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Veterans Medical Research Foundation of Sd

EIN 33-0189397 · San Diego, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak35 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

HONORING MILITARY SERVICE WITH SCIENCE; OUR BENCH-TO-BEDSIDE APPROACH HAS LED TO BREAKTHROUGHS IN AREAS SUCH AS SHINGLES PREVENTION, HEART DISEASE, METABOLIC DISEASES AND GROUND BREAKING WORK ON POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.

Income
$16.0 million
Spending
$16.6 million
Spent on programs
71%
Reserves
-0.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 76%
Employees
112
Volunteers
1
Highest pay
$405,278, executive director/ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Weak: 35 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    0 of 35

    Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.

  • Debt

    2 of 20

    It owes 93% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 3% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    71% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 44% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    12 of 13 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 September 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 (4)
  1. $1.8 million spent. DR. NORMAN CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF MASSED PRO:OVER TWENTY WELL-CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE EFFICACY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF PROLONGED EXPOSURE (PE) FOR PTSD, INCLUDING SEVERAL WITH SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS. PE IS A TIME-LIMITED (ABOUT 12 SESSION) PSYCHOTHERAPY THAT HELPS PEOPLE CHANGE TRAUMA-RELATED COGNITIONS SUCH AS "THE WORLD IS COMPLETELY DANGEROUS AND "I AM INCOMPETENT" THROUGH IN-VIVO EXPOSURE TO TRAUMA REMINDERS AND IMAGINAL EXPOSURE TO THE TRAUMA MEMORY. OVER TIME, EXPOSURE TO THESE AVOIDED BUT SAFE STIMULI HELPS PATIENTS REDUCE THEIR BELIEF IN THEIR TRAUMA-RELATED COGNITIONS WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH RECOVERY FROM PTSD. IN ONE OF THE LARGEST STUDY OF PE TO DATE, PE RESULTED IN LARGE EFFECT SIZES WITH 73% OF PATIENTS RESPONDING TO TREATMENT AND 40% LOSING THEIR PTSD DIAGNOSIS. PE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE WITH A VARIETY OF COMPLEX AND COMORBID POPULATIONS AND ALL FIVE MAJOR U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR PTSD TREATMENT GIVE PE THEIR HIGHEST RATING. GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF THIS EVIDENCE, PE HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN MULTIPLE HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS OVER THE PAST DECADE, SUCH AS THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD), VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA). UNFORTUNATELY, PATIENTS WITH CURRENT COMORBID SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUD) HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED FROM PTSD TREATMENT TRIALS, SLOWING THEIR SPREAD INTO SUD TREATMENT SETTINGS AND LEAVING PE LARGELY UNAVAILABLE TO THOSE WITH ARGUABLY THE GREATEST NEED.
  2. $882,758 spent. DR. IX - KIDNEY TUBLAR DAMAGE AND DYSFUNCTION IDENTIFY A NOVEL AXIS OF CHRONIC KIDNEY:PATHOLOGIC STUDIES DEMONSTRATE THAT KIDNEY TUBULE INJURY, ATROPHY, AND FIBROSIS ARE COMMON FEATURES OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) AND ARE HIGHLY PREDICTIVE OF PROGRESSION TO DIALYSIS. ESTABLISHED CKD RISK FACTORS INCLUDING HYPERTENSION AND ADVANCED AGE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH TUBULAR INJURY AND FIBROSIS ON BIOPSY. HOWEVER, CURRENT CLINICAL ASSESSMENT OF CKD EVALUATES ONLY GLOMERULAR FUNCTION (GFR) AND GLOMERULAR INJURY (ALBUMINURIA), BUT NOT KIDNEY TUBULAR DYSFUNCTION OR INJURY. THE OVERALL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS APPLICATION IS THAT KIDNEY TUBULAR DYSFUNCTION AND INJURY ARE MEASURABLE CONTRIBUTORS TO CKD PATHOGENESIS AND PROGNOSIS. DYSFUNCTION OF THE KIDNEY TUBULES WILL BE ASSESSED BY THREE INDICES: (1) RENAL TUBULE RESISTANCE TO HORMONE ACTIONS OF FGF23 AND PTH; (2) ACID/BASE HOMEOSTASIS; AND (3) URINE RE-ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY.WE WILL: (1) DETERMINE THE ASSOCIATION OF KIDNEY TUBULAR DYSFUNCTION AND INJURY WITH RISK OF CVD EVENTS, (2) DETERMINE THE ASSOCIATION OF KIDNEY TUBULAR DYSFUNCTION AND INJURY WITH CKD PROGRESSION, AND (3) DETERMINE WHETHER RANDOMIZATION TO INTENSIVE BLOOD PRESSURE MANAGEMENT ARM OF THE TRIAL SLOWS PROGRESSION OF KIDNEY TUBULAR DYSFUNCTION AND INJURY OVER TIME COMPARED WITH STANDARD BLOOD PRESSURE MANAGEMENT.
  3. $676,530 spent. DR. LANG MULTI-SITE FEASIBILITY OF COMPASSION MEDITATION FOR VETERANS WITH PTSD HE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS APPLICATION IS TO LEVERAGE AN EXISTING COMPASSION MEDITATION (CM) PROTOCOL TO DEVELOP THE COGNITIVELY BASED COMPASSION TRAINING (CBCT-VET) FOR VETERANS WITH PTSD. SPECIFICALLY, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A MULTI-SITE TRIAL OF CBCT-VET COMPARED TO A RELAXATION CONTROL (VETERAN.CALM); DEVELOP PROCEDURES FOR THERAPIST TRAINING AND FIDELITY MONITORING; AND, PILOT TEST MULTI-MODAL ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES. IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS PROJECT COULD INFORM THE STUDY DESIGN OF A FUTURE LARGER-SCALE RCT MULTI- SITE EFFICACY STUDY AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE KNOWLEDGE BASE OF NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL BEHAVIORAL APPROACHES FOR PTSD IN UNDERTREATED VETERANS, A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN.
  4. $8.5 million spent. VETERANS MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF SAN DIEGO, WHERE WE HONOR SERVICE WITH SCIENCE, IS THE REGION'S ONLY MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE DEDICATED TO VETERANS. WE FACILITATE WORLD-CLASS RESEARCH AT THE VA SAN DIEGO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES IMPROVEMENTS FOR VETERANS' HEALTHCARE. WHILE FOCUSED ON VETERANS, OUR MEDICAL ADVANCES EXTEND TO THE ENTIRE POPULATION AND RAISE THE STANDARD OF CARE FOR EVERYONE.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.

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

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since October 1987.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.