American Association For Cancer Research is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, registered in 1965, with $74,316,369 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 87% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$74.3M
▼ 10.6% vs prior year
Medical Research median: $217K
Expenses (FY2023)
$80.2M
Net assets
$170.5M
Employees
277
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For American Association For Cancer Research: 87% to programs · $7 to raise $100 earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For American Association For Cancer Research: 26 mo reserves · -8% margin earns a B+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For American Association For Cancer Research: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For American Association For Cancer Research: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication and collaboration.
Annual meeting and special conferences attended by members and non-members for the presentation of scientific research. also includes educational workshops for training young investigators.
Publications - production & distribution of the journals: "cancer research", "molecular cancer research", "cancer epidemiology biomarkers & prevention", "clinical cancer research", "molecular cancer therapeutics", "cancer prevention research", "cancer discovery", "cancer immunology research", "blood cancer discovery", and "cancer research communications".
[1] science policy and government affairs
Revenue grew from $70.2M (FY2013) to $74.3M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
-7.9%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$241.9M
Total liabilities
$71.5M
Net assets
$170.5M
Salaries & benefits
$28.8M
36% of expenses
Board members
24
24 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $74,316,369▼10.6% | $80,202,057▼3.4% | $170,464,353▲11.9% | $241,949,585▲4.4% | 990 |
| 2022 | $83,093,510▼19.5% | $83,018,160▲21.6% | $152,268,860▼18.2% | $231,693,702▼11.3% | 990 |
| 2021 | $103,171,549▼6.2% | $68,261,079▼28.7% | $186,153,031▲34.6% | $261,131,206▲15.7% | 990 |
| 2020 | $110,036,275▼11.8% | $95,785,864▼19.7% | $138,281,719▲26.6% | $225,756,253▲22.7% | 990 |
| 2019 | $124,747,357▲8.0% | $119,310,729▲9.9% | $109,268,524▲22.2% | $183,918,208▲17.3% | 990 |
| 2018 | $115,485,438▼0.4% | $108,581,578▲2.8% | $89,406,812▲1.2% | $156,846,789▲5.6% | 990 |
| 2017 | $115,942,366▲32.3% | $105,649,942▲24.9% | $88,371,371▲20.2% | $148,483,420▲26.0% | 990 |
| 2016 | $87,664,971▲10.6% | $84,567,870▲10.7% | $73,497,029▲10.5% | $117,885,019▲8.1% | 990 |
| 2015 | $79,254,440▲7.7% | $76,379,209▲6.7% | $66,540,957▼2.8% | $109,009,290▼1.2% | 990 |
| 2014 | $73,594,822▲4.8% | $71,572,722▲8.9% | $68,458,805▲6.3% | $110,326,192▲6.4% | 990 |
| 2013 | $70,235,515 | $65,733,565▼4.2% | $64,427,549▲21.6% | $103,668,697▲11.6% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $68,590,531▲32.7% | $52,977,140▲9.6% | $92,894,946▲7.7% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $51,695,564▼18.7% | $48,333,911▲5.3% | $86,282,981▼13.0% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $63,580,426 | $45,884,463 | $99,214,285 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Dr Margaret Foti — $894,240 (1.11% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Margaret Foti | Chief Executive Officer | 35 | $894,240 |
| Michael Stewart | Vice President, Chief Fina | 35 | $407,864 |
| Jon Retzlaff | Vp. Science Policy & Gov. | 40 | $388,000 |
| Christine Battle | Vp. Scientific Publication | 40 | $310,300 |
| Yixian Zhang | Vice President, Research and Grants Administration | 40 | $297,000 |
| Paul Driscoll | Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President | 40 | $294,000 |
| Richard Buck | Chief Communications Officer and Vice President | 40 | $294,000 |
| Joseph Pontoski | Sr. Managing Director / Fi | 40 | $277,200 |
| Mary Ballinger | Vice President, Meetings and Exhibits | 40 | $255,000 |
| Dr Alice Shaw | Director (2023-2026) | 2 | — |
| Dr Christina Curtis | Director (2022-2025) | 2 | — |
| Dr Chritine Lovly | Director (2023-2026) | 2 | — |
| Dr David A Tuveson | Past President (jan-mar) | 5 | — |
| Dr Elaine Fuchs | Director (2020-2023) | 2 | — |
| Dr Elizabeth Platz | Director (2023-2026) | 2 | — |
| Dr Ira Mellman | Director (2020-2023) | 2 | — |
| Dr Jedd Wolchok | Director (2023-2026) | 2 | — |
| Dr Joh Carethers | Director (2023-2026) | 2 | — |
| Dr John Carpten | Director (2022-2025) | 2 | — |
| Dr Kimberly Stegmaier | Director (2022-2025) | 2 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Freeman | Audio Visual Services | $3,743,111 |
| 615 Chestnut Master Lease LP | Office Lease | $2,268,703 |
| Reaction Audio Visual | Audio Visual Services | $1,507,195 |
| The Sheridan Press | Publication Services | $964,314 |
| Transportation Management | Transportation Services | $907,748 |
119 grants to American Association For Cancer Research totaling $265.8M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment Industry Foundation | General program | 2024 | $8,439,404 |
| Entertainment Industry Foundation | General program | 2024 | $8,439,404 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $47,294 |
| Charities Aid Foundation America | Charitable donation | 2024 | $20,626 |
| American Cancer Society Inc | Award for research | 2024 | $20,000 |
| Paypal Charitable Giving Fund | General support | 2024 | $14,094 |
| The Us Charitable Gift Trust | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2024 | $13,600 |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc | General operating support | 2024 | $10,000 |
| T Rowe Price Program For Charitable Giving Inc | Multiple | 2024 | $7,250 |
| Entertainment Industry Foundation | General program | 2023 | $10,818,000 |
| Breast Cancer Research Foundation Inc | Medical research | 2023 | $567,000 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2023 | $37,580 |
| Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2023 | $34,500 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2023 | $33,830 |
| United Charitable | Special program for high school students annual meeting and health care disparities conference, and minority scholar in cancer research travel award | 2023 | $25,000 |
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Data for American Association For Cancer Research (EIN 23-6251648) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.