Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE CORPORATION IS ORGANIZED TO INCREASE SCIENTIFIC AND PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME OR RLS, TO ENCOURAGE AND PROVIDE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH LEADING TO TREATMENTS AND CURE FOR THE DISEASE, TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO THOSE SUFFERING FROM THE DISEASE, TO BE THE LEADING CENTER FOR INFORMATION ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE DISEASE, AND TO CARRY ON SUCH OTHER ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE DISEASE, ITS TREATMENTS AND CURE, AS MAY BE DESIGNATED BY THE BOARD FROM TIME TO TIME.
- Income
- $1.2 million
- Spending
- $1.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- 5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 98
- Highest pay
- $148,289, executive di
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 41% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.0 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 21% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 0% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 11% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 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 64% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 8 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 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 (5)
- $493,760 spent. EDUCATIONAL. PROVIDING TRUSTED, UNBIASED INFORMATION ABOUT RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME TO INDIVIDUALS AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, WEBINARS, A WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, AND DIRECT COMMUNICATIONS. PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE: A GENERAL INFORMATIONAL BROCHURE ON RLS AND RLS AND PLMD IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS; RLS GUIDE FOR TEENS, RLS GUIDE FOR CHILDREN, TWENTY-FOUR DIFFERENT HANDOUTS ON RLS SPECIFIC TOPICS DIRECTED TOWARDS PATIENTS; A QUARTERLY NEWS MAGAZINE; MONTHLY ONLINE E-NEWSLETTER; TWO SPECIALTY BROCHURES DIRECTED TO HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS; AND A MEDICAL BULLETIN ISSUED AS DEVELOPMENTS MERIT. DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR, NINE WEBINARS ON RLS-RELATED TOPICS WERE OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC. OVER 1200 REGISTRANTS VIEWED THESE WEBINARS. THE 12-PART EDUCATIONAL PHYSICIAN WEBINAR SERIES WAS OPEN TO PHYSICIANS, NURSE PRACTITIONERS AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS TO ENHANCE CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE REGARDING DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF RLS PATIENTS. THIS WEBINAR SERIES IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND. THE ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE WWW.RLS.ORG ATTRACTS OVER 640,000 ONLINE VISITORS THAT GENERATE OVER 27,900,00 PAGE VIEWS EACH YEAR. THE RLS FACEBOOK PAGE HAS 14,595 SUPPORTERS AND PARTICIPANTS. THE RLSF BLOG HAS RECEIVED OVER 1,878,417 PAGE VIEWS AND THE RLS FOUNDATION YOUTUBE CHANNEL HAS RECEIVED OVER 271.5K VIEWS. THE FOUNDATION EXECUTES A PUBLIC POLICY INITIATIVE PROGRAM WHOSE GOALS ARE TO RAISE AWARENESS AND PROVIDE EDUCATION AROUND THREE SPECIFIC AREAS: WHAT IS RLS AND HOW MANY ARE AFFECTED; THE NEED FOR INCREASED MEDICAL RESEARCH FUNDING; AND THE NEED FOR ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE TREATMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH RLS. EDUCATIONAL. PROVIDING TRUSTED, UNBIASED INFORMATION ABOUT RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME TO INDIVIDUALS AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, WEBINARS, A WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, AND DIRECT COMMUNICATIONS. PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE: A GENERAL INFORMATIONAL BROCHURE ON RLS AND RLS AND PLMD IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS; RLS GUIDE FOR TEENS, RLS GUIDE FOR CHILDREN, TWENTY-FOUR DIFFERENT HANDOUTS ON RLS SPECIFIC TOPICS DIRECTED TOWARDS PATIENTS; A QUARTERLY NEWS MAGAZINE; MONTHLY ONLINE E-NEWSLETTER; TWO SPECIALTY BROCHURES DIRECTED TO HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS; AND A MEDICAL BULLETIN ISSUED AS DEVELOPMENTS MERIT. DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR, NINE WEBINARS ON RLS-RELATED TOPICS WERE OFFERED TO THE PUBLIC. OVER 1200 REGISTRANTS VIEWED THESE WEBINARS. THE 12-PART EDUCATIONAL PHYSICIAN WEBINAR SERIES WAS OPEN TO PHYSICIANS, NURSE PRACTITIONERS AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS TO ENHANCE CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE REGARDING DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF RLS PATIENTS. THIS WEBINAR SERIES IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND. THE ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE WWW.RLS.ORG ATTRACTS OVER 640,000 ONLINE VISITORS THAT GENERATE OVER 27,900,00 PAGE VIEWS EACH YEAR. THE RLS FACEBOOK PAGE HAS 14,595 SUPPORTERS AND PARTICIPANTS. THE RLSF BLOG HAS RECEIVED OVER 1,878,417 PAGE VIEWS AND THE RLS FOUNDATION YOUTUBE CHANNEL HAS RECEIVED OVER 271.5K VIEWS. THE FOUNDATION EXECUTES A PUBLIC POLICY INITIATIVE PROGRAM WHOSE GOALS ARE TO RAISE AWARENESS AND PROVIDE EDUCATION AROUND THREE SPECIFIC AREAS: WHAT IS RLS AND HOW MANY ARE AFFECTED; THE NEED FOR INCREASED MEDICAL RESEARCH FUNDING; AND THE NEED FOR ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE TREATMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH RLS.
