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Seattle Science Foundation

EIN 61-1502822 · Seattle, WA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood82 out of 100GovernanceFair60 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE QUALITY OF PATIENT CARE THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY.

Income
$2.9 million
Spending
$3.0 million
Spent on programs
82%
Reserves
7 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 52%
Employees
8
Volunteers
5
Highest pay
$4.3 million, president (thru 8/24)

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: 82 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 7.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% 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 16% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    82% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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

Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 12% of charities in its peer group (medical research, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    5 of 25

    0 of 4 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

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (1)
  1. $2.5 million spent. THE SEATTLE SCIENCE FOUNDATION IS ADVANCING THE QUALITY OF PATIENT CARE THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH, INNOVATION, AND TECHNOLOGY. THROUGH OUR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION PLATFORM WE BRING TOGETHER MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND PROVIDE ALL OF THE TOOLS NECESSARY FOR PHYSICIANS AND RESEARCHERS TO MAKE GROUNDBREAKING ADVANCEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF MEDICINE. PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED 17 FULL AND MULTI-DAY CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION COURSES FOR PHYSICIANS, RESIDENTS, FELLOWS, MEDICAL STUDENTS, NURSES AND OTHER ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. TOPICS INCLUDED: * 9TH ANNUAL INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO BRAIN TUMOR MANAGEMENT * 12TH ANNUAL SEATTLE OTOLOGY & RHINOLOGY COURSE * 14TH ANNUAL MULTIMODAL SPINAL TUMORS * 14TH ANNUAL MULTIMODAL SPINAL TUMORS * 10TH ANNUAL ADVANCED LATERAL APPROACHES TO THE SPINE * 3RD ANNUAL IMAGE GUIDED INTERVENTIONAL SPINE PROCEDURES COURSE * 10TH ANNUAL MIS SPINE SYMPOSIUM * 12TH ANNUAL SSF SPINE MASTERS * 2ND ANNUAL ENDOSCOPIC SPINE COURSE * 15TH ANNUAL SSF SPINE RESIDENTS & FELLOWS * 9TH ANNUAL SPINAL DEFORMITY SYMPOSIUM * 6TH ANNUAL ADVANCES IN MOTION PRESERVATION OF THE SPINE * PACIFIC NW OR PERSONNEL TRAINING COURSE * 11TH ANNUAL INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MGMT FELLOWS * 10TH ANNUAL SPINE TRAUMA SYMPOSIUM * 9TH ANNUAL SSF ROBOTICS COURSE PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED 8 REGULAR SCHEDULED CONFERENCES. * INTERESTING SPINE CASE DISCUSSION SERIES * STED TALKS SERIES * ARTHROPLASTY TRIUMPHS & DEFEATS CASE DISCUSSION SERIES * CEREBROVASCULAR CONFERENCE * AN EVENING WITH A SPINE SURGEON * NEUROSURGERY GRAND ROUNDS * NEUROLOGY GRAND ROUNDS & CASE CONFERENCE * VIRTUAL SPINE JOURNAL CLUB IN 2024, WE AWARDED 3,807 CME CREDITS FOR OUR ACCME ACCREDITED COURSES. WE CREATED 650 NEW EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS THAT WERE POSTED ONLINE FOR FREE, REACHING PHYSICIANS IN OVER 196 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE. TOP COUNTRIES REACHED INCLUDE: * AUSTRIA * BRAZIL * CANADA * FRANCE * GERMANY * GREECE * HON KONG * INDIA * INDONESIA * JORDAN * KENYA * MALAYSIA * MEXICO * NIGERIA * PAKISTAN * PERU * POLAND * RUSSIA * SINGAPORE * TURKEY * UKRAINE * UNITED KINGDOM * UNITED STATES 90% OF THE COMBINED ONLINE AND IN PERSON ATTENDEES IDENTIFIED AS MD OR DO. 36% OF OUR COMBINED ONLINE AND IN PERSON ATTENDEES HAVE BEEN IN PRACTICE FOR 0-5 YEARS. AS A PHYSICIAN DRIVEN, OPEN ACCESS COMMUNICATION PLATFORM, WE WORKED WITH 280 VOLUNTEER FACULTY, BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY TO CREATE OUR OPEN ACCESS MEDICAL EDUCATION CONTENT AND TRAINING COURSES. IN 2024, WE REACHED 6.5 MILLION VIEWS ON OUR SSF YOUTUBE CHANNEL (WWW.SSFYOUTUBE.ORG). AN INCREASE OF 71%. WE ALSO ADDED 46.2K NEW SUBSCRIBERS TO OUR SSF YOUTUBE CHANNEL. AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 149%. WE CONTINUED TO DEVELOP WEEKLY EDUCATIONAL TRAININGS FOR THE FOLLOWING SPINE TRAINING PROGRAMS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. * BARROW NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE * CEDARS SINAI * CENTER FOR SPINE AND ORTHOPEDICS * HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY * INDIANA SPINE GROUP * MAYO CLINIC * NORTON LEATHERMAN SPINE CENTER * PENN MEDICINE * ROTHMAN ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE * SWEDISH NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE * UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS * UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE * UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND * WEILL CORNELL * TEXAS BACK INSTITUTE * UC SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY OUTREACH WE PROVIDED A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE LEVEL STUDENTS LOOKING TO PURSUE A CAREER IN MEDICINE. * MINI MEDICAL SCHOOL - SSF PROVIDED AN ACADEMIC SUMMER OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH A STRONG INTEREST IN PRE-MED OR MEDICALLY RELATED FIELD. STUDENTS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISSECT HUMAN CADAVERIC SPECIMENS, WORK WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN A STATE-OF-THE-ART MEDICAL FACILITY AND NETWORK WITH LEADING PHYSICIANS, RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS. * SUMMER INTERNSHIP - SSF OFFERED A UNIQUE INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY THAT ALLOWED HIGH SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH A CLINICAL RESEARCH PHYSICIAN. ON DAY ONE, INTERNS BEGAN DEVELOPING A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROJECT THAT ENHANCED THEIR EXPERIENCE IN SCHOLARLY WRITING FORMAT, ACADEMIC JOURNAL REVIEW, STATISTICAL COMPREHENSION, AND ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, STUDENTS GAVE FORMAL CONFERENCE-STYLE PRESENTATIONS DESCRIBING THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS TO PARTNERING NEUROSURGEONS, ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS, SURGICAL FELLOWS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WHO SUPPORT OUR RESEARCH EFFORTS. * RESEARCH FELLOWS - SSF WORKED WITH A NUMBER OF RESEARCH FELLOWS WHO WERE IN THE PROCESS OF APPLYING TO OR IN MEDICAL SCHOOL. THESE VOLUNTEERS WORKED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF OUR CLINICAL RESEARCH PHYSICIAN TO SUPPORT A NUMBER OF CLINICAL STUDIES. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF JENS R. CHAPMAN, M.D., ROD J. OSKOUIAN, M.D., AND GLEN DAVID, M.D., A TOTAL OF FIVE (5) ATTENDING SPINE PHYSICIANS, FIVE (5) COMPLEX AND MINIMALLY INVASIVE SPINE SURGERY FELLOWS, THREE (1) RESEARCH FELLOW (TRAINED ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS FROM BOCHUM GERMANY) AS WELL AS ONE (1) INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT FELLOW WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH PROJECTS. PROJECT UPDATES AND LARGER GROUP DISCUSSIONS WERE HELD TWICE WEEKLY DURING THE MONDAY MORNING (7-8 A.M. PST) AND EVENING (5-6 P.M. PST) RESEARCH MEETINGS CONDUCTED BY DR. JENS CHAPMAN. FEATURED PUBLICATIONS 1. LEWIK, G., PIERRE, C., RAO, G., HICKS, J., DAVIS, D., ANDERSON, B., PATEL, N., CHAPMAN, J., OSKOUIAN, R. A CADAVER STUDY: THE RELATIONSHIP OF VITAL ORGANS OF THE THORACOLUMBAR JUNCTION DURING A FAR LATERAL APPROACH USING A T-12 CORPECTOMY MODEL. GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION 11/2024- PENDING FINAL DETAILS) [CADAVER STUDY] 2. GERSTMEYER J, AVANTAGGIO A, PIERRE C, ET AL. THE HIDDEN RISK: INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGE FOLLOWING DUROTOMIES IN SPINE SURGERY. N AM SPINE SOC J. 2024;20:100555. PUBLISHED 2024 SEP 3. DOI:10.1016/J.XNSJ.2024.100555 3. GORBACHEVA A, PIERRE C, GERSTMEYER J, ET AL. RECENT GLOBAL TRENDS AND HOTSPOTS IN OCCIPITOCERVICAL FUSION: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS AND VISUALIZATION STUDY. WOR

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 November 6, 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 2024.

    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 April 2007.

    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 November 4, 2026.

  7. Could it be confused with another charity? Worth knowing.

    A much larger organization has a similar name: The Seattle Foundation (Seattle, WA), EIN 91-6013536. If that is the one you meant, check the EIN before giving.

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

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