American Cancer Society, Inc. Parent
Every Cancer. Every Life.
American Cancer Society, Inc.
EIN: 13-1788491
as of October 2024
as of October 15, 2024
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
The American Cancer Society is focused on improving the lives of all people facing cancer and their families, while working to reduce health disparities and increase equitable access to care.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Discovery
Since 1946, the American Cancer Society has invested more than $5 billion in cancer research. Our aim is to launch innovative, high-impact research to find more and better treatments, uncover factors that may cause cancer, and improve the quality of life for people facing cancer. We also fund grants that foster a more diverse cancer care and research workforce to better address the inequities in cancer prevention, treatment, and care.
Patient Support
Patient support is at the core of our work to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families. We help people find answers and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Our cancer.org website, one of the most comprehensive cancer resources in the world, logs more than 100 million visits each year, and our 24/7 helpline receives and responds to thousands of calls, emails, and chats daily in multiple languages.
Advocacy
Through the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)SM, our nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, we work to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through public policy advocacy. Since 2001, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and advanced proven tobacco control measures.
Where we work
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total Lives Touched
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Patient Support
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total lives touched through content and programs/initiatives that support people with cancer and their families as well as patients, caregivers, and professionals who receive expert information
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The American Cancer Society exists because the burden of cancer is unacceptably high. Through our critical day-to-day mission work, we are working to reduce cancer deaths by 50% over the next 25 years. We have established specific outcome goals to impact two of the most important challenges facing people touched by cancer: eliminating cancer disparities and simplifying access to quality cancer care.
Our comprehensive approach to addressing these challenges will focus on the following mission priorities:
Hope Lodge Expansion - Building 10 new communities across the country to provide more people facing cancer with a free home away from home when they must travel for treatment
IMPACT: Improving Mortality from Prostate Cancer - Working to reverse the alarming increase in advanced-stage prostate cancer, particularly among Black men
VOICES of Black Women - Launching one of the largest and most advanced studies ever undertaken to identify cancer risks among Black women.
ACS Center for Diversity in Cancer Research Training - Increasing diversity in the cancer workforce by creating clear career pathways from high school through advanced degree study.
ACS CARES: Community Access to Resources, Education, and Support - Delivering personalized and curated resources to patients where they are and when they need the information most
Advocating for Federally Funded Patient Navigation for All - Working to increase access to patient navigation services for people in every community through our public policy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)
Advocating for affordable cancer care - In partnership with ACS CAN, working to ensure health care coverage is keeping pace with oncological innovation and that there is equitable opportunity for everyone to get the best possible care
Access to clinical trials - Creating a new national clinical trial matching program to remove barriers to trial participation and increase enrollment rates.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The American Cancer Society works to achieve our outcome goals through patient-centric strategies that include public policy advocacy, systems policy and practice, information and empowerment for people facing cancer, research, and resource navigation. Every part of our work is aimed at advancing equitable access to cancer care for everyone, in every community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
With more than 110 years of experience working to reduce the cancer burden, our organization has unmatched expertise in cancer control and a long history of successfully partnering with corporate systems, health systems, and communities. Since 2001, our nonprofit, non-partisan affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network SM (ACS CAN), has successfully advocated for evidence-based public policies aimed at reducing the cancer burden for everyone. Through our mission work in the areas of research, advocacy, and patient support, we deliver comprehensive patient information and support programs and operate both extramural and intramural research programs.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since our organization was founded as the American Society for the Control of Cancer in 1913, major strides have been made in cancer research and early detection. The American Cancer Society has played a major part in many of these advancements and remains a global leader in the fight against cancer. We are measurably improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support.
As the largest nonprofit funder of cancer research in the US outside of the federal government, we have funded more than $5 billion in cancer research since 1946. Thanks in part to our efforts, we have seen a 33% decline in the cancer death rate since 1991, representing 4.1 million lives saved during that time.
Since 2001, our advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network SM (ACS CAN), has been advocating for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. They continue to fight at all levels of government to demand change from our elected officials to build healthier communities and provide greater, more equitable access to quality health care.
Our patient support programs and services reach people in more than 20,000 communities each year. We provide support and trusted information through our 24/7 cancer helpline, cancer.org website, and help remove barriers to care through transportation to appointments and lodging near treatment.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2023 info
1.74
Months of cash in 2023 info
0.7
Fringe rate in 2023 info
26%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
American Cancer Society, Inc.
