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Target ALS Foundation Inc

EIN 81-0756743 · New York, NY

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceReports resultsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

OUR MISSION IS TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS TO ALS RESEARCH TO FIND EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS. BY UNITING ACADEMIA, THE PHARMA AND BIOTECH INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, VENTURE CAPITAL, RELATED NONPROFITS, AND THE ALS COMMUNITY, WE AIM TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES THAT HAVE LONG HINDERED PROGRESS, BRINGING HOPE AND TANGIBLE ADVANCEMENTS TO THOSE AFFECTED BY THIS DEVASTATING DISEASE.

Income
$33.3 million
Spending
$25.6 million
Spent on programs
82%
Reserves
43 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 89%
Employees
18
Volunteers
36
Highest pay
$445,255, president

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 94% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 43.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 23% of income.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    82% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    14 of 14 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, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Reports results. Its tax return states measurable results. These are its own figures and nobody has checked them.

Results it reports

  • Research funding was provided across 151 grants in three critical areas.Work delivered
  • More than 500 researchers have accessed the data engine.Work delivered

Read from the return by an AI model and shown only where the wording was found in the return. These are the charity's own figures.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $21.0 million spent. RESEARCH WE FUND:TARGET ALS IS THE LARGEST AND MOST IMPACTFUL PRIVATE FUNDER OF ALS RESEARCH WORLDWIDE. THANKS TO THE GENEROUS TRUST PLACED IN US BY OUR DONORS, WE CAN DIRECT RESOURCES TO THE MOST PROMISING IDEAS AND EMERGING SCIENTIFIC LEADERS ACROSS THE GLOBE. OUR FUNDED PROJECTS HAVE A HIGH SUCCESS RATE, DELIVERING MEANINGFUL RESULTS TO ADVANCE IDEAS FROM EARLY TO LATE STAGE RESEARCH. IN 2025, WE CONTINUED TO EXPAND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, DRIVING NEARLY $12M INTO INNOVATION ACROSS 151 GRANTS IN THREE CRITICAL AREAS:UNDERSTANDING ALS BIOLOGY: ADVANCING INSIGHTS INTO THE ROOT CAUSES OF DISEASE TO IDENTIFY NEW DRUG TARGETS.ACCELERATING DRUG DISCOVERY: SUPPORTING PROOF-OF-CONCEPT STUDIES THAT PAVE THE WAY TOWARD CLINICAL TRIALS.DEVELOPING BIOMARKERS: ENABLING EARLIER DIAGNOSIS, IDENTIFYING ALS SUBTYPES, AND MONITORING DISEASE PROGRESSION WITH PRECISIONEVERY GRANT THAT TARGET ALS FUNDS IS TIED TO A DELIBERATE STRATEGY AND A LONG-RANGE VISION FOR THE FIELD, ENSURING THAT PROMISING IDEAS MOVE THROUGH THE FULL RESEARCH PATHWAY: UNCOVERING DISEASE BIOLOGY, IDENTIFYING AND REFINING NEW THERAPEUTIC TARGETS OR BIOMARKERS, VALIDATING THEM IN RIGOROUS MODELS, GENERATING TRANSLATIONAL DATA, AND PREPARING THE STRONGEST CANDIDATES FOR CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT. OUR FUNDING ALLOCATION REFLECTS WHERE THE STRONGEST IDEAS EMERGE. THE DISTRIBUTION OF OUR FUNDING ISN'T SET BY QUOTAS OR PERCENTAGES. IT'S SHAPED BY WHERE THE MOST COMPELLING SCIENCE IS HAPPENING. EACH YEAR, WE INVEST IN THE