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Ayn Rand Institute the Center for the Advancement of Objectivism

EIN 22-2570926 · Santa Ana, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceGood80 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO FOSTER A GROWING AWARENESS, UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE OF AYN RAND'S REVOLUTIONARY PHILOSOPHY, OBJECTIVISM, IN ORDER TO CREATE A CULTURE WHOSE GUIDING PRINCIPLES ARE REASON, RATIONAL SELF-INTEREST, AND LAISSEZ-FAIRE CAPITALISM, A CULTURE IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS ARE FREE TO PURSUE THEIR OWN HAPPINESS.

Income
$28.8 million
Spending
$11.8 million
Spent on programs
88%
Reserves
40.8 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 95%
Employees
51
Volunteers
6
Highest pay
$832,849, president & ceo, board mem

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

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 86% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 40.8 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 4% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 59% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 15% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    88% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 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

Good: 80 out of 100. Higher than 7% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    5 of 25

    4 of 8 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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)
  1. $4.5 million spent. OUTREACH PROGRAMS: WE POSTED SCORES OF NEW VIDEOS TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL, WITH SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN SUBSCRIBERS AND VIEWS. AMONG THE NEW VIDEOS WERE LECTURES, INTERVIEWS, AND PODCASTS ON TOPICS RANGING FROM HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY TO CULTURAL ISSUES AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS. OUR CHANNEL SHOWCASED RARE AND LESSER-KNOWN AYN RAND AUDIO-VIDEO MATERIALS.SIX MAJOR CONFERENCES WERE HELD DURING THE FISCAL YEAR: 1) ARCON-EUROPE WAS HELD IN MARCH 2025 IN BERLIN, GERMANY; 2) ARCON USA WAS HELD AT THE END OF FEB 2025 TO EARLY MARCH 2025 IN AUSTIN, TEXAS; 3) ARCON LATIN AMERICA WAS HELD IN AUGUST 2025 IN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA AND PORTO ALEGRE, BRAZIL; 4) THE FIRST ARCON AUSTRALIA WAS HELD IN DECEMBER 2024 IN BRISBANE; 5) THE FIRST ARCON ISRAEL WAS HELD IN DECEMBER 2025 IN TEL AVIV; AND 6) THE OBJECTIVIST CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN JULY 2025 IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. THESE CONFERENCES BROUGHT HUNDREDS OF ATTENDEES TOGETHER FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN FY2025, ARI CONTINUED ITS GLOBAL OUTREACH EXPANSION IN EUROPE, LATIN AMERICA, ASIA, THE MIDDLE EAST, AND AUSTRALIA. ARI ALSO SENT SPEAKERS TO ADDRESS STUDENTS AND GENERAL AUDIENCES ALL OVER THE WORLD.
  2. $5.1 million spent. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS:IN FY2025, WE FOCUSED ON GROWING OUR FREE BOOKS TO TEACHERS PROGRAM, INTRODUCING NEW MARKETING CAMPAIGNS AND IN-PERSON OUTREACH THROUGH TEACHER CONFERENCES. OUR BOOKS FOR STUDENTS PROGRAM ALSO SAW STEADY GROWTH AS WE REFINED OUR ONLINE STRATEGY. ESSAY CONTESTS CONTINUED THEIR STRONG PERFORMANCE, HELPING US TO IDENTIFY PROMISING STUDENT LEADS FOR OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. AS ALWAYS, IN-PERSON CONFERENCES WERE A CULMINATING EXPERIENCE FOR MANY OF THE STUDENTS WHO INTERACT WITH OUR PROGRAMS.ARU, OUR PROGRAM OF ONLINE COURSES FOCUSED ON OBJECTIVISM AND ITS PHILOSOPHICAL APPLICATIONS, CONTINUED TO SERVE A GROWING STUDENT COMMUNITY WHILE EXPANDING AND DIVERSIFYING ITS EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE REMAINED AVAILABLE TO ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS, OFFSETTING SOME OR ALL OF THEIR PROGRAM COST .ARI'S RECORDED COURSE VIDEOS RECEIVED THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF VIEWS ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS: WEBSITE, ARI MOBILE APP, AND YOUTUBE. IN FY2025, THE INTELLECTUAL INCUBATOR SUCCEEDED THE ARU GRADUATE CENTER AS OUR PLATFORM FOR TRAINING PROFESSIONAL INTELLECTUALS. THE INCUBATOR FOCUSES ON IDENTIFYING AND ACCELERATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-POTENTIAL EARLY-CAREER INDIVIDUALS THROUGH ADVANCED PHILOSOPHICAL STUDY, PROFESSIONAL MENTORSHIP, AND INTERNSHIPS, ALL TAILORED TO PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF OBJECTIVIST INTELLECTUALS.NEW IDEAL, ARI'S JOURNAL, RELEASED 46 SUBSTANTIVE ARTICLES AND 61 PODCASTS IN FY2025, APPLYING OBJECTIVISM TO CURRENT EVENTS AND FEATURING BOTH OUR SENIOR AND JUNIOR INTELLECTUALS. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTITUTE PUBLISHED EIGHT BOOKS, INCLUDING EXPANDED EDITIONS AND A NEW MINIBOOK FORMAT.
  3. $715,154 spent. OTHER: THE AYN RAND ARCHIVES CONTINUED TO ENHANCE THE PROTECTION OF ARI'S PHYSICAL ARCHIVAL MATERIALS AND INVESTED IN PROJECTS THAT WILL PROVIDE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ACCESS IN COMING YEARS: VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF TRANSCRIBED OVER 5,000 PAGES OF WRITTEN ARCHIVAL MATERIAL. IN ADDITION TO PUBLISHING ESSAYS AND HOSTING ONLINE EVENTS FEATURING ARCHIVAL MATERIALS, WE RELEASED MORE ARCHIVAL AUDIO ONLINE AND PRODUCED A PHYSICAL EXHIBIT, "THIS IS AYN RAND SPEAKING," AT OCON 2025."THE ARI ESTORE (ESTORE.AYNRAND.ORG) CONTINUED TO SELL BOOKS AND RECORDINGS ON OBJECTIVISM AND RELATED TOPICS. ARI CONTINUED TO HAVE THE HIGHEST 4-STAR RATING WITH CHARITY NAVIGATOR, POSITIONING ARI AMONG THE MOST-TRUSTED NONPROFITS IN THE COUNTRY.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since May 1987.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.