International Myeloma Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF MYELOMA PATIENTS WHILE WORKING TOWARD PREVENTION AND A CURE.
- Income
- $18.3 million
- Spending
- $18.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- 6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Employees
- 57
- Volunteers
- 317
- Highest pay
- $861,304, chief scientific officer thru 7/8/24
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 71 out of 100.
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.0 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 41% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2515 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 September 30, 2025, 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 (4)
- $5.7 million spent. RESEARCH - THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION (IMF) IS THE LEADER IN GLOBALLY COLLABORATIVE MYELOMA RESEARCH. IMF BRINGS TOGETHER THE WORLD'S LEADING EXPERTS TO COLLABORATE ON TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA WORKING GROUP (IMWG), WHICH PUBLISHES TREATMENT GUIDELINES IN PRESTIGIOUS MEDICAL JOURNALS, ADVANCES RESEARCH TOWARD PREVENTION AND CURE, MENTORS THE NEXT GENERATION OF INNOVATIVE INVESTIGATORS, AND IMPROVES LIVES THROUGH BETTER CARE. IMWG IS CONSIDERED THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS ORGANIZATION FOR MYELOMA RESEARCHERS GLOBALLY. THE BLACK SWAN RESEARCH INITIATIVE IS A MULTINATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF LEADING MYELOMA EXPERTS WHO ARE HARNESSING NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THE LATEST MYELOMA TREATMENTS TO FIND A PATHWAY TO A CURE. THE BLACK SWAN RESEARCH STRATEGY CAPITALIZES ON THE AVAILABILITY OF POTENT NOVEL THERAPIES AND THE ADVENT OF ULTRA-SENSITIVE TESTS TO MEASURE EXACTLY WHEN AND HOW THOSE THERAPIES ARE WORKING IN PATIENTS. THE BLACK SWAN RESEARCH INITIATIVE IS DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING NEW CURATIVE AND PREVENTATIVE THERAPIES FOR MYELOMA.
- $3.1 million spent. EDUCATION AND AWARENESS - ALTHOUGH IT IS THE SECOND MOST COMMON BLOOD CANCER, MULTIPLE MYELOMA IS STILL A RELATIVELY UNKNOWN DISEASE. FOR MANY PATIENTS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS, IT IS AT DIAGNOSIS WHEN THEY FIRST HEARD THE WORD "MYELOMA". IMF RECOGNIZES THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR BOTH THE PATIENT AND THE PHYSICIAN TO ENSURE THAT PATIENTS ARE DIAGNOSED CORRECTLY AND TREATED EFFECTIVELY.OUR LIBRARY OF MORE THAN 100 PUBLICATIONS FOR PATIENTS, CAREGIVERS AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, IS AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE. PUBLICATIONS ARE UPDATED ANNUALLY AND AVAILABLE IN MORE THAN 19 LANGUAGES.THE IMF EMPOWERS PATIENTS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS TO PARTICIPATE AS ACTIVE DECISION-MAKING PARTNERS WITH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, LEADING TO THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE IMF PRODUCES COMPREHENSIVE BUT USER-FRIENDLY INFORMATION FOR THE ENTIRE MYELOMA COMMUNITY. THE IMF'S PUBLICATIONS LIBRARY INCLUDES AN EXTENSIVE CATALOG OF BOOKLETS, TIP CARDS, ARTICLES, WEBINARS AND TELECONFERENCES, BLOGS, DIGITAL MEDIA AND INTERVIEWS, ALL WRITTEN, CREATED, AND PRODUCED BY THE IMF WITH OVERSIGHT BY ITS SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THE IMF LIBRARY'S BROAD SCOPE INCLUDES INFORMATION ABOUT MYELOMA TREATMENT OPTIONS, CLINICAL TRIALS, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE CONSIDERATIONS FOR PATIENTS AND PHYSICIANS.
- $1.9 million spent. PATIENT AND FAMILY SEMINARS: THE IMF'S PATIENT AND FAMILY SEMINARS PRESENT VITAL INFORMATION ABOUT NEW TREATMENTS AND CLINICAL TRIALS, PROVIDE TIME WITH MYELOMA SPECIALISTS IN INTIMATE SETTINGS, AND ALLOW PARTICIPANTS TO SHARE THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND SUPPORT. PREMIER MYELOMA EXPERTS VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO EMPOWER PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO MAKE EDUCATED TREATMENT CHOICES TAILORED TO THEIR NEEDS. IN ADDITION TO PATIENT AND FAMILY SEMINARS, THE IMF FACILITATES REGIONAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS, WHICH SERVE AS CONDENSED SEMINARS IN SMALLER CITIES TO EXPAND THE REACH OF IMF PROGRAMS AND UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON MYELOMA CARE, SUPPORT AND TREATMENT TO A WIDER AUDIENCE AT NO CHARGE.
