International Womens Forum
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FORUM IS TO ADVANCE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP WORLDWIDE. IWF TAKES DIRECT ACTION TO ACHIEVE OUR MISSION IN THREE IMPORTANT WAYS. CONNECT: OUR CONVENINGS PROVIDE NETWORKING AND CUTTING-EDGE CONTENT ESSENTIAL TO GLOBAL LEADERS. CATALYZE: OUR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FEATURE NETWORKING, MENTORING AND A WORLD-CLASS CURRICULUM. CELEBRATE: WE SHOWCASE WHAT WOMEN LEADERS CAN DO AND INSPIRE THE JOURNEY OF OTHERS.
- Income
- $10.4 million
- Spending
- $9.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 93%
- Reserves
- 4.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 61%
- Employees
- 16
- Volunteers
- 25
- Highest pay
- $451,891, chief executive officer
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: 81 out of 100. Higher than 75% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.7 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 19% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 40% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1593% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2530 of 30 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 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 (3)
- $5.1 million spent. CONFERENCES: IWF'S TWO ANNUAL CONFERENCES, THE WORLD LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE AND CORNERSTONE CONFERENCE, FEATURE SOME OF THE MOST AUTHORITATIVE AND TRENDSETTING VOICES ON ISSUES ESSENTIAL TO GLOBAL LEADERS IN A CHANGING WORLD. THE WORLD-CLASS CONTENT RIVALS THAT FOUND AT DAVOS AND THE ASPEN INSTITUTE AND IS DESIGNED TO INFORM LEADERS' DECISION MAKING AS THEY LEAD THEIR ORGANIZATIONS.OUR CONFERENCE CONTENT IS SUPPLEMENTED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BY IWF ONLINE EXCLUSIVES, FEATURING IWF MEMBERS' INSIGHTS AND INNOVATIONS.HALL OF FAME AWARDS AND GALA:THE IWF HALL OF FAME AWARDS HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT ANNUAL EVENT FOR IWF, HONORING WOMEN TACKLING THE MOST URGENT ISSUES FACING THE WORLD. AWARDEES ARE TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERS WHOSE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY ARE OUTSIZED ON A GLOBAL SCALE. THIS AWARD IS BESTOWED EACH YEAR IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR REMARKABLE IMPACT. RECENT HALL OF FAME HONOREES INCLUDE DR. PRECIOUS MOLOI-MOTSEPE, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, MOTSEPE FOUNDATION: MARY BARRA, CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF GENERAL MOTORS; FATMA SAMOURA, SECRETARY GENERAL OF FIFA; AND DR. DONNA STRICKLAND, 2018 NOBEL LAUREATE IN PHYSICS. PAST AWARDEES INCLUDE ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF, MARY ROBINSON, ISABEL ALLENDE, GINNI ROMETTY AND BILLIE JEAN KING.AS A PART OF THE HALL OF FAME AWARDS, IWF'S WOMEN WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE SALUTES MEMBERS NOMINATED BY THEIR OWN FORUMS FOR THE TREMENDOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS THEY HAVE MADE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THE WORLD.
- $1.9 million spent. FELLOWS PROGRAM: IWF'S WORLD-CLASS LEADERSHIP FELLOWS PROGRAM ACCELERATES THE PATH TO THE C-SUITE FOR WOMEN ACROSS ALL SECTORS. IT IS CUSTOM BUILT FOR LEADERS 3-5 YEARS AWAY FROM THE MOST SENIOR ROLES IN THEIR PROFESSIONS.THE PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE 1991 US GLASS CEILING REPORT, WHICH IDENTIFIED THREE KEY BARRIERS THAT RESTRICT THE POTENTIAL OF WOMEN LEADERS:- LIMITED ACCESS TO PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS- INADEQUATE LEADERSHIP TRAINING- LACK OF MENTORSIWF DIRECTLY TACKLES THESE BARRIERS AND UNLOCKS THAT POTENTIAL THROUGH OUR LEADERSHIP FELLOWS PROGRAM AND LEADERSHIP INTENSIVES. FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, THE LEADERSHIP FELLOWS PROGRAM HAS TRANSFORMED CAREERS. ITS SCOPE, RIGOR, AND IMPACT MAKE IT AN UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE FOR PERSONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND A POWERFUL TOOL FOR ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESSION PLANNING. IWF'S LEADERSHIP INTENSIVES ARE AN EXCELLENT SUPPLEMENT TO EXISTING CORPORATE TRAINING PROGRAMS. THE INTENSIVES FEATURE IWF MEMBERS SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE ON LEADING THROUGH DIVERSE AND COMPLEX CHALLENGES.
- $1.7 million spent. MEMBERSHIP: THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FORUM WAS LAUNCHED IN NEW YORK CITY IN 1974, WHEN THE FIRST GENERATION OF WOMEN LEADERS WAS BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING IN PROFESSIONAL SECTORS FROM FINANCE TO FINE ARTS. FORUM FOUNDERS LACKED ACCESS TO "THE OLD BOYS' NETWORK," SO THE NEW WOMEN'S NETWORK WAS BORNTO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SUPPORT, TO AID EACH MEMBER'S SUCCESS AND TO INSPIRE THE WOMEN WHO FOLLOW.WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN IS MORE IMPORTANT TODAY THAN WHEN IWF WAS FOUNDED MORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO. THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FORUM NOW CONNECTS MORE THAN 8,500 PREEMINENT WOMEN LEADERS IN 77 FORUMS IN 35 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. WE ARE THE ONLY ORGANIZATION OF THIS SCALE THAT BUILDS SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS AMONG C-LEVEL WOMEN ACROSS CAREERS, CULTURES AND CONTINENTS.OUR MEMBERS ARE NOBEL LAUREATES, OLYMPIC ATHLETES, CEOS, HEADS OF STATE, ACADEMICS, ARTISTS, ASTRONAUTS, LAWYERS, FINANCIERS, SCIENTISTS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND MORE. OUR MEMBERS BUILD, CREATE AND TRANSFORM OUR BUSINESS, OUR SOCIETY AND OUR WORLD.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
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.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 2020.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.
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