Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O
- Income
- $3.9 billion
- Spending
- $3.8 billion
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- 4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 77%
- Employees
- 9,731
- Volunteers
- 500
- Highest pay
- $2.7 million, president & ceo emerita
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 63% of charities in its peer group (medical research, over $100m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.0 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 25% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 13% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1591% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (medical research, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2565 of 66 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $2.6 billion spent. CLINICAL CARE AS ONE OF THE LEADING CANCER CENTERS IN THE WORLD, DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE PROVIDES COMPASSIONATE, COMPREHENSIVE, AND PERSONALIZED CARE TO ADULTS AND CHILDREN WITH CANCER, BLOOD DISORDERS, AND RELATED DISEASES. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, OUR EXPERT CLINICIANS AND CAREGIVERS AT OUR SPECIALIZED TREATMENT CENTERS WORKED TOGETHER TO DELIVER THE LATEST THERAPIES TO OUR PATIENTS THROUGH 1,295 INPATIENT ADMISSIONS, 417,867 OUTPATIENT DOCTOR VISITS, AND 242,140 INFUSION TREATMENTS. SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1947 BY SIDNEY FARBER, MD, DANA-FARBER HAS FOLLOWED HIS VISION FOR A CANCER CENTER THAT IS JUST AS DEDICATED TO DISCOVERIES IN CANCER RESEARCH AS IT IS TO DELIVERING EXPERT, COMPASSIONATE CARE. OUR INSTITUTE IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF DANA-FARBER/HARVARD CANCER CENTER AND ONE OF 57 NCI-DESIGNATED COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTERS IN THE U.S. WE ARE THE ONLY HOSPITAL RANKED IN THE TOP THREE NATIONALLY BY U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT IN BOTH ADULT AND PEDIATRIC CANCER CARE. IN 2025, WE OFFERED MORE THAN 1,200 CLINICAL TRIALS
- $836.0 million spent. RESEARCH Scientific work at Dana-Farber is based on the premise that basic and clinical investigation are complementary and reinforcing activities. To encourage this cross-pollination of ideas, the institute has developed an organizational framework that fosters collaborations among investigators from different disciplines. The result is an intense scientific impact on a group of diseases that continue to represent one of humanity's greatest health challenges. Some recent advances include: Belzutifan approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for kidney cancer: in a large phase 3 multicenter clinical trial, patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma who received belzutifan had better survival outcomes than those who received standard therapy. Cabozantinib approved by us FDA for neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas or elsewhere: in a phase 3 clinical trial, patients with previously treated, advanced disease who received cabozantinib had better survival outcomes than those who received a placebo. Dordaviprone was granted accelerated approval by us FDA for patients with recurrent rare fatal brain cancer: in a phase 2 clinical trial, dordaviprone, an oral, first in class targeted medicine, was well tolerated by patients with recurrent h3 k27m-mutant diffuse midline glioma and provided a durable response for some patients. Pembrolizumab approved by us FDA as up-front treatment for head and neck cancer: in a pivotal phase 3 trial, patients who received pembrolizumab before, during, and after steadard care had better survival outcomes than those who received standard care alone. Ruvemenib approved by us FDA for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with common mutations: revumenib is a first-in-class oral menin inhibitor that was approved for the treatment of patients with kmt2a translocations in 2024. The 2025 approval was based on results of a phase 2 clinical trial for patients with npm1 mutations, giving up to 40% of patients with AML access to this medicine. Sunvozertinib approved by us FDA for egfr-mutated non-small cell lung cancer: in a phase 2 clinical trial, sunvozertinib showed positive results for patients with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer with certain EGFR mutations. Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) shows promise as first-line therapy for patients with advanced triple negative breast cancer who are not eligible for immunotherapy: a phase 3 clinical trial reported early results suggesting that patients who received sacituzumab govitecan had improved progression-free survival compared to patients receiving standard chemotherapy. Adc combination shows promise for metastatic her2-positive breast cancer: a phase 3 trial reported improved progression-free survival for patients receiving a combination of trastuzumab deruxtecan plus pertuzumab compared to current standard first line therapy. Ras inhibitor shows promise in advanced pancreatic cancer: early results of a phase 1/2 clinical trial supported the initiation of a phase 3 study comparing daraxonrasib to second line chemotherapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Personalized cancer vaccines continue to be improved and tested: early phase clinical trials reported promising results in kidney cancer and in melanoma. Natural killer (NK) cell therapies continue to be designed and tested: a new clinical trial testing NK cell therapies has begun in ovarian cancer. Direct cyclin inhibitors: direct cyclin inhibitors are a new class of medicine that disables a quality control checkpoint in the cell cycle. Laboratory evidence supported the launch of a nationwide phase 1 clinical trial of a first-in-class direct cyclin inhibitor for patients with small cell lung cancer, triple negative breast cancer and other cancers. Weight-loss intervention validated: clinical trials can now proceed to determine if weight loss through use of the validated intervention can help reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Exercise and diet influence survival: clinical studies reported that after treatment for colorectal cancer, exercise and anti-inflammatory diets can improve survival. Acute leukemia diagnostic: a new diagnostic tool for acute leukemia could significantly improve patient care by allowing faster and more precise treatment decisions. Multiple myeloma blood test: a novel blood test for multiple myeloma enables diagnosis of multiple myeloma and its precursors using a blood test, offering an alternative to traditional bone marrow biopsy.
