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American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators

EIN 53-0172317 · Arlington, VA

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

LegitimacyCautionRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood78 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MOTOR VEHICLE ADMINISTRATORS (AAMVA) REPRESENTS THE STATE, PROVINCIAL, AND TERRITORIAL OFFICIALS IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA WHO ADMINISTER AND ENFORCE MOTOR VEHICLE LAWS. AAMVA'S PROGRAMS ENCOURAGE UNIFORMITY AND RECIPROCITY AMONG ITS MEMBERS. THE ASSOCIATION ALSO SERVES AS A LIAISON WITH OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR. ITS DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES PROVIDE GUIDELINES FOR MORE EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SERVICE.

Income
$61.5 million
Spending
$64.9 million
Spent on programs
77%
Reserves
11.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 76%
Employees
236
Volunteers
275
Highest pay
$445,680, president & ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 53% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 11.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 17% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 6% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 10% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    77% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 (public benefit, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    20 of 21 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 September 30, 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 (1)
  1. $49.7 million spent. IT SERVICES: AAMVA PROVIDES TECHNOLOGY THAT JURISDICTIONS, COMMERCIAL FIRMS, AND PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS RELY ON TO SUPPORT THEIR DAILY CUSTOMER TRANSACTIONS. WHETHER IT'S AN INQUIRY OR VERIFICATION SERVICE, AAMVA SERVES AS THE INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE TO MAINTAIN SEAMLESS DATA EXCHANGE ON VARIOUS PLATFORMS. AN ESTIMATED 2.652 BILLION IT TRANSACTIONS WERE PROCESSED IN FY2025 WITH AN OVERALL SYSTEM UPTIME OF 99.99% ACROSS ALL SOLUTIONS.MEMBERSHIP: SUPPORT BY AAMVA'S MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS, WORKING GROUPS, AND COMMITTEES IS WHAT ENABLES THE ORGANIZATION TO PROVIDE VALUABLE EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUMEROUS POLICIES, BEST PRACTICES, GUIDELINES, AND MORE. IN FY2025, AAMVA MEMBERS INCLUDED 69 JURISDICTIONS AND 267 ASSOCIATE MEMBERS. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO HAD 325 MEMBER VOLUNTEERS AND SEVERAL COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS. THESE RESOURCES ADDED TO THE ROBUST LIBRARY ON SUSPENDED DRIVERS, OFF-ROAD VEHICLES, AUTOMATED DELIVERY VEHICLES, FOREIGN DRIVER'S LICENSES, MANAGING DATA PRIVACY AND EXTERNAL ACCESS, AND THIRD-PARTY AGENT ADMINISTRATION.CONFERENCE, WORKSHOPS, AND MEETINGS: AAMVA HOSTS VARIOUS EVENTS THAT SERVE AS PLATFORMS FOR SHARING AND COLLABORATION SO MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDERS CAN REMAIN CONNECTED, BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, AND GAIN KNOWLEDGE ON IMPORTANT INDUSTRY MATTERS. DURING FY2025, AAMVA OFFERED 116 ONLINE EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO ITS COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE ANNUAL WORKSHOP AND LAW INSTITUTE WAS HELD IN SALT LAKE CITY, UT AND THE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DREW IN 1,114 ATTENDEES TO PHOENIX, AZ. THE AWARD WINNING PODCAST, AAMVACAST, FEATURES CONVERSATIONS WITH THOUGHT LEADERS IN THE AAMVA COMMUNITY. AAMVACAST SURPASSED OVER 60,000 DOWNLOADS AND RELEASED OVER 280 EPISODES BY THE END OF FY2025.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.

  4. 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 October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since November 1943.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

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

    California's Attorney General lists its registration as revoked as of December 31, 1990. 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 21, 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.