American College of Surgeons is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Chicago, Illinois, registered in 1939, with $177,470,920 in FY2024 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 79% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2024)
$177.5M
▲ 25.2% vs prior year
Education median: $200K
Expenses (FY2024)
$142.5M
Net assets
$591.1M
Employees
532
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 College of Surgeons: 79% to programs · $3 to raise $100 earns a B+ 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 College of Surgeons: 50 mo reserves · +20% margin earns a A 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 College of Surgeons: 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 College of Surgeons: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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To improve the quality of care of the surgical patient through education and research.
Educational programs - the college's education division supports the efforts of practicing surgeons, surgery residents, medical students, and members of surgical teams to provide the best care to patients. under the new strategic plan, the division focuses on providing timely, evidence-based training through accessible and modernized platforms to prepare surgeons for current and future roles. to help surgeons optimize their practices, attain new skills, and manage their careers, the acs offers dozens of educational opportunities that continually evolve to meet changing needs. these opportunities range from rigorous readiness assessments for residents to courses designed to enhance surgeons' skills as educators and leaders. (continued in sch o).
The division of member services serves as the primary architect of the american college of surgeons professional community, supporting more than 93,000 surgeons, medical students, and surgical care team members globally. the division is dedicated to fostering professional connections, delivering practical practice resources, and cultivating leadership pathways for surgeons at every career stage from residency through retirement. (continued in sch o)
The purpose of the division of advocacy and health policy is to identify and address public policy issues affecting surgeons and their patients at both federal and state levels. the acs maintains productive relationships with policymakers to protect the role of surgeons as leaders of the care team.medicare physician payment reform: reforming the physician payment system is a top priority as surgeons face continued reductions. following acs advocacy, a budget reconciliation package provided short-term relief, including language to increase medicare physician payments by 2.5% for 2026.global surgical packages: the acs submitted formal testimony to medpac and cms advocating against revaluing or eliminating 10- and 90-day global surgical packages without accurate data, emphasizing that arbitrary changes could result in unintended financial consequences for patients.workforce and patient access: the acs champions legislation to strengthen the surgical workforce, including the resident education deferred interest (redi) act, which allows residents to defer student loan payments without interest.emergency preparedness: a primary focus remains the reauthorization of the pandemic all-hazards preparedness act (pahpa), which includes the mission zero grant program that embeds military surgeons into civilian trauma systems.public health and safety: the acs leads firearm injury prevention efforts through public health research and discussions with federal offices, and advocates for the improving police care act to support "stop the bleed" initiatives.
Revenue grew from $108.5M (FY2013) to $177.5M (FY2024) across 12 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
19.7%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$773.0M
Total liabilities
$181.9M
Net assets
$591.1M
Salaries & benefits
$80.0M
56% of expenses
Board members
23
22 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $177,470,920▲25.2% | $142,549,416 | $591,062,816▲10.5% | $773,004,565▲7.1% | 990 |
| 2023 | $141,709,501▲9.4% | $142,611,530▲1.9% | $535,080,410▲12.3% | $721,611,230▲6.4% | 990 |
| 2022 | $129,513,600▼15.3% | $139,911,745▲15.9% | $476,609,348▲6.5% | $678,424,966▲3.2% | 990 |
| 2021 | $152,942,279▲3.0% | $120,729,805▲2.5% | $447,500,728▼6.3% | $657,204,264▼6.1% | 990 |
