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Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences

EIN 52-1745052 · Washington, DC

Public records raise at least one point you should look into before giving.

LegitimacyCautionRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood89 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

IAFNS IS A NON-PROFIT SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATION THAT ADVANCES FOOD SAFETY AND NUTRITION SCIENCE FOR THE BENEFIT OF PUBLIC HEALTH. WE BRING TOGETHER SCIENTISTS FROM GOVERNMENTS, ACADEMIA, AND INDUSTRY TO WORK COOPERATIVELY AND WITH SHARED PURPOSE.

Income
$2.8 million
Spending
$2.8 million
Spent on programs
80%
Reserves
23.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 86%
Employees
7
Volunteers
220
Highest pay
$352,701, executive director

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

Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 72% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 23.1 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 27% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 2% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 21% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    80% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 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. Higher than 68% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    23 of 23 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 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)
  1. $324,441 spent. IAFNS FOOD SAFETY AND NUTRITION SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (FNSP) PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN DEFINING SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMING, EVALUATING EMERGING SCIENCE PROPOSALS, AND REVIEWING APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS. IN 2024, THE COMMITTEE LEAD THE EFFORT IN ORGANIZING THE ANNUAL MEETING. THE COMMITTEE ALSO SUPPORTED THE 2024 SCIENCE INNOVATION SHOWCASE A SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM FOR INNOVATORS ACROSS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. ADDITIONALLY, THE COMMITTEE SUPPORTED AND REVIEWED APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNSHIP OR FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING SCIENTISTS.
  2. $300,471 spent. IAFNS FOOD AND CHEMICAL SAFETY COMMITTEE IS RECOGNIZED AS A SCIENTIFIC LEADER IN FOOD AND CHEMICAL SAFETY RESEARCH AND HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS IN TOXICOLOGY AND RISK ASSESSMENT TO ADVANCE THE SCIENCE OF FOOD SAFETY AND IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS CONTINUE TO UTILIZE THE STRONG SCIENCE PROVIDED BY THE COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS RESEARCH GAPS AND DEVELOP FUTURE RESEARCH. THE COMMITTEE ADVANCED SEVERAL PROJECTS IN 2024: A FRAMEWORK FOR HEAVY METAL PRIORITIZATION AND MITIGATION FOR REDUCING METAL INTAKE; HEAVY METALS IN US FOODS: EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT BY AGE GROUP AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES, REVIEW OF NOVEL FOOD SUBMISSIONS IN THE US AND EUROPE TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR NAMS. MORE INFORMATION ON THESE ACTIVITIES CAN BE FOUND ON THE IAFNS WEBSITE.
  3. $258,782 spent. IAFNS FOOD MICROBIOLOGY COMMITTEE IS A RECOGNIZED SCIENTIFIC LEADER IN MICROBIAL FOOD SAFETY AND ACTIVELY WORKS TO IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROL OF MICROBIAL FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS TO ENABLE SCIENTIFICALLY INFORMED DECISION MAKING. IN 2024, THE COMMITTEE ADVANCED A NEW PROJECT: DEVELOPMENT OF NONPOLAR LIQUID ANTIMICROBIAL DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR DRY SANITATION. BY IMPLEMENTING MORE EFFECTIVE SANITATION TECHNIQUES, WITHOUT THE USE OF WATER, WE CAN ULTIMATELY REDUCE FOODBORNE PATHOGENIC CONTAMINATION AND IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH. THE COMMITTEE ALSO SUPPORTED A RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE WITH PRESENTATIONS ACROSS THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR. ADDITIONALLY, THE FOOD MICROBIOLOGY COMMITTEE SUPPORTED TWO SESSIONS AND A BREAKFAST MEETING AT THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR FOOD PROTECTION'S ANNUAL MEETING IN LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA. THE SESSIONS MOBILIZED KNOWLEDGE OF RELEVANT AND ONGOING FOOD SAFETY TOPICS INCLUDING THE IMPORTANCE OF HYGIENIC SEPARATION WITH LOW MOISTURE FOODS.
  4. $1.4 million spent. SODIUM; CARBOHYDRATES; GUT MICROBES AND HEALTH; COGNITIVE HEALTH; LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS; FOOD PACKAGING SAFTEY; CONFLICT OF INTEREST; FOOD CLASIFICATION; PPP; PROTEIN; CAFFEINE; ERYTHRITOL; COMMUNICATIONS; STRATEGIES IN NUTRITION; IAFP SYMPOSIUM; DIETARY LIPIDS; SUNSETTED COMMITTEES; SCIENTIFIC AWARDS AND CONTRIBUTIONS; FUTURE LEADERS; CONTINGENCY FUND.

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

  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 December 2024.

    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 December 1991.

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

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Caution.

    California's Attorney General lists its registration as delinquent as of December 31, 2005. Organizations on this list may not solicit donations in California.

    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.