National Ataxia Foundation Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The National Ataxia Foundation's mission is to accelerate the development of treatments and a cure while working to improve the lives of those living with Ataxia.
- Income
- $13.0 million
- Spending
- $6.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- 18.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 84%
- Employees
- 23
- Volunteers
- 350
- Highest pay
- $221,747, chief executive officer
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.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 18.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 5% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 53% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 87% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 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
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2514 of 14 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, 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)
- $1.3 million spent. Increased awareness about hereditary and sporadic ataxia disorders is promoted through a variety of education programs and materials for ataxia families, researchers, physicians, allied health professionals, government agencies, legislative officials and the general public. The Foundation publishes Generations, an annual newsletter and a monthly e-newsletter devoted to ataxia related articles including the latest research and other information beneficial to individuals with ataxia. The Foundation also offers several webinars throughout the year on current topics relevant to the ataxia community. Other educational materials, such as books, videos and fact sheets are provided to persons with ataxia, family members and health care professionals on a "direct request" basis through the NAF office. The Foundation's advocacy activities, such as Hill Days, serve to raise awareness about ataxia and policy issues impacting the ataxia community. The annual ataxia conference, and sponsorship and/or participation in national and international meetings, symposiums and seminars also serve to increase ataxia awareness.The National Ataxia Foundation attempts to locate people and families with hereditary and sporadic ataxia in order to provide them with information about ataxia. This is accomplished by providing updated information about ataxia to the general public by maintaining a website, social media channels, newsletters, and webinars. The Foundation assists individuals and families by identifying clinical resources and making appropriate referrals for neurological care, genetic counseling and gene testing. The Foundation also assists people with locating resources within their own communities, including support groups. The Foundation's network of support groups throughout the country provides families with access to in-person and virtual meeting opportunities.
- $2.7 million spent. NAF is committed to funding cutting-edge basic and translational research into hereditary and sporadic ataxia. The goals of NAF's research program are to further elucidate the disease mechanisms of ataxias, bring early-career clinicians and scientists into ataxia research, and help drive the field towards developing treatments and a cure for ataxia. Annual grants are selected through a competitive review process that includes NAF's Medical and Research Advisory Board members and over 80 leading ataxia scientists and clinicians, both domestic and international. Each year NAF awards grants to researchers from domestic and international non-profit and for-profit institutions that directly support basic and translational ataxia research through the following funding mechanisms:1. Pioneer SCA3 Translational Research Awards: Annually granted to outstanding research proposals that aim to make significant advancements in the development of treatments and/or improvements to patient care for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 (SCA3). Proposals may incorporate other forms of ataxia but must have a predominant focus on SCA3 translational or clinical research. 2. Seed Money Research Grant: Granted primarily as "seed monies" to assist investigators in the early or pilot phase of their studies and as additional support for ongoing investigations on demonstration of need. It is hoped that these studies will be further developed to attract future funding from other sources. 3. Post-doctoral Fellowship Award: Post-doctoral fellowship awards are to serve as a bridge from post-doctoral positions to junior faculty positions. Applicants should have completed at least one year of post-doctoral training, but not more than two at the time of application and should have shown a commitment to research in the field of ataxia. The award will permit individuals to spend an additional third year in a post-doctoral position and increase chances to establish an independent ataxia research program.4. Early Career Investigator Award: The Early Career Investigator Award was created to encourage early career clinical and scientific investigators to pursue a career in the field of ataxia research. 5. Pre-doctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Ataxia Research: Merit-based award intended to enhance research and/or clinical training of promising graduate students from historically underrepresented backgrounds who are matriculated in pre-doctoral or clinical health professional degree training programs and who intend careers as scientists or other clinician-scientists within the field of ataxia. 6. National Ataxia Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship: The National Ataxia Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship is a competitive, non-renewable, merit-based award intended to encourage pre-doctoral students to pursue research and a career in the field of ataxia. 7. NAF Special Grants: Based on the emergent needs of the patient and research community, priority areas of ataxia research may be identified as eligible for specialized grant funding by NAF and may be awarded outside of the annual grant programs. One of these programs is the NAF Ataxia Brain Tissue Donation Program (In Memory of Carol Tate). NAF has partnered with the University of Maryland Brain and Tissue Bank (UMBTB) to relaunch the Ataxia Brain Tissue Donation Program. Brain tissue helps researchers advance our understanding of ataxia and to develop new therapies. NAF finacially supports brain donors from rural and remote communities to donate to the University of Maryland Brain and Tissue Bank.
- $809,201 spent. Funding for several of NAF's other key clinical research programs are provided through the NAF Drug Development Collaborative (DDC). The DDC is a pre-competitive pharmaceutical industry consortium with a principal goal of accelerating the development of treatments for ataxia. The Collaborative provides a centralized source for access to resources needed to support research and development of Ataxia therapies. Specific objectives of the Collaborative include natural history and bio sample data collection, development of biomarkers, validation of rating scales, clinical trial design, patient-reported outcomes, and other data necessary for the development and approval of safe and effective therapies. Two significant programs that are largely sponsored by the DDC include:1. No-cost Genetic Counseling and Testing Initiative: This program provides virtual genetic counseling and testing for individuals at-risk for three of the most common dominant ataxias to members at no-cost to participants. The aim of this program is to help individuals overcome barriers that have historically inhibited wide-spread genetic testing as well as support drug development through expanding the patient population eligible for future clinical trials.2. Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxia (CRC-SCA) Natural History Study: The CRC-SCA is one of the longest running and largest natural history studies of spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs). A natural history study collects data that shows how a specific disease progresses in individuals over time. Natural history studies are essential for developing clinical trial designs that will facilitate drug development. There are over 300 patients enrolled at 16 CRC-SCA sites in the US and Canada. During annual visits, site investigators collect critical clinical data to aid in understanding disease progression and help guide future clinical trial design. Biofluids, such as plasma, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid, are also collected from patients and stored at the NINDS SCA-BRAC biorepository. Both deidentified clinical data and biofluids are available for request from non-participating investigators for approved research projects.
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
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 November 6, 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 2025.
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 November 1974.
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 November 4, 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.