Autism Society of America Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
THE AUTISM SOCIETY ENVISIONS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES LIVING WITH AUTISM ARE ABLE TO MAXIMIZE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, ARE TREATED WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF DIGNITY, AND LIVE IN A SOCIETY IN WHICH THEIR TALENTS AND SKILLS ARE APPRECIATED AND VALUED.
- Income
- $5.8 million
- Spending
- $7.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- -4.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 57%
- Employees
- 41
- Volunteers
- 5
- Highest pay
- $561,266, president & ceo
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
Weak: 30 out of 100.
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 140% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 22% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.
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.
Independent board
25 of 2520 of 20 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, 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 (4)
- $3.1 million spent. NATIONAL HELPLINE:THE AUTISM SOCIETY'S NATIONAL HELPLINE PROVIDES INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERVICES TO CONNECT THE AUTISM COMMUNITY TO THE RESOURCES THEY NEED. FROM 9AM-9PM EST MONDAY-FRIDAY, DEDICATED INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SPECIALISTS CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS BY EMAIL, PHONE, OR WEB MESSAGE TO OFFER SUPPORT, PROVIDE REFERRALS, AND SHARE RESOURCES AND TOOLS. THROUGH ITS NATIONAL HELPLINE AND AUTISMSOURCE A NATIONAL RESOURCE DATABASE, THE AUTISM SOCIETY PROVIDES AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE TO THOSE IN THE AUTISM COMMUNITY ACROSS THE LIFESPAN, FROM INITIAL IDENTIFICATION THROUGHOUT ADULTHOOD. IN 2024, THE NATIONAL HELPLINE ACCOMPLISHED THE FOLLOWING: PROVIDED INFORMATION & REFERRAL SERVICES TO OVER 10,898 CONSTITUENTS BY PHONE AND EMAIL. THE ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE PROVIDED INFORMATION AND SUPPORT TO 84,577 USERS DURING THE YEAR. PROVIDED OVER 7,260 HOURS OF SERVICE TO THOSE IN NEED OF INFORMATION AND SUPPORT. MAINTAINED THE AUTISMSOURCE DATABASE WITH OVER 30,000 NATIONAL AND LOCAL RESOURCE LISTINGS ON WWW.AUTISMSOURCE.ORG, PROVIDING SELF-DIRECTED RESOURCE NAVIGATION TO INDIVIDUALS BASED ON LOCATION AND AREA OF NEED. THE MOST FREQUENTLY REQUESTED AREAS OF SUPPORT PERTAINED TO THE DIAGNOSTIC PROCESSES AND PROVIDERS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN, ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS AND THERAPIES, NAVIGATION OF ADULT SERVICE SYSTEMS, FAMILY SUPPORT, AND EDUCATIONAL ADVOCACY. 43% OF PEOPLE WHO CONTACTED THE NATIONAL HELPLINE IDENTIFY AS A PARENT OR CAREGIVER TO SOMEONE WITH AUTISM. 23% OF PEOPLE WHO CONTACTED THE NATIONAL HELPLINE IDENTIFY AS AN ADULT ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM. 16% OF PEOPLE WHO CONTACTED THE NATIONAL HELPLINE IDENTIFY AS PROFESSIONALS. CUSTOMER SERVICE RESPONSES2024 QA OPTIONS: 81% OF RESPONDENTS RATED THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH THE I&R SPECIALIST AS EITHER EXCELLENT OR GOOD A STRONG ENDORSEMENT OF THE QUALITY AND CARE PROVIDED. 87% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY WOULD CONTACT THE AUTISM SOCIETY AGAIN A STRONG SIGN OF TRUST AND VALUE IN THE SUPPORT WE PROVIDE. 88% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY WOULD RECOMMEND THE AUTISM SOCIETY TO OTHERS A WONDERFUL REFLECTION OF THE IMPACT AND SUPPORT. 78% OF RESPONDENTS FOUND THE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE I&R SPECIALIST HELPFUL2024 TESTIMONIALS: I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD ONLY RECEIVE A LITTLE INFORMATION, AND SHE GAVE ME A DEEP DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF AUTISM. SHE WAS SO KIND AND HELPFUL! I APPRECIATED HER TAKING THE TIME AND LISTENING. THE EMAILED LIST OF RESOURCES HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HELPFUL IN OUR JOURNEY TO HELP MY BROTHER. I CAME TO XXXX WITH A DIFFICULT LEGAL CASE. OUR TEAM HAS HAD A HARD TIME FINDING RESOURCES FOR OUR CLIENT. XXXX SPOKE WITH ME, GAVE ME THE LANGUAGE I NEEDED, AND SENT ME AN EMAIL WITH THE CRITICAL RESOURCES WE NEEDED! XXXX IS AMAZING. SHE WAS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND HELPFUL. SHE WAS DOWN TO EARTH AND GOT RIGHT TO THE POINT AND WAS HONEST ABOUT EVERYTHING SHE TOLD ME. I APPRECIATE HER HONESTY. XXXX RESPONDED TO MY REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SO QUICKLY AND WITH SO MANY HELPFUL LINKS! THE BEST HELP I'VE GOTTEN TO DATE LOOKING FOR INFO ON GETTING EVALUATED. THANK YOU! NATIONAL PROGRAMS:THROUGH ITS NATIONAL PROGRAMS, THE AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA PROVIDES EDUCATION, TRAINING, RESOURCES, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO ADDRESS KEY AREAS OF NEED WITHIN THE AUTISM COMMUNITY. IN 2024, THE AUTISM SOCIETY EXPANDED ITS IMPACT THROUGH ITS SAFETY, EMPLOYMENT, AND HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVES. SAFETY ON THE SPECTRUMTHROUGH ITS SAFETY ON THE SPECTRUM: FIRST RESPONDER PROGRAM, THE AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA IS LEADING A NATIONAL EFFORT TO PROMOTE SAFE AND EQUITABLE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE AUTISM COMMUNITY. LEVERAGING A "TRAIN-THE-TRAINER" APPROACH, THE AUTISM SOCIETY CONTINUES TO IMPACT POSITIVE CHANGE AT A NATIONAL LEVEL THROUGH GRASSROOTS EFFORTS AND LOCAL LEADERSHIP. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2024 INCLUDE: TRAINING DEVELOPMENT: THE SAFETY ON THE SPECTRUM LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING WAS DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH FIRST RESPONDERS, MEMBERS OF THE AUTISM COMMUNITY, PARENTS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADERS. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: THE AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA SERVED ON A PANEL TO ADDRESS KEY ISSUES IN POLICING IN THE INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES COMMUNITY AT THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM. TEAM MEMBERS HOSTED A 2-HOUR WORKSHOP AT THE 2024 PROJECT LIFESAVER CONFERENCE AND TWO TRAINING SESSIONS FOR THE VIRGINA CRISIS INTERVENTION COALITION ON DE-ESCALATION STRATEGIES AND BEST PRACTICES WHEN INTERACTING WITH INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM. THROUGH ITS SAFETY ON THE SPECTRUM: WATER AND WANDERING PROGRAM, THE AUTISM SOCIETY IS LEADING A NATIONAL EFFORT TO INCREASE WATER SAFETY EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACROSS THE AUTISM COMMUNITY. THE PROGRAM WORKS TO PREVENT WANDERING-RELATED TRAGEDIES AND INCREASE WATER SAFETY SKILLS AMONG AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2024 INCLUDE: TRAINING DEVELOPMENT: SAFETY ON THE SPECTRUM: ACCESSIBLE AQUATICS LAUNCHED ITS OFFICIAL PILOT TRAINING AT MULTIPLE SITES. DATA WAS COLLECTED AND ANALYZED TO SUPPORT THE OFFICIAL PROGRAM LAUNCH. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: THE AUTISM SOCIETY HOSTED MANY VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND AWARENESS EVENTS, INCLUDING PARENT WANDERING SAFETY TRAINING IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES TO ENSURE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF LIFESAVING INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS, SAFETY PRESENTATIONS AT THE PROJECT LIFESAVER CONFERENCE, AND MANY NATIONAL WEBINARS TO SUPPORT WATER SAFETY AND WANDERING IN THE AUTISM AND DISABILITY COMMUNITY. RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT: WANDERING RESOURCE GUIDE, SAFETY TOOLKIT, WANDERING 1-PAGER IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, ADDITIONALLY, THE AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA PROVIDES TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (TTA) TO LOCAL SITES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THROUGH THE FEDERAL KEVIN & AVONTE PROGRAM: REDUCING INJURY AND DEATH OF MISSING INDIVIDUALS WITH DEMENTIA AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. IN 2024, THE AUTISM SOCIETY AND ITS PARTNERS, THE ARC'S NCCJD AND IACP PROVIDED LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND AWARENESS WITH A
- $1.3 million spent. EDUCATION AND ACCEPTANCE:IN 2024, THE AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA CONTINUED THE ONGOING EFFORTS OF ENSURING THAT INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY AUTISM RECEIVED UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT ISSUES TO HELP ADVANCE THEIR WELL-BEING. OUR ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN INCLUDED: PROVIDED DAILY FACEBOOK POSTS TO OVER 611,000 FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS. PROVIDED DAILY TWITTER POSTS TO OVER 120,000 TWITTER FOLLOWERS. 200K+ PEOPLE ENGAGED WITH NATIONAL'S POSTS AND CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS GENERATED OVER $225,000 IN FINANCIAL SUPPORT. FACEBOOK AND TWITTER SAW OVER 5 MILLION IMPRESSIONS. DISTRIBUTED A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER TO OVER 100,000 PEOPLE. OVER 100,000 PEOPLE WERE CONNECTED TO SUPPORTS AND SERVICES THROUGH OUR WEBSITE. APPROXIMATELY 900,000 PEOPLE ACCESSED RESOURCES AND EDUCATION MATERIALS THROUGH OUR WEBSITES THE AUTISM SOCIETY CREATED EDUCATIONAL CONTENT WITH SUPPORT FROM CORPORATE SPONSORS, SHARED DIGITALLY, THROUGH BROADCAST, AND RETAIL EXPERIENCES RESPECTIVELY.
