Esophageal Cancer Action Network Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ECAN'S MISSION IS TO SAVE LIVES BY 1) INCREASING AWARENESS ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN REFLUX DISEASE AND CANCER, 2) PROMOTING EARLY DETECTION, 3) SUPPORTING MEDICAL RESEARCH INTO THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, TREATMENT AND CURE OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER, AND 4) PROVIDING PATIENTS AND FAMILIES WITH TRUSTWORTHY INFORMATION AND COMPASSIONATE SUPPORT. THIS NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, BASED IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, IS LED BY A BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF TOP MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, BUSINESS LEADERS, AND FAMILIES THAT HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. HISTORY: ECAN WAS FOUNDED IN 2009 BY FORMER ATTORNEY AND JOURNALIST MINDY MINTZ MORDECAI AND AN IMPRESSIVE GROUP OF DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS AFTER SHE LOST THE FATHER OF HER TWO YOUNG CHILDREN, AND HER HUSBAND OF 14 YEARS, TO ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED BECAUSE SHE BELIEVES THAT HER HUSBAND AND THOUSANDS MORE LIKE HIM MIGHT NEVER HAVE DIED HAD THEY BEEN AWARE OF THE LINK BETWEEN HEARTBURN AND CANCER, MORDECAI IS DETERMINED TO PREVENT OTHERS F
- Income
- $617,412
- Spending
- $733,118
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 75%
- Employees
- 7
- Volunteers
- 285
- Highest pay
- $145,007, president an
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: 45 out of 100. Higher than 9% of charities in its peer group (diseases, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.0 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 72% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 19% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 30% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 20 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
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (diseases, $250k to $1m).
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
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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 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)
- $569,894 spent. AN ACTIVE VOICE FOR PATIENTS AT RISK FOR AND DIAGNOSED WITH ESOPHAGEAL CANCER ECAN SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED WITH THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE TO CHANGE COURSE AND INCLUDE ESOPHAGEAL CANCER IN ITS GENOME MAPPING PROJECT KNOWN AS THE CANCER GENOME ATLAS (TCGA) IN 2011. THE GROUNDBREAKING FINDINGS OF THAT RESEARCH LED TO THE FIRST FDA APPROVAL OF IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER PATIENTS IN 2021. ECAN'S EFFORTS TO REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF PATIENTS AT RISK FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER HAS CONTINUED AND, THUS FAR, HAS RESULTED IN THE ADDITION OF NEARLY 20 MILLION TO FEDERAL BUDGET FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ECAN SUCCESSFULLY LED THE CHARGE TO MAKE SURE THAT ESOPHAGEAL CANCER RESEARCHERS HAVE ACCESS TO A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR CANCER RESEARCH FUND ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPT. OF DEFENSE. AS A RESULT, ESOPHAGEAL CANCER RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN AWARDED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FUNDING SINCE 2021 AND CONTINUE TO BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR FUNDING EVERY YEAR. IN 2024, ECAN HOSTED ITS FIRST IN-PERSON HILL DAY WHERE MEMBERS OF OUR ECAN COMMUNITY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH LEGISLATORS AND THEIR STAFF TO ADVOCATE FOR THE NEEDS OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER PATIENTS AND THOSE AT RISK FOR THE DISEASE, INCLUDING THE CONTINUATION OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER RESEARCHERS' ACCESS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAM. ECAN HOSTS A GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM TO PREPARE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO BE THE BEST ADVOCATES POSSIBLE FOR THOSE AT RISK FOR OR DIAGNOSED WITH ESOPHAGEAL CANCER IN 2017, ECAN FILED A PETITION WITH THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION REQUESTING THAT WARNING LABELS BE PUT ON OVER-THE-COUNTER HEARTBURN REMEDIES TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO THE FACT THAT HEARTBURN CAN CAUSE CANCER. THOUGH THE FDA DID NOT APPROVE THE REQUEST, IT PROVIDED CLEAR GUIDANCE ON HOW SUCH A PETITION COULD BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE FUTURE. IN 2024, ECAN WEIGHED IN ON NEW PROFESSIONAL GUIDELINES ON TREATING BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS, THE PRECURSOR TO ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ECAN ASKED FOR A CHANGE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WHO HAVE UNDERGONE TESTS SHOWING A HIGHER RISK OF PROGRESSING TO CANCER. THAT CHANGE WAS