American Council on Science and Health
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO ENSURE THAT PEER-REVIEWED, EVIDENCE-BASED SCIENCE REACHES THE PUBLIC, THE MEDIA, AND THE DECISION-MAKERS WHO DETERMINE PUBLIC POLICY. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO RESTORE SCIENCE AND COMMON SENSE TO PERSONAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH DECISIONS, IN ORDER TO FOSTER A SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND AND SENSIBLE PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. ACSH IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING COMMUNICATION AND DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE SCIENTIFIC/MEDICAL COMMUNITY AND THE PUBLIC, AND THE MEDIA, IN AN EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT THE COVERAGE OF HEALTH ISSUES IS BASED ON SCIENTIFIC FACTS - NOT HYPERBOLE, EMOTION AND IDEOLOGY.
- Income
- $795,857
- Spending
- $1.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 71%
- Reserves
- 4.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 93%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 16
- Highest pay
- $170,385, distinguished fellow
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 60 out of 100.
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 11% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 37% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 19% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1570% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 18 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 258 of 9 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
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 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 (1)
- $766,039 spent. ACSH ACHIEVES ITS MISSION THROUGH ONGOING GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES THAT INCLUDE: PRODUCING PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS; PRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTING A DAILY E-NEWS BRIEF AND FEED THAT PRESENTS ACSH'S SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE ON CURRENT AND/OR EMERGING HEALTH AND SCIENCE-RELATED NEWS STORIES, EVENTS AND/OR MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS; PRODUCING INFORMATIVE VIDEO COMMENTARIES, PODCASTS, AND FILMS; WRITING OP-EDS, COMMENTARIES AND LETTERS-TO-THE EDITOR THAT ARE PUBLISHED IN LEADING NATIONAL AND LOCAL NEWSPAPERS, POPULAR MAGAZINES AND/OR JOURNALS; HOSTING AN EDUCATIONAL WEBSITE AT ACSH.ORG THAT PROVIDES SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENTS OF CURRENT TRENDS AND STUDIES IN HEALTH AND MEDICINE, AND FREE DOWNLOAD OF ACSH SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS; APPEARING ON RADIO AND TV TO DISPEL MYTHS AND CONFRONT CONTROVERSIES HEAD ON; CULTIVATING PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES WITH LIKE-MINDED INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS; PROVIDING ORAL AND WRITTEN TESTIMONY AT REGULATORY AND LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS AND FORUMS; HOSTING SOCIAL MEDIA PORTALS AND CHANNELS ON YOUTUBE, X/TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, SPOTIFY, LINKEDIN, AND FACEBOOK.HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2025 FISCAL PERIOD: 1) PUBLISHED MORE THAN 590 ARTICLES ON OUR WWW.ACSH.ORG WEBSITE. IN FY 2025, OUR WEBSITE HAD NEARLY 1 MILLION UNIQUE VISITORS AND MORE THAN 2 MILLION PAGE VIEWS. PUBLISHED MORE THAN 156 ISSUES OF OUR DISPATCH DAILY AND 51 ISSUES OF OUR WEEKEND DISPATCH EDITION E-NEWSLETTERS THAT ARE READ BY NEARLY 16,000.2) PROMOTED ITS SCIENTIFIC CONCLUSIONS ON CURRENT PUBLIC HEALTH TOPICS RELATED TO FOOD AND NUTRITION, CHEMICALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT, BIOLOGY AND BIOTECH, HEALTH AND MEDICINE, HARM REDUCTION, DISEASE, NEUROSCIENCE AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, PARENTS AND CHILDREN.3) PARTNERED WITH ORGANIZATIONS TO REACH BROADER AUDIENCES, SUCH AS: AGBIOWORLD, ATLANTIC LEGAL FOUNDATION, BLACK VALLEY FILMS, BOARD ON ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND TOXICOLOGY, CATO INSTITUTE, CENTER FOR CONSUMER FREEDOM, THE CENTER FOR COUNTERING DIGITAL HATE, CENTER FOR TRUTH IN SCIENCE, COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE, CONSUMERS' RESEARCH COUNCIL OF AMERICA, COUNCIL FOR AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, FGS GLOBAL, GENETIC LITERACY