- $49.3 million spent. COMMUNITY HEALTH The role of Dana-Farber's Community Health office is to support the Institute's goal to reduce cancer risk among medically underserved populations. We work with city and state health departments, community partners, and Boston-based coalitions to assess and monitor the needs of local residents with respect to cancer control. In collaboration with staff throughout Dana-Farber, we serve as a bridge with community organizations and establish evidence-based and sustainable outreach programs. We are on the front lines of supporting and collaborating on programs designed to eliminate disparities in breast, colon, and skin cancer; educate diverse populations about tobacco cessation, human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention and screening; and strengthen the support system for medically underserved populations. In short, we are committed to making Dana-Farber's care and research findings more accessible to everyone within and outside its walls. FY25 programmatic highlights are as follows: Dana-Farber's mammography services provided 2,836 mammograms on the van and at the mammography suite at Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury. Dana-Farber's Sun Safety Program provided 16 in-person sun safety screening events with added health and safety measures. 860 participants were screened by a dermatologist and 123 people were referred for follow-up appointments. 52 participants were referred for a biopsy. Dana-Farber's Tobacco Treatment program received 28 referrals and provided 35 individual tobacco cessation counseling sessions to 13 patients. 9 participants were able to reduce their total number of cigarettes smoked per day, and 4 of these reported being able to quit completely. The Tobacco Treatment program continued to provide financial incentives for participants enrolled in the program. Stop and Shop gift cards were provided after counseling sessions to encourage individuals to reduce their tobacco usage and quit smoking. Continued to partner with the Breast Oncology Department in managing AssessYourRisk, a digital tool to help people of all ages better understand and manage their risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The survey tool was completed by over 10,000 users in FY25. Implemented and evaluated the fourth and final year of Dana-Farber's multi-year Systems Level Funding, awarded to three non-profit organizations in Greater Boston to address air quality, environmental justice, and child homelessness. Successes from the fourth year include advancing air quality legislation, launching community-owned data tools, strengthening cross-sector partnerships, and deepening resident and youth leadership - building momentum for continued policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change beyond the grant-funded period. The Education and Outreach team held 65 events in 5 languages (English, Cantonese, Haitian-Creole, Mandarin, and Spanish), reaching a total of 4,868 participants. These events included cancer education sessions on topics including General Cancer Prevention & Resources, HPV-Related Cancer, Breast Cancer, and Colorectal Cancer, and Prostate Cancer, as well as community events including tabling at health fairs, farmers markets, and cultural celebrations such as Lunar New Year and Pride for the People, where we provide tailored education materials and speak to community members in our priority populations about cancer prevention. The Education and Outreach team expanded outreach in bilingual media, specifically for Spanish speaking and Chinese populations. In FY25, we published 44 posts in Simplified and Traditional Chinese on WeChat, a social media platform popular among Chinese populations. We also participated in 4 interviews on Spanish media platforms (Telemundo, Univision, La Mega Radio, Orale con Veronica) focused on breast and colorectal cancer screening. Lastly, we published 4 articles in Spanish in El Mundo newspaper. From late 2024 through early 2025, Dana-Farber's Community Health Office, in collaboration with the Community Benefits External/Determination of Need (DoN) Advisory Committee, conducted a series of community information sessions to solicit public input related to planning for Dana-Farber's proposed inpatient adult cancer hospital.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 1962.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.