PROPOSALS WITH THE CLEAREST BIOLOGICAL RATIONALE, THE STRONGEST EVIDENCE, AND THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO ADVANCE THE FIELD. RESEARCH WE ENABLE:TARGET ALS CONTINUES TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS TO PROGRESS BY OFFERING NO-STRINGS-ATTACHED ACCESS TO CRITICAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES THROUGH OUR RESEARCH CORES. THESE SHARED RESOURCES ADDRESS LONGSTANDING CHALLENGES IN ALS RESEARCH THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY SLOWED DISCOVERY: LIMITED ACCESS, HIGH COSTS, AND LACK OF STANDARDIZATION. THE RESEARCH CORES ACCELERATE DRUG DISCOVERY AND BIOMARKER DEVELOPMENT WHILE FOSTERING COLLABORATION ACROSS THE GLOBAL ALS COMMUNITY. IN 2025, TARGET ALS INVESTED OVER $8M TO EMPOWER SCIENTISTS WITH THE MATERIALS, DATA, AND INFRASTRUCTURE THEY NEED TO DRIVE PROGRESS FROM THE BENCH TO THE CLINIC. FROM OUR POSTMORTEM TISSUE CORE TO THE LONGITUDINAL BIOFLUIDS CORE POWERED BY OUR GLOBAL NATURAL HISTORY STUDY (GNHS) AND OPEN-ACCESS DATA ENGINE, TARGET ALS PROVIDES RESEARCHERS WORLDWIDE WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART BIOSAMPLES, DATASETS, ANTIBODIES, AND MORE, WITH NO REACHTHROUGH ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP). THESE TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE TO BOTH ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY, ENSURING THAT SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS CAN MOVE SWIFTLY AND COLLABORATIVELY TOWARD THERAPIES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH ALS. TO DATE, MORE THAN 1,750 PROJECTS HAVE RELIED ON THESE RESOURCES, SPANNING BASIC BIOLOGY, TARGET VALIDATION, BIOMARKER DISCOVERY, AND THERAPEUTIC DEVELOPMENT. AND THE MOMENTUM IS ONLY GROWING: OVER 500 RESEARCHERS HAVE ACCESSED OUR DATA ENGINE, WHILE GLOBAL CONSORTIA OF PREEMINENT SCIENTISTS ARE WORKING TOGETHER WITH TARGET ALS FUNDS TO SHARE DATA, REPLICATE FINDINGS, AND AMPLIFY IMPACT.RESEARCH WE CONDUCT:ALS IS A DISEASE THAT AFFECTS PEOPLE OF EVERY RACE AND ETHNICITY AROUND THE WORLD. HOWEVER, CLINICAL TRIALS ENROLL PRIMARILY PEOPLE OF WHITE, EUROPEAN DESCENT RESULTING IN A BIASED, INCOMPLETE VIEW OF DISEASE BIOLOGY ACROSS THE ALS GLOBAL POPULATION. THE ALS GLOBAL RESEARCH INITIATIVE (AGRI) IS THE ONLY COMPREHENSIVE, GLOBAL RESEARCH EFFORT THAT BRINGS TOGETHER TWO COMPLEMENTARY CLINICAL STUDIES DESIGNED TO UNCOVER THE CAUSES OF ALS AND IDENTIFY NEW BIOMARKERS THAT CAN DIAGNOSE THE DISEASE EARLIER, TRACK ITS PROGRESSION, AND PREDICT OUTCOMES. THESE STUDIES PROVIDE RESEARCHERS UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS TO PATIENT DATA AND BIOSAMPLES WORLDWIDE, RAPIDLY ACCELERATING NEW DISCOVERIES AND DRIVING PROGRESS TOWARD MORE EFFECTIVE THERAPIES. ULTIMATELY, INCLUSIVE RESEARCH STRENGTHENS SCIENTIFIC VALIDITY, IMPROVES PATIENT OUTCOMES, AND HELPS ENSURE THAT BREAKTHROUGHS BENEFIT EVERYONE, NOT JUST A SUBSET OF THE POPULATION. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE INVESTED OVER $1.5M, WHICH FUELED AGRI'S BOLD GOAL: BRING THE WORLD TOGETHER TO TACKLE ALS FROM EVERY ANGLE. THROUGH OUR GLOBAL NATURAL HISTORY STUDY (GNHS) AND COMMUNITYBASED POP-UP CLINICS, WE'RE MAKING ALS RESEARCH MORE INCLUSIVE, MORE IMMEDIATE, AND MORE COLLABORATIVE THAN EVER BEFORE.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since June 2020.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.