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Rtca Inc

EIN 53-0182962 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak44 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Only 42% of its spending went to programs.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

RTCA, INC. IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION THAT INSPIRES THE CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE STANDARDS THAT MEET THE CHANGING GLOBAL AVIATION ENVIRONMENT AND ENSURE THE SAFETY, SECURITY, AND OVERALL HEALTH OF THE AVIATION ECOSYSTEM.

Income
$4.3 million
Spending
$4.6 million
Spent on programs
42%
Reserves
4.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 91%
Employees
11
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$631,133, 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: 44 out of 100. Higher than 12% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 4.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 71% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 7% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 8% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    42% of spending went to programs.

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

    8 of 9 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 (5)
  1. $954,640 spent. COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES - RTCA SPECIAL COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES ARE FORMED GENERALLY IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS AVIATION ISSUES AND TO DEVELOP CONSENSUS-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT. THESE GROUPS ARE STAFFED BY VOLUNTEERS DRAWN FROM ALL SEGMENTS OF THE AVIATION COMMUNITY.
  2. $399,677 spent. TRAINING SEMINARS ARE ACTIVITIES AIMED TO IMPART KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION RELATED TO RTCA'S PRODUCTS IN RESPONSE TO THE CONTINUING QUERIES FROM MEMBERS AND OTHER AVIATION-ORIENTED ORGANIZATIONS. THE 2024 PROGRAM PROVIDED TRAINING ON THE APPLICATION OF DO-178C, DO-254, DO-160G, DO-392 AIRWORTHINESS, AND HUMAN FACTORS.
  3. $360,488 spent. MEMBERSHIP SERVICES - RTCA'S MEMBERSHIP ELECTS THE RTCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND RTCA ADVISORY BOARD, WHO IN TURN HELP SELECT THOSE ISSUES ON WHICH RTCA WILL FOCUS COMMUNITY RESOURCES, AND HELPS SHAPE THE RESULTING RECOMMENDATIONS.
  4. $71,301 spent. WEBINAR SERIES/SYMPOSIUM - RTCA WEBINAR SERIES FEATURES TALKS AND INTERVIEWS WITH THOUGHT LEADERS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS WITH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, COMMITTEE AWARDS AND SHORT TECH TALKS ON TRANSFORMATIONAL TOPICS. PAST TOPICS HAVE INCLUDED SPECTRUM/5G, HUMAN FACTORS, CYBERSECURITY, UAS/UAM/AAM, AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMERCIAL SPACE AND MORE.
  5. $119,728 spent. PUBLICATIONS - RTCA'S RECOMMENDATIONS, PUBLISHED AS RTCA DOCUMENTS, ARE OFTEN USED AS A BASIS FOR GOVERNMENT DECISIONS, BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL, AND SERVE AS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION IN PRIVATE-SECTOR BUSINESS DECISIONS. FREQUENTLY, THEY ARE THE FOUNDATION FOR, OR ARE QUOTED IN, FAA TECHNICAL STANDARD ORDERS. THE RTCA DIGEST IS A BI-MONTHLY PUBLICATION FEATURING THE HIGHLIGHTS OF RTCA ACTIVITIES, A CALENDAR OF UPCOMING MEETINGS, AND OTHER ITEMS OF COMMON INTEREST. ALL OF THESE PUBLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS, AND TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AT NO COST.

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 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 December 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 March 1992.

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

  6. 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 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.