Form 990 for tax year 2025

Totals

Total revenue

$6,664,147

Total expenses

$1,878,040

Contributions and grants received

$6,657,820

Grants paid

$526,007

Program service revenue

$0

Investment income

$6,327

Other revenue

$0

Total assets, end of year

$527,780

Total liabilities, end of year

$311,280

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$216,500

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$1,002,587

Management and general expenses

$875,453

Fundraising expenses

$0

Program service expenses (Part III)

$1,002,587

Program services were 53.4% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2025

• THE ABMS REF GRANT PROGRAM FUNDS INDEPENDENT AND INNOVATIVE RESEARCH THAT EXPLORES THE IMPACT OF BOARD CERTIFICATION, WORKING TO ENHANCE HEALTH CARE QUALITY AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS, AND GATHERING INSIGHTS AND INFORM IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STRUCTURE, PROCESSES, AND OUTCOMES OF MEDICAL SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION. A KEY OBJECTIVE OF THE GRANT PROGRAM IS TO FACILITATE A COMMUNITY OF RESEARCH FOCUSED ON BOARD CERTIFICATION. THE PROGRAM FOSTERS GRANTEE INTERACTIONS WITH EACH OTHER, AND THE ABMS MEMBER BOARDS. THE REF ALSO OVERSEES THE ABMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM, FOSTERING EARLY-CAREER PHYSICIANS AND RESEARCH PROFESSIONALS AND FACILITATING LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH ABMS AND THE BROADER CERTIFICATION COMMUNITY.

  Expenses $529,512 · Grants $300,000

• THE ABMS REF OVERSEES THE IMPLEMENTATION AND COORDINATION OF THE ABMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM (SP). THE SP IS ESTABLISHED TO SUPPORT RESEARCH PROJECTS OF EARLY-CAREER PHYSICIANS, MEDICAL AND SURGICAL SPECIALISTS, AND RESEARCH PROFESSIONALS, JUNIOR FACULTY, FELLOWS, AND RESIDENTS, AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS HOLDING MASTER OR DOCTORATE DEGREES IN PUBLIC HEALTH, HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION AND STATISTICS, PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION, OR OTHER RELEVANT DISCIPLINES.SP PARTICIPANTS ARE EXPOSED TO THE FIELDS OF PHYSICIAN AND MEDICAL SPECIALISTS PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT AND CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, HEALTH CARE (CONTINUED ON SCH O) POLICY AND REGULATION, AND HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH. SP PARTICIPANTS CONDUCT RESEARCH IN COLLABORATION WITH MENTORS FROM THEIR INSTITUTIONS, ABMS, AND ABMS MEMBER BOARDS. THROUGH THEIR RESEARCH AND PROGRAM ENGAGEMENT, SCHOLARS INFORM THE STUDY OF CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PHYSICIAN ASSESSMENT, SELF-REGULATION, AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT.

  Expenses $302,206 · Grants $226,007

• THE ABMS REF SYNERGIZES, GUIDES, CONVENES, FACILITATES, CONDUCTS, AND COLLABORATES IN RELATION TO ALL ASPECTS OF RESEARCH REGARDING ABMS INITIAL AND CONTINUING CERTIFICATION ACROSS THE 24 ABMS MEMBER BOARDS. THE ABMS REF ALSO PARTNERS WITH OTHER RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP RESEARCH PROJECTS IN THE AREAS OF QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT, PATIENT SAFETY, PHYSICIAN AND MEDICAL SPECIALISTS' LEARNING AND EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FOUNDATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER DISCIPLINES. THE ABMS REF CONDUCTS PROGRAM EVALUATION AND RESEARCH ON THE ABMS LONGITUDINAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS' ABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY ANALYZE PHYSICIAN KNOWLEDGE, JUDGEMENT, AND SKILLS.

  Expenses $149,823

• THE ABMS REF DEVELOPS, DEPLOYS, MAINTAINS, AND IMPROVES AN ONLINE REPOSITORY OF PUBLISHED LITERATURE AND OTHER PRESENTATIONS ON INITIAL PHYSICIAN SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION, CONTINUING PHYSICIAN SPECIALTY CERTIFICATION, AS WELL AS COMPONENTS OF CONTINUOUS CERTIFICATION SUCH AS KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT, PHYSICIANS AND MEDICAL SPECIALISTS' LEARNING AND EDUCATION, AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT. THIS CURATED REPOSITORY INFORMS RESEARCHERS, KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND ABMS MEMBER BOARDS REGARDING FINDINGS THAT CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS.

  Expenses $21,046

• TOTAL PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES: $1,002,588

As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• JOHN HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

  $75,000

  REF RESEARCH GRANT

• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO

  $75,000

  REF RESEARCH GRANT

• AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS

  $75,000

  REF RESEARCH GRANT

• UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM

  $75,000

  REF RESEARCH GRANT

• OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY

  $15,000

  ABMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM

• MASS GENERAL HOSP HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL

  $15,000

  ABMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM

• UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

  $15,000

  ABMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM

• BETH ISREAL-HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL

  $15,000

  ABMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM

• FEINBERG SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

  $15,000

  ABMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM

• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

  $15,000

  ABMS SCHOLARS PROGRAM

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• AMERICAN BOARD OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES

  501(C)(6) · CERTIFICATION · IL

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2025

Filed

8 September 2026

IRS schema version

2025v4.2

Source object

202622519349302022

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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