Translational Genomics Research Institute Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Fundraising and development functions for The Translational Genomics Research Institute ("TGen"), Western Regional Medical Center, Inc. ("COH Phoenix") and their respective affiliates, which are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations.
- Income
- $11.0 million
- Spending
- $11.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 84%
- Reserves
- -10.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 95%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 100
- Highest pay
- $1.9 million, board member
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 29 out of 100. Higher than 4% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 47% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 5% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 28% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1584% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 16 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, 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 2519 of 23 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 September 30, 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 (1)
- $9.7 million spent. SCIENCE, BY NATURE, IS AN ITERATIVE PROCESS: A QUESTION AND ANSWER CYCLE OF REFINEMENT AND FURTHER EXPERIMENTATION IN SEARCH OF MEDICAL ADVANCES, WHETHER A NEW DIAGNOSTIC TEST OR TREATMENT. IN THIS REGARD, TGEN HAS HELPED BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN LABORATORY DISCOVERIES AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS IN PATIENT CARE. OUR APPROACH HAS LED TO SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN UNDERSTANDING DISEASES AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL, PAVING THE WAY FOR MORE PRECISE DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS AND GROUNDBREAKING TREATMENTS. TODAY, OUR CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND AND LEVERAGE INFORMATION FROM THE HUMAN GENOME HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER. TGEN'S ABILITY TO BRING EMERGING NEW METHODS FOR INTERROGATING A PATIENT'S GENOME INTO THE CLINICAL CARE OF PATIENTS, THE REVOLUTION IN FASTER AND LOWER-COST WAYS OF CANCER DETECTION AND THE PATHS THAT REACH THE URBAN, THE RURAL AND MORE DIVERSE POPULATIONS, HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER. THE SEQUENCE COST PER-PATIENT OVER THE PAST DECADE HAS DROPPED DRAMATICALLY. THIS MEANS TGEN CAN SEQUENCE MORE PATIENTS, OR SEQUENCE A PATIENT AGAIN, TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEIR DISEASE IS PROGRESSING. AS PART OF A NATIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM, THIS HELPS DRIVE RESEARCH DISCOVERY, NEW METHODS FOR EARLY DETECTION, AND MORE CLINICAL TRIALS. SEQUENCING ACCURACY HAS ALSO IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY. THIS INCREASED ACCURACY MEANS TGEN CAN DETECT CANCER EARLIER - PERHAPS IN ITS INFANCY - WHICH LEADS TO IMPROVED SCREENING, POST-TREATMENT MONITORING AND BIOPSIES WITH A LOW PERCENTAGE OF TUMOR PRESENT. THIS ALSO ALLOWS US TO EXPAND GENOMIC TESTING INTO MORE CANCER TYPES.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
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.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 2004.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.