Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O FOR CONTINUATIONWAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES (AT TIMES ALSO REFERRED TO AS "WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE", "WFUHS OR "THE FILING ORGANIZATION") IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF ATRIUM HEALTH WAKE FOREST BAPTIST (AT TIMES ALSO REFERRED TO AS "AHWFB"), A PREEMINENT LEARNING HEALTH SYSTEM AND ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY WITH BALANCED EXCELLENCE IN PATIENT CARE, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION THAT PROMOTES BETTER HEALTH FOR ALL THROUGH COLLABORATION, EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION. AHWFB'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE HEALTH, ELEVATE HOPE AND ADVANCE HEALING - FOR ALL AND ITS VISION IS TO BE THE FIRST AND BEST CHOICE FOR CARE.
- Income
- $1.7 billion
- Spending
- $1.6 billion
- Spent on programs
- 95%
- Reserves
- 1.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 72%
- Employees
- 2,107
- Volunteers
- 521
- Highest pay
- $7.6 million, director, ceo ahwfb
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 40% of charities in its peer group (education, over $100m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.5 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 53% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 6% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1595% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 41% of charities in its peer group (education, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2517 of 19 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 December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Reports results. Its tax return states measurable results. These are its own figures and nobody has checked them.
Results it reports
- Research comprised 1,309 grants.Work delivered
- Services were provided to over 1,621,000 patient encounters.Work delivered
- Instruction was provided to 2,100 medical, graduate, physician assistant, CRNA, and biomedical engineering students.Work delivered
- Scholarships and aid were provided to 775 students.Work delivered
Read from the return by an AI model and shown only where the wording was found in the return. These are the charity's own figures.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $153.0 million spent. MEDICAL RESEARCH, GENERAL/OTHER: RESEARCH COMPRISED OF BASIC SCIENCE CLINICAL RESEARCH AND POPULATION BASED STUDIES AND IS CENTERED ON THE ACQUISITION AND ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND NEW TECHNOLOGY AND THEIR TRANSFER TO INDUSTRY AND THE PATIENT IN ORDER TO PREVENT AND TREAT DISEASE AND PROMOTE HEALTH (1,309 GRANTS). RESEARCH AWARDS RECEIVED BY WFUHS (PRINCIPALLY AS WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE) DURING 2024 TOTALED JUST OVER $422.9 MILLION, INCLUDING $262 MILLION FROM FEDERAL SOURCES (INCLUDING THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE), $114.9 FROM NONPROFIT AND STATE SOURCES, AND $45.9 MILLION FROM INDUSTRY SOURCES. SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH GRANTS ANNOUNCED DURING THE PERIOD INCLUDED: - A $28.2 MILLION GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH TO ACCELERATE TRANSLATION OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES. THE SEVEN-YEAR AWARD IS THE WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE'S CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCES INSTITUTE'S (CTSI) THIRD CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE AWARD (CTSA), WHICH IS DESIGNED TO ACCELERATE THE TRANSLATION OF RESEARCH DISCOVERIES TO IMPROVE PATIENT CARE. - A $27 MILLION GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING (NIA), PART OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), TO RENEW FUNDING FOR MESA-MIND, AN ANCILLARY STUDY TO THE MULTI-ETHNIC STUDY OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS (MESA). - A $4.5 MILLION GRANT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO STUDY CERVICAL SPINE INJURIES IN MILITARY PERSONNEL. - A $3.4 MILLION AWARDED TO THE WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, ADVOCATE HEALTH, AND VYSNOVA PARTNERS THE U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC). THE PURPOSE OF THE FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT IS TO STUDY HIV, MPOX, AND OTHER SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STIS). THIS PROJECT IS PART OF THE CDC'S SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS IMPACT RESEARCH CONSORTIUM. - A $3.4 MILLION, FIVE-YEAR GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING, PART OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, TO STUDY MEDICAL MISINFORMATION. - A $3.3 MILLION GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES, PART OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, TO STUDY AND DEVELOP A TREATMENT FOR PRIMARY HYPEROXALURIA (PH). THIS RARE GENETIC DISORDER CAUSES KIDNEY STONES AND OTHER SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS. - A $3.2 MILLION GRANT TO STUDY FINANCIAL HARDSHIP INTERVENTION IN ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. THE