Society of Senior Ford Fellows
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The mission of the Society of Senior Ford Fellows shall be to leverage its collective achievements as publicly facing scholars in the arts, education, engineering, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences in order to influence academic, national, and global conversations and action toward the attainment of social justice, equity, and the advancement of intellectual rigor and democratic values in the United States and global society.
- Income
- $267,930
- Spending
- $66,776
- Spent on programs
- 90%
- Reserves
- Over 10 years of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 30
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
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover more than ten years of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 75% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1590% 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
Weak: 46 out of 100.
Independent board
5 of 250 of 12 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a 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.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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)
- $60,098 spent. In 2024, the Society of Senior Ford Fellows (SSFF) entered its fourth full year of incorporation following official incorporation in spring of 2020. In 2024, the SSFF focused program services on members services including further development of a web-based, public facing membership directory and growth of the membership base. SSFF income in 2024 was based on a membership campaign and associated member donations and on a general grant received from the Ford Foundation. The SSFF had 347 active members at the end of the calendar year. A 'general support' grant from Ford Foundation was submitted in the summer of 2022 and funded for a period of 5 years. We held several professional development conferences and board retreats. We held our second in-person members meeting in June of 2024 at the University of California District of Columbia (UCDC) site. We held our fourth virtual members conference in October of 2024. The virtual conference provided scholarly presentations with a keynote address by Dr. Lorrie Frasure (UCLA) as well as breakout sessions by region to brainstorm future SSFF events. These conferences are free. Financial support for member participants in the in-person conference were provided. In 2024, the SSFF also continued to build infrastructure. The infrastructure developed in 2024 included expansion of the SSFF web-presence and member-to-member communication tools. The directory has been used by academic institutions and the press to identify scholars for panels and articles. It is also used by members and students to identify potential mentors. The SSFF additionally contracted services to develop the website further. The SSFF also developed officer and board member handbooks and protocols.
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 September 2020.
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.