- $235,898 spent. MEMBERSHIP. THE RLS FOUNDATION SERVES AS A SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR OVER 640,000 INDIVIDUALS WHO, ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, SEEK INFORMATION ON RLS, EITHER AS ONE WHO HAS RLS OR AS ONE WHO HAS A FRIEND OR LOVED ONE WHO SUFFERS FROM THE DISEASE. 5,400 MEMBERS HAVE JOINED THE RLS FOUNDATION AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CLEARINGHOUSE OF SERVICES THAT PROVIDE INFORMATION ON LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN TREATMENT, COUNSELING AND CONVERSATION WITH OTHERS WHO SHARE THE AFFLICTION. OVER 160 MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS SPECIALIZING IN THE TREATMENT OF RLS ARE MEMBERS OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER DIRECTORY. MEMBER BENEFITS INCLUDE ACCESS TO A PROPRIETARY COLLECTION OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS INCLUDING AN RLS MEDICAL BULLETIN FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, A QUARTERLY NEWS MAGAZINE, A MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER, A MEDICAL-ALERT CARD AND ACCESS TO THE MEMBERS-ONLY SECTION OF THE RLS WEBSITE. THE FOUNDATION PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIP MEMBERSHIPS FOR THOSE NEEDING ASSISTANCE AND NEVER TURNS ANYONE AWAY SEEKING INFORMATION AND SUPPORT. THE MEMBER WEBSITE PROVIDES VISITORS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT RLS, TREATMENT GUIDELINES, RESEARCH ADVANCEMENTS, ADVOCACY OUTREACH, DISCUSSION PANELS AND LINKS TO RLS FOUNDATION SOCIAL MEDIA SITES. MEMBERSHIP. THE RLS FOUNDATION SERVES AS A SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR OVER 640,000 INDIVIDUALS WHO, ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, SEEK INFORMATION ON RLS, EITHER AS ONE WHO HAS RLS OR AS ONE WHO HAS A FRIEND OR LOVED ONE WHO SUFFERS FROM THE DISEASE. 5,400 MEMBERS HAVE JOINED THE RLS FOUNDATION AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CLEARINGHOUSE OF SERVICES THAT PROVIDE INFORMATION ON LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN TREATMENT, COUNSELING AND CONVERSATION WITH OTHERS WHO SHARE THE AFFLICTION. OVER 160 MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS SPECIALIZING IN THE TREATMENT OF RLS ARE MEMBERS OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER DIRECTORY. MEMBER BENEFITS INCLUDE ACCESS TO A PROPRIETARY COLLECTION OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS INCLUDING AN RLS MEDICAL BULLETIN FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, A QUARTERLY NEWS MAGAZINE, A MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER, A MEDICAL-ALERT CARD AND ACCESS TO THE MEMBERS-ONLY SECTION OF THE RLS WEBSITE. THE FOUNDATION PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIP MEMBERSHIPS FOR THOSE NEEDING ASSISTANCE AND NEVER TURNS ANYONE AWAY SEEKING INFORMATION AND SUPPORT. THE MEMBER WEBSITE PROVIDES VISITORS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT RLS, TREATMENT GUIDELINES, RESEARCH ADVANCEMENTS, ADVOCACY OUTREACH, DISCUSSION PANELS AND LINKS TO RLS FOUNDATION SOCIAL MEDIA SITES.
