Rheumatology Research Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSION OF THE RHEUMATOLOGY RESEARCH FOUNDATION IS TO ADVANCE RESEARCH AND TRAINING TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE WITH RHEUMATIC DISEASES.
- Income
- $19.8 million
- Spending
- $17.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- 30.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 71%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $295,381, vp, operations and finance
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 92% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 30.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 4% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 14% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 42% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 45% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2518 of 18 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 June 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)
- $14.4 million spent. FOUNDATION PROGRAMS SUPPORT RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF RHEUMATIC DISEASES, INCLUDING but not limited to: JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS, OSTEOARTHRITIS, PEDIATRIC SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, SCLERODERMA, SPONDYLOARTHROPATHIES, SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, AND VASCULITIS. PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR A CONTINUATION OF PROGRAM SERVICES. The Rheumatology Research Foundation maintains an extensive awards and grants portfolio, with 22 support mechanisms for rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals in the U.S. Each grant application contains very specific eligibility and review criteria (details regarding these requirements are available at www.rheumresearch.org). All applications undergo rigorous peer review in their assigned study section, and are scored and ranked according to the review criteria and overall merit of the proposal. All study section recommendations are sent to the Foundation's Scientific Advisory Council for qualification before being presented (blinded) to the Foundation Board of Directors for final approval. After the awards are made, all recipients are required to complete funding contracts with institutional sign-off, and must also submit annual reports on their progress, including financial reconciliation and assurance of compliance with Foundation policies (available on the website). All reports are reviewed by the Foundation's Scientific Advisory Council to ensure compliance with programmatic, scientific, fiscal, and administrative polices and requirements. If a recipient is found to be in compliance and making reasonable progress (i.e. meeting project benchmarks), the next year of funding is approved for disbursement. If not, the award may be terminated. Such programmatic oversight allows for excellent stewardship of Foundation funds. In additional to regular oversight as described above, portfolio review are conducted every five years to ensure that funding mechanisms are effectively meeting the Foundation's goals outlined in the strategic plan. In addition, the Rheumatology Research Foundation abides by the following conflict of interest guidelines: Guidelines for awarding of Foundation awards and grants I. The Foundation will not permit and external entities to select (or influence the selection of) recipients of Foundation awards or grants. II. The Foundation will appoint independent committees to select recipients of Foundation awards or grants based on peer review of grant applications. III. The Foundation will not require recipients of Foundation awards or grants to meet with external entities. IV. The Foundation will not permit any external entity that supports Foundation awards or grants to require intellectual property rights or royalties arising out of the grant-funded research. V. The Foundation will not permit any external entity that supports Foundation awards or grants to control or influence manuscripts that arise from the grant-funded research. The Foundation provides funding to help recruit students and residents into the subspecialty and supports investigators and practitioners working in the field of rheumatology. Grants are awarded for different training opportunities, from undergraduate students to established investigators, building a more capable, robust team of rheumatology professionals around the nation. In the last five years, researchers receiving Foundation funding have published 451 papers, received $133.5M in related NIH funding, and given 69 scientific presentations at the ACR Convergence meeting. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to advancing treatment for people living with rheumatic disease and is the largest private funding source of rheumatology research and training in the United States. The organization has received a 4-star rating, the highest offered by Charity Navigator, for sixteen consecutive years based on good governance, sound fiscal management, and commitment to accountability and transparency. The organization has committed over $243M directly to research and training since it was founded in 1985 by the granting of 4,982 individual awards.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 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 June 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 July 1988.
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.
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.