| 2020 | $148,435,585▲10.3% | $117,794,212▼5.4% | $477,761,986▲35.9% | $699,715,170▲17.4% | 990 |
| 2019 | $134,561,979▲10.9% | $124,455,383▲3.9% | $351,573,707▼8.8% | $595,958,812▼4.7% | 990 |
| 2018 | $121,389,500▼14.3% | $119,803,140▲3.5% | $385,590,805▼2.4% | $625,589,543▲0.8% | 990 |
| 2017 | $141,673,902▲31.7% | $115,742,545▲8.3% | $394,951,436▲4.4% | $620,378,188▲4.0% | 990 |
| 2016 | $107,569,645▲11.9% | $106,824,194▲15.4% | $378,263,934▲9.2% | $596,464,291▲6.9% | 990 |
| 2015 | $96,103,811▼16.6% | $92,590,822▲7.5% | $346,284,138▼10.8% | $558,170,390▼5.6% | 990 |
| 2014 | $115,209,200▲6.2% | $86,092,308▲2.7% | $388,360,427▼3.8% | $591,583,630▼1.6% | 990 |
| 2013 | $108,526,895 | $83,866,437▲16.7% | $403,547,791▲16.4% | $601,261,527▲10.4% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $71,881,684▲10.1% | $346,653,517▲16.1% | $544,724,301▲8.9% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $65,308,705▲8.2% | $298,657,568▼5.0% | $500,104,895▼0.6% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $60,334,677▲2.4% | $314,304,942▲20.6% | $503,152,213▲12.0% | 990 |
| 2009 | — | $58,897,866 | $260,719,789 | $449,402,670 | 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: Patricia L Turner — $1,151,185 (0.81% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patricia L Turner | Executive Director & Ceo | 38 | $1,151,185 |
| Clifford Ko | Svp, Quality Programs | 40 | $979,836 |
| Ajit Sachdeva | Svp, Education | 40 | $907,257 |
| Ronald J Weigel | Medical Director, Cancer Programs | 40 | $710,845 |
| Paige A Rodgers | Cfo | 38 | $660,957 |
| Michael J Sutherland | Svp, Member Services | 40 | $619,563 |
| Michelle Mcgovern | Chief Hr Officer | 40 | $571,329 |
| Lewis Flint Editor of | Selected Readings (thru 06/25) | 40 | $529,635 |
| Christian D Shalgian | Svp. Advocacy and Health | 40 | $484,787 |
| Girma Tefera | Medical Director, Acs Hope | 40 | $475,534 |
| Timothy J Eberlein | Director (thru 10/24) | 39 | $162,500 |
| Tyler G Hughes | First Vp (thru 10/24) | 39 | $96,564 |
| Henri R Ford | Acs President (thru 10/24) | 1 | $73,809 |
| Lena M Napolitano Dir | (thru 10/24)/v.chair (as of 10/24) | 39 | $25,001 |
| Nancy L Gantt | First Vp (as of 10/24) | 1 | $10,595 |
| Beth H Sutton | Acs President (as of 10/24) | 1 | $662 |
| Andrea A Hayes-dixon | Director | 1 | — |
| Annesley Aj W Copeland | Director | 1 | — |
| Anthony Atala Chair | (thru 10/24) / Dir. (as of 10/24) | 1 | — |
| Anton N Sidawy | Director (thru 07/24) | 1 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Iqvia Rds Inc | Consulting | $8,258,744 |
| Brunswick Group LLC | Public Relations | $2,570,948 |
| Freeman | Event Planning | $1,928,161 |
| Cambridge Associates LLC | Financial Services | $1,293,810 |
| Amwins Group Benefit LLC | Marketing | $903,277 |
42 grants to American College of Surgeons totaling $22.0M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Cancer Society Inc | Support/research | 2024 | $1,021,500 |
| American Cancer Society Inc | Research | 2024 | $201,000 |
| American Cancer Society Inc | Patient support | 2023 | $1,021,500 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2023 | $44,174 |
| American Cancer Society Inc | Patient support | 2022 | $1,021,500 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Sub-award | 2022 | $775,531 |
| American Academy of Ophthalmology Inc | Scope of surgery campaigns | 2022 | $301,378 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2022 | $119,307 |
| American Cancer Society Inc | Patient support | 2021 | $984,192 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Sub-award | 2021 | $546,223 |
| American Academy of Ophthalmology Inc | Scope of surgery campaigns | 2021 | $300,000 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2021 | $268,285 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2021 | $268,285 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Sub-award | 2020 | $1,513,004 |
| American Cancer Society Inc | Transportation assistance | 2020 | $1,295,627 |
1 grant totaling $7,000 in FY2024. All grants made by American College of Surgeons →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American College of Surgeons | Scholarship support | $7,000 |
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Data for American College of Surgeons (EIN 36-2192800) 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.