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
This snapshot of American Cancer Society, Inc.’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
Profitability info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$8,912,684 | $19,927,216 | $196,974,775 | -$45,133,787 | -$28,538,317 |
As % of expenses | -1.2% | 3.6% | 34.9% | -6.9% | -3.8% |
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$23,743,592 | $4,833,638 | $183,504,524 | -$58,636,800 | -$43,482,203 |
As % of expenses | -3.2% | 0.9% | 31.8% | -8.8% | -5.7% |
Revenue composition info | |||||
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Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $720,131,846 | $576,295,531 | $734,386,259 | $674,472,929 | $656,838,115 |
Total revenue, % change over prior year | -6.5% | -20.0% | 27.4% | -8.2% | -2.6% |
Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.0% |
Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Investment income | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2.6% | 4.1% | 4.9% |
Government grants | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% |
All other grants and contributions | 94.3% | 91.8% | 88.2% | 95.7% | 97.6% |
Other revenue | 1.7% | 4.1% | 7.7% | -0.8% | -3.2% |
Expense composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses before depreciation | $715,855,760 | $548,914,325 | $564,191,005 | $655,700,683 | $741,328,718 |
Total expenses, % change over prior year | -1.5% | -23.3% | 2.8% | 16.2% | 13.1% |
Personnel | 46.1% | 52.5% | 42.0% | 39.3% | 41.6% |
Professional fees | 7.3% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 6.1% | 5.9% |
Occupancy | 6.5% | 7.0% | 4.7% | 4.6% | 4.2% |
Interest | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Pass-through | 22.9% | 17.5% | 27.7% | 29.1% | 26.3% |
All other expenses | 17.1% | 16.3% | 19.6% | 20.7% | 21.9% |
Full cost components (estimated) info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
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Total expenses (after depreciation) | $730,686,668 | $564,007,903 | $577,661,256 | $669,203,696 | $756,272,604 |
One month of savings | $59,654,647 | $45,742,860 | $47,015,917 | $54,641,724 | $61,777,393 |
Debt principal payment | $1,665,053 | $1,665,527 | $0 | $2,726,311 | $8,244,135 |
Fixed asset additions | $36,921,256 | $16,303,561 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total full costs (estimated) | $828,927,624 | $627,719,851 | $624,677,173 | $726,571,731 | $826,294,132 |
Capital structure indicators
Liquidity info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Months of cash | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
Months of cash and investments | 14.9 | 20.0 | 22.0 | 17.4 | 15.5 |
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 3.7 | 4.9 | 8.9 | 6.8 | 5.2 |
Balance sheet composition info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
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Cash | $88,291,803 | $44,516,886 | $42,464,913 | $41,852,584 | $45,244,598 |
Investments | $798,450,960 | $871,586,542 | $990,916,360 | $910,903,648 | $915,328,853 |
Receivables | $77,793,316 | $64,312,537 | $78,007,446 | $93,453,262 | $98,758,068 |
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $524,976,863 | $507,073,710 | $415,596,782 | $404,422,534 | $416,900,762 |
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 52.3% | 50.3% | 41.2% | 42.4% | 44.4% |
Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 33.4% | 30.1% | 26.4% | 29.5% | 29.4% |
Unrestricted net assets | $441,039,463 | $445,873,101 | $629,377,625 | $570,740,825 | $527,258,622 |
Temporarily restricted net assets | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Permanently restricted net assets | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total restricted net assets | $673,637,551 | $741,930,688 | $762,932,410 | $684,476,224 | $751,106,138 |
Total net assets | $1,114,677,014 | $1,187,803,789 | $1,392,310,035 | $1,255,217,049 | $1,278,364,760 |
Key data checks
Key data checks info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Chief Executive Officer
Karen Knudsen
Karen E. Knudsen, MBA, PhD, is the chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). As a well-respected cancer leader, researcher, and advocate, Dr. Knudsen guides the organization on our mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer. She has a strong commitment to ensuring that all people can benefit from the impact of our work.
Prior to joining ACS, Dr. Knudsen served as executive vice president of Oncology Services and enterprise director for Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health, one of only 71 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers recognized for their research and impact on cancer outcomes.
Dr. Knudsen holds a bachelor's degree in biology from the George Washington University; a PhD in biological
sciences from the University of California San Diego; and an MBA from Temple University Fox School of Business.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
American Cancer Society, Inc.
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
American Cancer Society, Inc.
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
American Cancer Society, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 09/26/2024
Board of directors data
Brian Marlow
Terri McClements
Mark A. Goldberg
Katie A. Eccles
Michael T. Marquardt
Sean T. Farnham
Jose C. Buenaga
Desiree G. Rogers
Asif Dhar
Norman E. Sharpless
Karen Etzkorn
Wayne A.I. Frederick
Kathleen Gallagher
Jaime Wesolowski
Michelle M. Le Beau
Connie Lindsey
Edison T. Liu
Michael Pellini
Kenneth R. Stoll
Robert Winn
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/01/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Contractors
Fiscal year endingProfessional fundraisers
Fiscal year endingSOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G