FIVE-YEAR GRANT WAS AWARDED BY THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (NCI), PART OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, TO TEST A MULTILEVEL INTERVENTION IN COMMUNITY-BASED ONCOLOGY PRACTICES IN THE NCI'S COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAM (NCORP), A NATIONAL NETWORK THAT BRINGS CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS AND CANCER DELIVERY STUDIES TO COMMUNITIES. - A $3.2 MILLION GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER OF COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH, PART OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS FOR MIGRAINE. - A $1.5 MILLION GRANT FROM THE KATE B. REYNOLDS CHARITABLE TRUST FOR THE "REIMAGINING HEALTH AND WELLBEING BY MOTHERS FOR OUR BABIES, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES" PROJECT TO REDUCE DISPARITIES IN BIRTH AND POSTPARTUM OUTCOMES FOR BLACK AND LATINX COMMUNITIES IN FORSYTH COUNTY. THE WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE WILL PARTNER WITH LOCAL NON-PROFIT ACTION$EQUITY TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-LED EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE DISPARITIES IN OUTCOMES FOR MOMS AND BABIES. - A $1.5 MILLION GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN DISEASES, PART OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH), TO STUDY BONE MICROARCHITECTURE IN PATIENTS FOLLOWING BARIATRIC SURGERY. THE WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE WILL PARTNER WITH VIRGINIA TECH TO ADD A VIRTUAL BIOPSY THAT USES AN INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE CALLED HIGH-RESOLUTION PERIPHERAL QUANTITATIVE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (HR-PQCT) TO AN ONGOING RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. - THREE GRANTS TOTALING $1.3 MILLION FROM THE DUKE ENDOWMENT TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS PROMOTING THE HEALTH AND ACTIVITY OF OLDER ADULTS AT HOME, ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY, AND ENGAGING STUDENTS IN HEALTH CARE CAREERS. ---PATIENT INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT (PATINA), A PATIENT-CENTERED PLATFORM TO SUPPORT OLDER ADULTS' HEALTH AND ACTIVITY AT HOME, RECEIVED $555,000 TO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT'S EFFORTS TO PROMOTE COORDINATED CARE FOR AT-RISK OLDER ADULTS. PATINA IS A PERSON-CENTERED TOOL THAT COMBINES PATIENT PREFERENCES AND CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION COLLECTED VIA SMARTPHONE-DELIVERED DAILY DIARIES WITH PASSIVE ACTIVITY MONITORING CAPTURED VIA WEARABLES (FITBITS). ---FOOD IS HEALTH: SNAP-CLINICAL COLLABORATIONS TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF FAMILIES IN FOOD INSECURE HOUSEHOLDS, RECEIVED $541,670 TO HELP CONNECT FOOD-INSECURE PATIENTS AND FAMILIES DIRECTLY WITH SNAP EVALUATION AND ENROLLMENT IN THE CLINICAL SETTING. ---EMPLOYING NOVEL VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON STRATEGIES TO INCREASE NUMBER AND DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS PURSUING HEALTH CARE AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CAREERS WAS AWARDED $240,000 TO PROVIDE NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL AND EARLY COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH CULTURALLY AND AGE-APPROPRIATE CONTENT FROM ROLE MODELS IN CLINICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES. OTHER NOTABLE AWARDS DURING THE PERIOD INCLUDED: - A $340,000 GRANT FROM THE DUKE ENDOWMENT TO HELP PATIENTS IN HISTORICALLY BLACK COMMUNITIES ACCESS AND NAVIGATE THE HEALTH SYSTEMS AND SOCIAL SERVICE RESOURCES IN FORSYTH COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. - TWO GRANTS TOTALING $300,000 FROM THE LEON LEVINE FOUNDATION THAT AIM TO STRENGTHEN THE CAREPLUS MODEL PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES PRIMARY CARE AND CARE COORDINATION FOR APPROXIMATELY 500 FREQUENTLY ADMITTED PATIENTS FROM SAFETY NET PRACTICES, MANY OF WHOM ARE COVERED BY MEDICAID OR ARE UNINSURED. - A $300,000 GRANT FROM THE WHITEHALL FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT RESEARCH FOR PREDICTING STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS. THIS THREE-YEAR GRANT WILL BUILD ON EXISTING RESEARCH TO HELP IMPROVE DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION, AND TREATMENT. 1. CLINICAL SERVICES ATRIUM HEALTH WAKE FOREST BAPTIST IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR CLINICAL
- $967.1 million spent. PATIENT CARE AND MEDICAL EXPENSES IN PROVIDING SERVICES TO OVER 1,621,000 PATIENT ENCOUNTERS DURING THE TAX YEAR.
- $417.7 million spent. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: INSTRUCTION OF 2,100 MEDICAL, GRADUATE, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, CRNA, AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS. SCHOLARSHIPS AND AID PROVIDED TO 775 STUDENTS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 2024.
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 September 2002.
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.
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