The Foundation for Aviation Safety
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 934871663
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2023
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 3607101647
- Rating
- 55
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,472,030
- Expenses
- $12,984
- Assets
- $1,459,145
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- EDWARD PIERSON (PRESIDENT / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
People named in this filing
- EDWARD PIERSON (PRESIDENT / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- MICHELLE PIERSON (SECRETARY / TREASURER)
- JOE JACOBSEN (BOARD MEMBER)
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 foundation's mission is to improve public safety by closely monitoring the aviation industry and the government agencies responsible for regulating the industry. We are proud to serve as the leading aviation watchdog and will continue to report on illegal activities and other problems impacting safety including ineffective government. We serve the individuals that fly and their loved ones.
What it reported doing in 2024
In 2024, the foundation for aviation safety concentrated mainly on the ongoing investigations into the two max airplane tragedies from 2018 and 2019, the aftermath of the january 2023 Alaska airlines flight 1282 accident, manufacturing defects in boeing's 737 max aircraft, and system failures and emergencies involving max planes. The foundation also highlighted the actions and inactions of the federal aviation administration (faa), the department of transportation (dot), and the national transportation safety board (ntsb).
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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.
The verdict
MIXED - 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 18
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 96
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 0.9%; rating input score 1
- Program expense ratio: 53.5%; rating input score 53
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 99.1%; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 112.38; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 0.9% of revenue deployed · 53.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
- Consistency: 14 of 14 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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: Mission deployment rate scored 1/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 53/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.