Sutter Bay Medical Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O
- Income
- $4.1 billion
- Spending
- $4.0 billion
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- -0.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 97%
- Employees
- 10,900
- Volunteers
- 59
- Highest pay
- $3.7 million, sh svp, coo/asst sec sbmf
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
Fair: 52 out of 100. Higher than 26% of charities in its peer group (medical research, over $100m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 42% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 16% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1591% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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 41% of charities in its peer group (medical research, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 15 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 (1)
- $3.6 billion spent. Sutter Bay Medical Foundation Sutter Bay Medical Foundation (SBMF) is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in both multispecialty group practice of medicine and outpatient medicine. Serving communities throughout Northern California, Sutter Health is a regional leader in primary care and specialty care and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. In 1993, Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) affiliated with Sutter Health, a family of not-for-profit hospitals and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. In 2016, Sutter began the process of merging Bay Area medical foundations to form SBMF. In August 2017, Sutter West Bay Medical Foundation (SWBMF) and Sutter East Bay Medical Foundation (SEBMF) merged into SBMF. In 2008, the physicians of the former Camino Medical Group, Palo Alto Medical Clinic and Santa Cruz Medical Clinic merged into a single physician group called the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group (PAFMG) to contract with PAMF to provide physician services and in 2010, a new multispecialty physician group, Peninsula Medical Clinic (PMC), was formed. In 2017 PMC merged into PAFMG, creating a single physician group. In addition, in 2017 as part of the merger of SWBMF and SEBMF into SBMF, East Bay Physicians Medical Group (EBPMG), Sutter Medical Group of the Redwoods, Inc., Physician Foundation Medical Associates, Inc. and Marin Headlands Medical Group, Inc. contracted with SBMF to provide physician services. In 2024, SBMF's 1,831 affiliated physicians and 8,037 employees served 1,264,019 patients through 9,938,298 patient visits, outpatient surgeries, and urgent care visits. SBMF's mission is to enhance the well-being of the people in our communities through compassion, excellence and innovation in health care services, research and education. SBMF has three divisions: 1. Health Care 2. Education 3. Research Health Care Division SBMF's Health Care Division consists of five service areas: 1. Peninsula Area, serving San Mateo, Santa Clara counties 2. South Bay Area, serving Santa Clara County 3. Santa Cruz Area, serving Santa Cruz County 4. East Bay Area, serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties 5. Sonoma and San Francisco Area, serving Sonoma, Marin and San Francisco counties These service areas offer more than 45 medical specialties, a full range of medical services, and state-of-the-art technology. This technology includes the most advanced diagnostic imaging and treatment devices, an electronic health record system, three licensed acute-care facilities, and one accredited home health agency. SBMF's advanced capabilities and emphasis on outpatient care allow physicians and staff to minimize hospitalization of patients, reducing the overall cost of medical care significantly while maintaining the highest quality of care for patients. SBMF continues to expand and integrate services through efforts such as transplant and advanced organ therapies outreach clinics to provide care at all phases of the kidney, liver, and pancreas transplant process for patients across Northern California and Nevada. The teams coordinate care in local communities while the transplant event takes place at Sutter Health's California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. As part of its commitment to serving its community, SBMF provides care to medically indigent patients and those enrolled in Medicare, Medi-Cal, and other government programs whose reimbursements fall short of covering the cost of providing care. There are 198 clinics across SBMF's service areas to further its commitment to serving its community, 21 within Peninsula, 24 within South Bay, 18 within Santa Cruz, 17 within East Bay and 105 within Sonoma and San Francisco. Recent Achievements 1. PAMF honored as a Top Ten Percent organization in Clinical Quality by Integrated Health Association Align Measure Perform program (IHA AMP) for our 2023 (most recent) measurement year performance. 2. PAMF honored as a Top Ten Percent organization in Patient Experience by Integrated Health Association Align Measure Perform program (IHA AMP) for our 2023 (most recent) measurement year performance. 3. SBMF achieved Exceptional Performer (top rating) in CMS Quality Payment Program (MIPS) based on our 2023 performance. 4. Palo Alto Medical Foundation was recognized by the Healthcare Equality Index as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader. This recognition showcases healthcare providers who uphold policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees. 5. Top ASCs in California by US News and World Report (Mountain View, Palo Alto, Fremont and San Carlos) announced March 18, 2025 6. Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group received 4 star rating for its overall 2023 (most recent) care of Medicare Advantage (MA) patients, as publicly reported on the Integrated Healthcare Association's (IHA) website program. 7. California's Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA) awards their top rating (5 stars) to PAMF-PAFMG for patient experience and 5 stars for quality in all 4 counties that we serve. 8. PAMF Scores in Top 10 Percent for multiple domains in the state for patient satisfaction according to our 2024 Patient Assessment Survey. 85% of the domains we score in the top quintile in the State. Participants are over 180 provider groups in California. 9. PAFMG exceeds the 2024 Sutter Best Practice Target on Quality with 64% metrics above 90th percentile performance and is the top-rated physician organization in Sutter. 10. Palo Alto Medical Foundation has earned a 2024 AMGA RIZE to the Challenge award. This award is based on high performance on the campaign measures including top 5 performance on the vaccine bundle measure and top 5 on the zoster and Td/Tdap measures. Research Division In 2024, PAMFRI participated in 54 clinical trials, enrolled 431 patients, and completed 2,915 study-related visits with patients. We received 116 awards
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 June 1950.
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.