Autism Research Institute
Autism | EIN: 95-2548452 | San Diego, CA
Mission:
The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is the hub of a worldwide network of parents and professionals concerned with autism. ARI was founded in 1967 to conduct and foster scienti ... (More)
Autism Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1968, and donations are tax-deductible. Cause: Medical Research
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Star Rating System
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Exceptional
This charity's score is 92.92, earning it a 4-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 90.00 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 100.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2017, the latest year published by the IRS.
View this organization's historical ratings on our legacy website.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
85.3%
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s).
This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
11.2%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
3.3%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
1.0%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.05
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
2.80 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
-15.93%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets | |
| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant | |
| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing | |
| Compensates Board |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest | |
| Whistleblower | |
| Records Retention and Destruction | |
| CEO Compensation Process | |
| Donor Privacy |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website | |
| Form 990 Available on Website |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts include salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
DR STEPHEN M EDELSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
$162,425
DR MARVIN NATOWICZ, CHAIR
$7,250
KELLY BARNHILL, TREASURER
$0
DR ROBERT HENDREN, BOARD MEMBER
$0
DR KENNETH SASSOWER, BOARD MEMBER
$0
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2019
Business Master File Data
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Scientific research (diseases) (BMF activity code: 161)
Contact or sponsored scientific research for industry (BMF activity code: 180)
Other school related activities (BMF activity code: 059)
Foundation Status:
Organization that normally receives no more than one-third of its support from gross investment income and unrelated business income and at the same time more than one-third of its support from contributions, fees, and gross receipts related to exempt purposes. 509(a)(2) (BMF foundation code: 16)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
Autism Research Institute cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Do you work at Autism Research Institute? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
Autism Research Institute reported its three largest programs on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
$536,014
Spent in most recent FY
62%
Percent of program expenses
To support the health and well-being of people affected by autism through innovative, impactful research and education of professionals. This includes 1 conducting research, 2 organizing national and ... (More)
$300,000
Spent in most recent FY
35%
Percent of program expenses
The Autism Research Institute ARI has awarded research grants to scientific investgators worldwide. ARI prides itself in funding research that makes a difference. The funded research is aimed at inves ... (More)
$17,062
Spent in most recent FY
2%
Percent of program expenses
The autism research institute ARI is an ngo member of the United Nations. ARI collaborates with researchers, organizes conferences and think tanks, and actively consults with autism organizations worl ... (More)
Leadership & Adaptability
This score provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
Not Currently Scored
Autism Research Institute is currently not eligible for a Leadership & Adaptability score because we have not received its L&A survey responses.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that the organization has not yet submitted data for evaluation.
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's engagement with the constituents it serves, a practice we term Constituent Feedback. When organizations listen to constituents, they are able to better deliver on programs and meet the needs of stakeholders. A future version of this Beacon will also assess an organization's people operations and its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) metrics.
Culture & Community Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by Autism Research Institute is a passing score.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of an organization's Culture and Community by measuring its Constituent Feedback practices (see report below). Constituent Feedback data provides 100% of the basis for the initial evaluation of the Culture & Community Beacon.
Culture & Community Report
100
of 100 points
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Constituent Feedback
Full Credit
Here's how this organization is listening and learning from the people they serve:
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Note: The organization did not respond to this question.
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
Note: The organization did not respond to this question.
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
Note: The organization did not respond to this question.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Note: The organization did not respond to this question.
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
In 2018, we worked with Suffolk University students and summer interns to gather information about our constituents in order to develop our theory of change and identify key barriers to establishing a standard of care for individuals diagnosed with autism. This informed our online education program for the subsequent 18 months, leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic. We continually survey our webinar attendees to collect information about topics and presenters they would like to see. Throughout the pandemic, this has been crucial to providing content that is useful to families and individuals with ASD navigating this unusually challenging time.
Methodology
Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective. We've partnered with GuideStar by Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Charity Navigator awards full credit for this Beacon to every nonprofit that is eligible for an Encompass Rating that completes the survey, in recognition of their willingness to publicly share this information with the nonprofit and philanthropic communities. This data is not evaluated for quality at this time. Validation will be added in future iterations of this Beacon.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Our partnership with Feedback Labs and Guidestar by Candid, and other partners including Fund for Shared Insight, GlobalGiving, and Keystone Accountability, enables us to launch the first version of this beacon with Constituent Feedback information collected on Candid's site.
Feedback practices have been shown to support better Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion outcomes, an essential area of assessment that we intend to further expand and develop in the future. Feedback Labs has documented several studies which indicate that beyond achieving organizational goals, nonprofits that are attentive and responsive to concerns and ideas raised by beneficiaries establish stronger relationships with the people they serve, promote greater equity, and empower constituents in ways that can help to ensure better long-term outcomes. You can find resources to help nonprofits improve their feedback practices here.