- $656,983 spent. AFFILIATE SERVICES:THE AUTISM SOCIETY SERVICES THE AFFILIATES DAILY BY PROVIDING RESOURCES AND GUIDANCE, DELIVERING NETWORK-WIDE AND AFFILIATE SPECIFIC TRAINING, PROVIDING LUNCH AND LEARNS AND VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, THROUGH DEVELOPMENT OF AN AFFILIATE ONBOARDING HANDBOOK TO QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY ONBOARD NEW AFFILIATE LEADERS, BY CONDUCTING REGULAR CHECK-INS TO SEE HOW BEST WE CAN SUPPORT OUR AFFILIATES, THROUGH FACILITATING AND OVERSEEING GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, BY COORDINATING, FUNDING AND DELIVERING AN ANNUAL AFFILIATE CONFERENCE, PROVIDING DISASTER RELIEF SUPPORT, COORDINATING SPECIAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES, AND MORE. AS A TESTAMENT TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS INITIATIVE, AFFILIATE LEADERS SHOWED 90% AGREEMENT OF THE AUTISM SOCIETY'S COMMITMENT, ENGAGEMENT AND RESPONSIVENESS TO THE AFFILIATES. SPECIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2024 INCLUDE: 8,000 HOURS OF DIRECT SUPPORT TO AFFILIATES. ATTENDED 77 AFFILIATE EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR SUPPORTED 12 AFFILIATES IN-PERSON TO ADDRESS STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES FACILITATED AND LED 25 MEETINGS FOR THE AFFILIATE NETWORK RELATED TO UPDATES AND SPECIAL-TOPIC TRAININGS. PROVIDED A TWO-DAY INTENSIVE AFFILIATE CONFERENCE SUPPORTING NEURODIVERSITY, BELONGING, PROGRAMMING, ADVOCACY, SUCCESSION PLANNING, AND FUNDRAISING ATTENDED BY OVER 200 AFFILIATE REPRESENTATIVES FROM 53 AFFILIATES PROVIDED INDIVIDUALIZED TRAININGS TO 10 AFFILIATES OVER 160 PERIODIC AFFILIATE CHECK-INS.
- $596,979 spent. PUBLIC POLICY: IN 2024, THE AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA PRIORITIZED ADVANCING THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE LANDMARK AUTISM-RELATED LEGISLATION, THE AUTISM CARES ACT. ADDITIONAL LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES INCLUDED IMPROVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, WATER AND WANDERING SAFETY, LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING, MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE, AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE POLICY TEAM MET WITH APPROXIMATELY 100 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THEIR STAFF OVER THE COURSE OF 50 DAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO EDUCATE THEM ON THE AUTISM CARES ACT AND OTHER PRIORITY LEGISLATION. IN ADDITION, WE ENGAGED WITH ADMINISTRATION LEADERS ON KEY REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE RELATED TO SAFETY, EDUCATION, AND HEALTH.THROUGH OUR BIWEEKLY NEWSLETTER AND REGULAR MEETINGS WITH OUR NETWORK OF 70+ AFFILIATES, THE POLICY TEAM KEPT CONSTITUENTS INFORMED ABOUT POLICY ISSUES AND RESOURCES. SOME OF OUR ADVOCATES ALSO ATTENDED THE DISABILITY POLICY SEMINAR IN APRIL. THIS EVENTCO-SPONSORED BY THE AUTISM SOCIETY AND SEVEN OTHER NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONSBROUGHT TOGETHER MORE THAN 1,000 DISABILITY ADVOCATES FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. ATTENDEES PARTICIPATED IN SESSIONS COVERING A WIDE RANGE OF POLICY TOPICS AND USED THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED TO ENGAGE IN BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON MEETINGS WITH LEGISLATORS ON CAPITOL HILL, EFFECTIVELY EDUCATING THEM ABOUT THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM.THE AUTISM SOCIETY ALSO HOSTED A BOOTH AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES IN KENTUCKY, PROVIDING AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE STATE LEGISLATORS ABOUT THE NEEDS OF THE AUTISM COMMUNITY.
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
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 December 2024.
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 June 1992.
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.