to become carbon neutral by the year 2030. Aia provides support, information, and education on sustainability.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 83% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 96.7%; rating input score 97; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 86.7%; rating input score 87; 33rd 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: 2.2%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.36; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.3; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 13 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 7 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.7M · 23 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $28.3M reported
  • Consistency: 16 of 17 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 45 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 39 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.