- $227,229 spent. RESEARCH. THE RLSF SUPPORTS AND FUNDS RLS RELATED RESEARCH PROJECTS. DURING THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, FIVE RESEARCH GRANTS WERE AWARDED: ONE GRANT WAS AWARDED FOR THE MULTI-CENTER LONGITUDINAL PILOT OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF THE EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF LONG-TERM TREATMENT OF RLS USING OPIOIDS (OPIOID REGISTRY), DEFECTIVE TRANSFERRIN RECEPTOR REGULATION IN THE BLOOD- BRAIN BARRIER ENDOTHELIAL CELLS UNDERLIES BRAIN IRON INSUFFICIENCY IN RLS, PROTEOMIC APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISM OF ACTION FOR EXERCISE AS A NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT METHOD IN RLS : A PILOT STUDY, CEREBROSPINAL FLUID MELANOCORTIN AND ENDORPHIN IN RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME- RELATED AUGMENTATION, AND INVOLVEMENT OF CALCITONIN GENE-RELATED PEPTIDE (CGRP) IN RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS): CEREBROSPINAL FLUID PROTEOMICS ANALYSIS. RESEARCH. THE RLSF SUPPORTS AND FUNDS RLS RELATED RESEARCH PROJECTS. DURING THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, FIVE RESEARCH GRANTS WERE AWARDED: ONE GRANT WAS AWARDED FOR THE MULTI-CENTER LONGITUDINAL PILOT OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF THE EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF LONG-TERM TREATMENT OF RLS USING OPIOIDS (OPIOID REGISTRY), DEFECTIVE TRANSFERRIN RECEPTOR REGULATION IN THE BLOOD- BRAIN BARRIER ENDOTHELIAL CELLS UNDERLIES BRAIN IRON INSUFFICIENCY IN RLS, PROTEOMIC APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISM OF ACTION FOR EXERCISE AS A NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT METHOD IN RLS : A PILOT STUDY, CEREBROSPINAL FLUID MELANOCORTIN AND ENDORPHIN IN RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME- RELATED AUGMENTATION, AND INVOLVEMENT OF CALCITONIN GENE-RELATED PEPTIDE (CGRP) IN RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS): CEREBROSPINAL FLUID PROTEOMICS ANALYSIS.
- $56,404 spent. SUPPORT GROUPS: THE RLS FOUNDATION SUPPORTS SIXTY-ONE SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS, VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS AND CONTACT VOLUNTEERS IN TWENTY-ONE STATES AND CANADA. EACH LEADER HOLDS AT LEAST ONE IN-PERSON MEETING PER YEAR IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY. AT THESE MEETINGS, RLS FOUNDATION EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO ATTENDEES. SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS MAY WORK WITH A MEDICAL SPEAKER TO PRESENT ON RLS TOPICS OF INTEREST. LOCAL SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS SUGGEST OTHER MEETING PRESENTERS AND FACILITATE CONVERSATIONS THAT PROVIDE OVERALL SUPPORT TO THE GROUP. VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUPS (VSG), PROGRAM IS AN RLSF PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES FOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MONTHLY VIRTUAL GROUP MEETINGS TO CONNECT AND SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WITH RLS USING VIDEO CONFERENCING ACCESSIBLE TO ALL IN THE RLS COMMUNITY. RLSF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR DOWNLOAD ARE GIVEN TO VSG ATTENDEES. THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS REACHED THROUGH VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUPS 400+, WITH OVER 300 UNIQUE VISITORS ATTENDING MULTIPLE MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
- SUPPORT GROUPS: THE RLS FOUNDATION SUPPORTS SIXTY-ONE SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS, VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS AND CONTACT VOLUNTEERS IN TWENTY-ONE STATES AND CANADA. EACH LEADER HOLDS AT LEAST ONE IN-PERSON MEETING PER YEAR IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY. AT THESE MEETINGS, RLS FOUNDATION EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO ATTENDEES. SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS MAY WORK WITH A MEDICAL SPEAKER TO PRESENT ON RLS TOPICS OF INTEREST. LOCAL SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS SUGGEST OTHER MEETING PRESENTERS AND FACILITATE CONVERSATIONS THAT PROVIDE OVERALL SUPPORT TO THE GROUP. VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUPS (VSG), PROGRAM IS AN RLSF PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES FOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MONTHLY VIRTUAL GROUP MEETINGS TO CONNECT AND SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WITH RLS USING VIDEO CONFERENCING ACCESSIBLE TO ALL IN THE RLS COMMUNITY. RLSF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR DOWNLOAD ARE GIVEN TO VSG ATTENDEES. THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS REACHED THROUGH VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUPS 400+, WITH OVER 300 UNIQUE VISITORS ATTENDING MULTIPLE MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
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
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 October 13, 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 September 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 January 1993.
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 October 21, 2026.
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