IMPLEMENTED IN THE FINAL GUIDELINES. AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE DEADLIEST CANCERS COALITION, ECAN STRIVES TO ENSURE THAT THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE DEVELOPS A FOCUS ON ESOPHAGEAL CANCER WORKS TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH INTO THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, TREATMENT AND CURE OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IN 2009, ECAN LED THE EFFORT TO HAVE APRIL DESIGNATED AS ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IN STATES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. WITH ECAN'S SUPPORT OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS, MORE THAN 150 GUBERNATORIAL DECLARATIONS OF EC AWARENESS MONTH HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND IN SOME OTHER NATIONS, AS WELL. APRIL IS NOW OBSERVED AS EC AWARENESS MONTH BY COMPANIES, ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE NATION - AND THE WORLD. ECAN PROVIDES ROBUST PROGRAMMING FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, INCLUDING PROVIDING A TEXT-A-DAY-SERVICE WITH AWARENESS MESSAGES FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO SHARE, YARD SIGNS AND PERIWINKLE BLUE LIGHTS SO SUPPORTERS CAN MAKE A STATEMENT IN APRIL, AND MORE. IN 2024, WE HOSTED AN ANIMATED BILLBOARD IN TIMES SQUARE IN NEW YORK CITY WARNING THAT HEARTBURN CAN CAUSE CANCER AND RECOGNIZING ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. SUPPORTING PATIENTS AND FAMILIES ECAN HAS A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH SMART PATIENTS, AN ONLINE SUPPORT PLATFORM THAT INCLUDES A FOCUS ON ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. ECAN ALSO PROVIDES FREE ACCESS TO THE INTELLIGENT NUTRITION ASSISTANT INA THAT GIVES 24/7 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT NUTRITION AND EATING ISSUES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAVOR HEALTH. ECAN'S PARTNERSHIP WITH MASSIVE BIO HAS RESULTED IN A FREE CLINICAL TRIAL MATCHING SERVICE FOR OUR ECAN COMMUNITY. PROVIDING TRUSTWORTHY, UP-TO-DATE EDUCATION FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES IN 2023, ECAN CREATED A SERIES OF ANIMATED EDUCATIONAL MODULES THAT CLEARLY EXPLAIN THE BASICS OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AND ITS PRECURSOR BARRETT'S ESOPHAGUS. THE PROJECT INCLUDES MANY INTERVIEWS WITH TOP MEDICAL EXPERTS ON THE TOPIC AS WELL AS INTERVIEWS WITH PATIENTS WHO SHARE INSIGHTFUL, FIRST- HAND KNOWLEDGE OF LIVING WITH THESE DIAGNOSES. SINCE 2020, ECAN HAS HOSTED A SERIES OF INFORMATIVE WEBINARS TO EDUCATE PATIENTS AND FAMILIES ABOUT THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, TREATMENT AND SURVIVORSHIP OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. IN 2021, ECAN HOSTED THE FIRST VIRTUAL CONFERENCE FOR PATIENTS AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WITH THIS GOAL. A PATH TO SAVE LIVES WAS A THREE-DAY VIRTUAL CONFERENCE THAT FEATURED THE TOP RESEARCHERS AND EXPERTS IN THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, TREATMENT, AND SURVIVORSHIP OF ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. IT RECEIVED RAVE REVIEWS FROM ATTENDEES. ECAN IS PLANNING TO CONTINUE HOSTING VIRTUAL AND/OR HYBRID CONFERENCES IN THE FUTURE. A GUIDE FOR PATIENTS WITH INPUT FROM PHYSICIANS AROUND THE COUNTRY, ECAN DEVELOPED AN INNOVATIVE GUIDE FOR PATIENTS PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE AND CLEAR INFORMATION ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN HEARTBURN AND CANCER. THE GUIDE IS DESIGNED TO HELP PATIENTS ADVOCATE FOR THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE AND IS AVAILABLE AS A FREE DOWNLOAD FROM THE ECAN WEBSITE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. LEGENDARY PARTNERSHIP ECAN IS FORTUNATE TO HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE ESTATE OF FILM ICON HUMPHREY BOGART WHOSE LIFE WAS CUT SHORT IN 1957 BY ESOPHAGEAL CANCER. FROM 2013 THROUGH 2017, THE HUMPHREY BOGART FILM FESTIVAL IN KEY LARGO, FLORIDA HOSTED A PROJECT THE ESTATE OF HUMPHREY BOGART PARTNERED WITH ECAN TO CREATE. CALLED SCREENINGS FOR SCREENINGS, THE PROJECT FEATURES MOVIE TRAILERS PRODUCED BY ECAN AND PRESENTED BEFORE EACH FILM SHOWN AT THE FILM FESTIVAL. IN THOSE VIDEOS, BOGART'S SON STEPHEN ENCOURAGES THOSE AT RISK FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER TO "GET CHECKED." EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE ECAN SPONSORS AND SUPPORTS MULTIPLE FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESS RAISING EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY INCLUDING WALKS, RUNS, BIKE RIDES, GOLF TOURNAMENTS, DINNERS, LIBRARY OUTREACH, SPEAKING EVENTS, ART SHOWS AND MORE. ECAN VOLUNTEERS HAVE HOSTED MORE THAN 150 EVENTS TO RAISE A
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
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 December 2024.
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 May 2008.
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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