PROJECT, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, IMMUNOLOGIC, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOLARS, PEARSON EDUCATION, PM 2.5 GROUP, REALCLEARHEALTH, REALCLEARPOLICY, REALCLEARSCIENCE, STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, AND UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY.4) PUBLISHED NUMEROUS HEALTH AND SCIENCE EDITORIALS AND COMMENTARIES IN MAJOR, POPULAR NEWSPAPERS AND ONLINE JOURNALS READ BY MILLIONS, SUCH AS USATODAY, ISSUES & INSIGHTS, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE BALTIMORE SUN, THE NEW YORK TIMES, BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER, LAW360, HARVARD BILL OF HEALTH NEWSLETTER, NEW YORK TIMES, NPR, NEW YORK POST, CHICAGO TIMES, BOSTON GLOBE, AND OTHERS. THROUGH THESE COMMENTARIES AND MENTIONS IN ARTICLES ACSH'S REACH WAS MORE THAN 3 BILLION PEOPLE.5) APPEARED ON RADIO AND TV MEDIA TO PUBLICIZE ACSH'S SCIENTIFIC POSITIONS ON PROGRAMS SUCH AS LARS LARSON (WEEKLY APPEARANCE ON A SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW), JOHN BATCHELOR CBS EYE ON THE WORLD (NATIONALLY SYNDICATED), MARK HAHN KSCJ RADIO, AND OTHERS. WE REACHED NEARLY 5 MILLION THROUGH BROADCAST MEDIA SUCH AS TELEVISION, RADIO, AND PODCASTS.6) OUR EXPERTS MET WITH POLICYMAKERS IN THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IN ADDITION, WE TESTIFIED BEFORE AGENCY PANELS AND CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES, INCLUDING: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S CLEAN AIR SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND OTHERS.7) PROMOTED ACSH'S CONCLUSION VIA SOCIAL MEDIA AND INTERNET OUTREACH ACTIVITIES THAT REACH MILLIONS OF ONLINE USERS VIA ACSH.ORG WEBSITE; OUR ACSH DISPATCH E-NEWS BRIEFS; THE DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATIVE VIDEO COMMENTARIES ON ACSH YOUTUBE CHANNEL "MATTER OF FACTS;" FACEBOOK PAGES (THE GENERAL ACSH.ORG PAGE AND OTHERS RELATED TO VACCINE AND IMMUNIZATIONS, FRACKING, EATING WITHOUT FEAR, WOMEN'S HEALTH, AND HELPING ADDICTED SMOKERS.) AND TWITTER WITH MORE THAN 10 MILLION DIRECT REACH AND MORE THAN 2 MILLION ENGAGEMENTS.8) LAUNCHD OUR NEW ACSH SCIENCE DISPATCH PODCAST SHOW HOSTED BY ACSH DIRECTOR OF BIO-SCIENCES CAMERON ENGLISH. IT IS RELEASED WEEKLY AND FEATURES 15-MINUTE AUDIO INTERVIEWS WITH ACSH EXPERTS ON CURRENT TOPICS AND EVENTS. THE SHOW IS DISTRIBUTED FREE-OF-CHARGE ON POPULAR PLATFORMS SUCH AS SPOTIFY AND ITUNES WHERE LISTENERS CAN SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE THE WEEKLY EPISODES. WE HAVE NEARLY 1,000 WEEKLY VIEWERS.THE THREE LARGEST PROGRAMS USED TO PROMOTE ACSH'S SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO THE PUBLIC INCLUDE:1. ACSH'S EDUCATIONAL WEBSITE AND E-NEWSLETTER ACSH DISPATCH ARE OUR TWO MOST IMPORTANT DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS VEHICLES. ACSH.ORG LOGGED MORE THAN 5 MILLION VISITORS (1.5 MILLION UNIQUE). OUR WEBSITE HOSTS ALL ACSH PUBLICATIONS, BROCHURES, DISPATCH ARTICLES, ACTIVITIES, POSITIONS STATEMENTS AND CONTENT, WHICH ARE ALL AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD. CONTENT ON ACSH.ORG IS UPDATED DAILY.2. ACSH'S MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH STRATEGIES, PORTALS AND PLATFORMS CONTINUE TO GROW EXPONENTIALLY, SUCH AS FACEBOOK (OUR LIKES, SHARES, AND COMMENTS ARE DOWN SLIGHTLY, BUT STILL AHEAD OF SIMILAR ORGANIZATIONS), TWITTER (OUR ACSH ACCOUNT FOLLOWERS ARE UP SIGNIFICANTLY, WITH AT LEAST TWO POSTS EACH MONTH REACHING "VIRAL" STAGE), AND YOUTUBE (40 PERCENT OF OUR VIDEOS GET BETWEEN 3,500-10,000 VIEWS, PLACING THEM IN THE TOP 20 PERCENT OF VIDEOS WORLDWIDE). ACSH DISPATCH, OUR ELECTRONIC E-NEWS BULLETIN THAT PROVIDES REGULAR SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON THE MOST CURRENT, URGENT, BREAKING HEALTH NEWS, EVENTS, STUDIES AND/OR TECHNOLOGIES ALSO SLIGHTLY INCREASED ITS SUBSCRIPTIONS. IN ADDITION, WE REACHED NEARLY 5 MILLION THROUGH BROADCAST MEDIA SUCH AS TELEVISION, RADIO, AND PODCASTS.3. MAINTAINING AN AGGRESSIVE DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER OUTREACH PROGRAM BY MAIL THAT PROMOTES ACSH RESEARCH (THROUG
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 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 June 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 November 1977.
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.
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