American Comparative Literature Association
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 34% of its spending went to programs.
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 566 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
The American Comparative Literature Association, founded in 1960, is the principal learned society in the United States for scholars whose work involves several literatures and cultures, as well as the premises of cross-cultural literary study itself.
- Income
- $304,227
- Spending
- $270,611
- Spent on programs
- 34%
- Reserves
- 22.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 94%
- Employees
- 2
- Volunteers
- 200
- Highest pay
- $91,240, exec dir & cao
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 71 out of 100. Higher than 44% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 22.3 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 20% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 11% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 17% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1534% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 566 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 15 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 December 31, 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)
- $65,384 spent. Other program expenses of the organization relate mainly to the mission, including program staff costs, maintenance of the ACLA website, membership in related organizations.Program activities rely heavily on the substantial volunteer efforts of officers and members, often with the in-kind support of their university departments. The expenses reported on Form 990 represent only the out-of-pocket costs paid by ACLA.
- $16,850 spent. Academic prizes and travel grants.
- $9,140 spent. In its largest sense, comparative literature promotes the study of intercultural relations that cross national boundaries, multicultural relations within a particular society, and the interactions between literature and other forms of human activity, including the Arts, the Sciences, Philosophy, and cultural artifacts of all kinds.The members of the ACLA are joined not by a national linguistic, or methodological investment held in common, but by the shared condition of teaching and writing across nations, languages, and cultures - and hence by their lively interest in comparison as both theoretical and practical matters.The ACLA is affiliated with the Association of Departments and Programs of Comparative Literature, the International Comparative Literature Association, and the National Humanities Alliance.To promote the ideals of the ACLA, its 2025 annual meeting, attended by more than 2,000 members, was held virtually from May 29th through June 1st. Conference fees were heavily discounted for all attendees. The conference included over 490 seminars and three guest speakers. The event required significant volunteer time from the conference organizers and presenters. Conference expenses were $9,140, not including a virtual event platform that was capitalized in 2025 $19,790 that can be used for future virtual events.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 October 13, 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 December 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 March 2006.
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 October 21, 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.