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National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment

EIN 23-7111835 · Chandler, AZ

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong95 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

The mission is to commission research on and, where feasible, establish standards for athletic equipment. The Committee fosters and encourages the dissemination of information on research findings on athletic equipment, injury data, and other closely related areas of inquiry through the organizations represented on the NOCSAE Board of Directors, and other entities in the fields of athletic and sports medicine.

Income
$3.3 million
Spending
$2.7 million
Spent on programs
66%
Reserves
19.6 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 93%
Employees
0
Volunteers
0

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

Strong: 95 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (recreation and sports, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 19.6 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 18% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 3% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    65% of spending went to programs.

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 82% of charities in its peer group (recreation and sports, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    17 of 17 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.

  • 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, 2024, 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. $736,806 spent. Research includes both formal research grant review and funding using the NIH model, directed research contracts recommended by the Scientific Advisory Committee, and special research projects undertaken by the NOCSAE Technical Advisor at the direction of the Executive Director. Research involves not only medical issues involving injury epidemiology and biomechanical causation issues, but also includes scientific research in the area of testing protocols, standards revisions to address technical questions and issues, and coordination with other standards and research organizations to share data and harmonize efforts where appropriate.
  2. $249,698 spent. Public education is an ongoing informational and education social media campaign to announce new findings, standards, and research updates, and to refer the public to other educational sites like the CDC Heads Up to Parents for concussion awareness and information and publicly available research studies on topics of interest. This program also involves creating and maintaining a website, free to the public, which contains copies of current and historical standards, general information on sports related injuries and prevention, equipment selection, usage, and maintenance, and to provide the public with the opportunity to submit feedback and comments on NOCSAE standards development.
  3. $754,346 spent. Licensing and standards: Licensing involves maintaining and issuing license agreements to control the use of trademarks and intellectual property used in the certification of equipment as compliant with our standards, investigating complaints of violations of standards, and investigating unauthorized use of trademarked properties by licensees and non-licensees. It also involves surveillance of available national and international shipping and import data for counterfeit athletic equipment to prevent dilution of standards and protection of the public for deficient equipment falsely claiming compliance with the NOCSAE standards.Standards program services involves the development and implementation of new standards, calibration and coordination of inter-lab validation testing and analysis, review and maintenance of existing standards, public announcement of proposed standards activities, investigating and addressing issues of standards interpretation, application, and compliance. This Program Service also includes maintaining third party certification relationship, regular meetings with third party certifier, managing reimbursement programs for certification fees, managing non-compliance issues, and coordinating publicly available information as to currently certified equipment.

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

  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 December 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 February 1972.

    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.