Center for Practical Bioethics Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 59 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
The mission of the Center for Practical Bioethics is to raise and respond to ethical issues in health and healthcare.
- Income
- $717,380
- Spending
- $1.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 68%
- Reserves
- -0.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 49%
- Employees
- 7
- Volunteers
- 25
- Highest pay
- $197,929, president/ceo
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
Weak: 20 out of 100.
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 74% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 38% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1568% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 59 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)
- $457,642 spent. Ethics Education and Consultation includes teaching medical students and clinicians; managing the KC Regional Ethics Committee Consortium (now in our 38th year); presenting educational lectures, symposia and workshops; developing and curating resources, including the website which contains more than 4,000 reports, guidelines, policy briefs, program resources, and audio/video recordings of interviews, lectures, and symposia. Education and Consultation also includes leading ethics consultations for healthcare providers and individuals, providing policymaker guidance and teaching at two area medical schools (the University of Kansas Medical Center and Kansas City University).
- $168,395 spent. Advance Care Planning builds on the Center's legacy work in end-of-life care, focusing on increasing participation in advance care planning in diverse communities. We provide individual consultation and community workshops and disseminate Caring Conversations resources. The Center helps to support providers at various stages of development of the Transportable Physician Orders for Patient Preferences (TPOPP), a bi-state initiative of a national voluntary POLST program. This program seeks to better align treatment plans with goals and values of patients.
- $225,644 spent. Emerging Issues and Systems Change includes issues in healthcare that raise ethical concerns and identifies the need for systems change. The current focus is on the policies, individual champion leaders, organizational structures, and community voice that support the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence-enabled technologies in health and healthcare. The Center's core values of advocacy and justice underpin our actions, programs, and strategies, leading to identification of bias, pressing for representation and diversity, and building equitable delivery of healthcare. Moreover, we passionately attend to and protect the interests of those whose voices have been historically unheard or unheeded in health and healthcare.
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 December 1984.
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.