- $5.1 million spent. INTERNATIONAL - THE IMF GROWS ITS NETWORK OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AROUND THE WORLD. KEY TEAM MEMBERS ORGANIZE PHYSICIAN AS WELL AS PATIENT MEETINGS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE EDUCATION ABOUT THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF MULTIPLE MYELOMA.SUPPORT GROUPS - THROUGH A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF VOLUNTEER-LED SUPPORT GROUPS, THE IMF ENSURES THAT PATIENTS AND FAMILIES HAVE LOCAL ACCESS TO SUPPORT AND EDUCATION. THE IMF CURRENTLY SUPPORTS OVER 160 SUPPORT GROUPS WORLDWIDE. THE IMF PROVIDES WEBSITE CREATION AND HOSTING FOR LOCAL SUPPORT GROUPS, AND PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS TO ATTEND THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEMATOLOGY ANNUAL MEETING. THE IMF HOSTS AN ANNUAL SUPPORT GROUP LEADERS SUMMIT TO PROVIDE TRAINING AND SHARING OF BEST PRACTICES FOR VOLUNTEER LEADERS. NURSE EDUCATION - THE IMF NURSE LEADERSHIP BOARD (NLB) IS A PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIP REPRESENTING NURSE EXPERTS CARING FOR MYELOMA PATIENTS AT LEADING MEDICAL CENTERS. FOUNDED IN NOVEMBER 2006, THE NLB BOLSTERS NURSING EDUCATION, CLINICAL CARE EXPERIENCE EXCHANGE, AND PATIENT KNOWLEDGE AND EMPOWERMENT IN AN EFFORT TO OPTIMIZE OUTCOMES FOR PATIENTS WITH MYELOMA. THE NLB HAS IMPROVED THE NURSING CARE AND SELF-CARE OF MYELOMA PATIENTS SINCE ITS INCEPTION.CLINICAL MEETINGS - IMF PLANS AND HOSTS THE WORLD'S LEADING MYELOMA EXPERTS AT ANNUAL CLINICAL MEETINGS AROUND THE GLOBE TO SUPPORT COLLABORATIVE MYELOMA-RELATED RESEARCH PROJECTS, SHARE DATA, AND AVOID DUPLICATION OF EFFORTS AND DILUTION OF VALUABLE RESOURCES. REGIONAL COALITIONS PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AND PROVIDE CME-ACCREDITED MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. ADVOCACY - THE IMF IS DEDICATED TO CREATING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS THE NEEDS OF ALL PEOPLE AFFECTED BY MYELOMA. THE IMF ADVOCATES ON BEHALF OF THOSE AFFECTED BY MULTIPLE MYELOMA TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY DIAGNOSTICS AND TREATMENTS, FOR FUNDING OF MYELOMA-RELATED RESEARCH, AND FOR AN END TO INSURANCE COVERAGE DISPARITIES FOR TREATMENT. THE IMF CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS COMMITMENT TO EMPOWERING PATIENTS, FAMILIES, AND FRIENDS TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF PATIENT RIGHTS.INFOLINE - THE IMF'S TOLL-FREE INFORMATION TELEPHONE LINE PROVIDES MYELOMA TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT SUPPORT FROM COMPASSIONATE, HIGHLY TRAINED SPECIALISTS. AS NEW TREATMENT OPTIONS BECOME AVAILABLE TO TREAT MULTIPLE MYELOMA, INFOLINE COORDINATORS ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT MYELOMA, ITS TREATMENT, DRUG SIDE EFFECTS, OPTIONS FOR POSSIBLE CLINICAL TRIALS, OTHER HEALTH CONCERNS, AND WHERE TO FIND LOCAL SUPPORT.WEBSITE - THE IMF WEBSITE IS THE LEADING RESOURCE FOR MYELOMA-RELATED CONTENT AND THE MOST COMPLETE SOURCE OF ANSWERS FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS TO THOSE LIVING WITH MYELOMA FOR MANY YEARS. THE WEBSITE PROVIDES DEEP INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS, CAREGIVERS, FAMILY MEMBERS, AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS. INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. CONTENT FOCUSES ON THE IMF'S RESEARCH, EDUCATION, SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY INITIATIVES. IMF OFFERS THE FIRST AND ONLY GENERATIVE AI MYELOMA-SPECIFIC CHATBOT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION AND SUPPORT RELATED TO MULTIPLE MYELOMA. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT FROM QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS. SEE IMF WEBSITE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.MYELOMA TODAY - MYELOMA TODAY IS A QUARTERLY EDUCATIONAL NEWSLETTER AND THE GO-TO RESOURCE FOR THE MYELOMA COMMUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE LATEST ADVANCES IN MYELOMA TREATMENT, RESEARCH AND QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES. IT IS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE.INFORMATIONAL MAILINGS - THE INFOPACK IS MADE UP OF A SELECTION OF THE IMF'S PUBLICATIONS AND IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE NEWLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE DISEASE AND CARE. THE INFO PACK CONTAINS INFORMATIVE MATERIALS FREE OF CHARGE IN 19 LANGUAGES.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 September 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 June 1995.
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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