irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $424KSEE SCHEDULE O
- #2 $326KSEE SCHEDULE O
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Bioethics Founders' Award
Annual award recognizing individuals who have made substantial, sustained contributions to the field of bioethics globally.
Ethics & Human Research (E&HR)
Journal focused on ethical and regulatory issues in human subjects research, published six times annually with global distribution.
Hastings Bioethics Forum
Online commentary platform featuring expert analysis on current bioethics issues in the news, reaching hundreds of thousands of readers.
Health Equity Summit
Annual public event convened with partner organizations to discuss pressing issues in health justice, drawing over 2,500 attendees.
The Hastings Center Report
Peer-reviewed journal publishing scholarly analysis and commentary on bioethics topics, distributed primarily online to over 11,000 institutions and individuals.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
-
Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
- Builds bioethics capacity through training and mentorship programsOffers the Sadler Scholars program, SNF Global Bioethics Mentorship Program, and a Summer Bioethics Program for undergraduates. Provides remote mentorship for early-career scholars in low- and middle-income countries and supports underrepresented students entering bioethics through pathway programs.
-
-
Leadership & Policy Dialogue Forums 1 activity
- Convenes public and professional events on bioethical issuesHosts webinars, public events, and summits such as the 2022 Health Equity Summit co-hosted with the AAMC Center for Health Justice, which drew over 2,500 attendees and offered continuing education credits. Shares insights via a biweekly newsletter and the Bioethics Chats podcast series.
-
-
Academic Research Dissemination 1 activity
- Disseminates bioethics research through publications and public platformsPublishes peer-reviewed journals including The Hastings Center Report and Ethics & Human Research, along with Special Reports, books, and the Hastings Bioethics Forum. In 2022, distributed over 620,000 downloads of The Hastings Center Report and 40,000 of Ethics and Human Research to thousands of institutions globally.
-
-
Healthcare Education Scholarships and Fellowships 1 activity
- Funds and recognizes exemplary end-of-life care providers through award programsAwards grants totaling $25,000 to senior and mid-career physicians and nurses, and $15,000 to early-career physicians, through the Cunniff-Dixon Physician and Nursing Awards. Recognizes U.S. clinicians providing outstanding end-of-life care in hospital, hospice, and home settings, including a dedicated award for those serving underserved populations.
-
-
Medical Research Funding 1 activity
- Funds leadership and sustained contributions to bioethics through annual awardsAwards recognition and funding to individuals who have made substantial, long-term contributions to advancing bioethics in medicine, science, and public policy, including the Founders Award and the Dr. Richard Payne Leadership Award.
-
-
Uncategorized 2 activities
- Conducts interdisciplinary research on bioethical issues in health, science, and technologyProduces original research on ethical challenges in health care, life sciences, environmental ethics, and public policy, with a focus on inclusive discourse and diverse moral perspectives. Research topics include neurodiversity, fatness, gender identity, synthetic biology, spatial access to health, and science communication.
- Engages in public and policy advocacy to shape bioethics discourseAmplifies research impact through media engagement, public commentaries, webinars, and expert testimony, such as providing ethical analysis on synthetic cells to NPR. Shapes national conversations on bioethics via public events and media outreach.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$4.97M
Contributions & grants$3.94M79%
Program service revenue$311K6%
Investment income$685K14%
Other revenue$25K
expenses
Total expenses$4.56M
Program expenses78%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising7%
Salaries & benefits$3.39M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$13.76M
Cash$1.06M
Investments$10.30M
Liabilities$308K
Net assets$13.45M
Liquid reserves29.9 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +45.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 8
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARDIT RAVITSKY | PRESIDENT & CEO | 35 | $400K |
| CATHERINE MEISTERICH | COO/CFO | 26 | $285K |
| RYAN SAUDER | CHIEF STRATEGY & ADVANCEMENT OFFICER | 35 | $253K |
| ERIK PARENS | SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR | 35 | $203K |
| GREGORY KAEBNICK | DIRECTOR, RESEARCH DEPT., SENIOR SCHOL | 35 | $184K |
| NANCY BERLINGER | SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR | 35 | $160K |
| KAREN MASCHKE | EDITOR, EH&R, SENIOR SCHOLAR | 35 | $160K |
| VIRGINIA BROWN | RESEARCH SCHOLAR | 35 | $145K |
board members · 17
- AMRIT RAY — TRUSTEE
- BLAIR SADLER — TRUSTEE
- BRADFORD H GRAY — TRUSTEE
- DARA RICHARDSON-HERON — TRUSTEE
- DARRELL KIRCH — TRUSTEE
- DINA DUBLON — TRUSTEE
- ELLEN JEWETT — TRUSTEE
- FAITH FLETCHER — TRUSTEE
- FRANKLIN G MILLER — TRUSTEE
- GILBERT S OMENN — TRUSTEE
- HARVEY MOTULSKY — TRUSTEE
- JOHN USDAN — TRUSTEE
- JOSEPH J FINS — CHAIRMAN
- MICHAEL ROTH — TRUSTEE
- MICHELE GOODWIN — TRUSTEE
- PETER CANELLOS — SECRETARY
- REED TUCKSON — Trustee
relationships · 15
Who they work with
- Association of American Medical Colleges Center for Health Justice Partner — Co-convened a two-day Health Equity Summit in 2022.
- Cunniff Dixon Foundation Partner — Co-sponsors the Cunniff-Dixon Physician and Nursing Awards; foundation trustee was a member of The Hastings Center’s Board of Directors.
- Daniel Callahan Partner — Co-founded The Hastings Center for Bioethics in 1969.
- Fellows Program Network — International network of scholars, clinicians, and professionals collaborating on ethical challenges.
- Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky Partner — Hosts Bioethics Chats with fellows and distinguished bioethicists.
- Hastings Center Report Network — publishes special reports and research findings as part of its journal
- John T. Wiley and Sons Partner — Distributes The Hastings Center Report and Ethics and Human Research primarily in online form.
- Leibniz University Hannover Partner — Hosts the SOCRATES Centre for Advanced Studies, where a Hastings Center Fellow is conducting research on science communication.
- NPR Partner — Provided expert commentary on synthetic cells for public dissemination through media collaboration.
- Stavros Niarchos Foundation Funder — Funds the Global Bioethics Mentorship Program for early-career researchers in low- and middle-income countries.
- The Hastings Center Report Network — Flagship publication disseminating the organization's research and ethical analysis.
- Thomas H. Murray Partner — Fellow at The Hastings Center and recipient of the Bioethics Founders' Award in 2012.
- Wiley Online Library Partner — Hosts and publishes the Hastings Center's journals, Hastings Center Report and Ethics & Human Research.
- Willard Gaylin Partner — Co-founded The Hastings Center for Bioethics in 1969.
- Willard Gaylin Partner — Fellow at The Hastings Center and recipient of the Bioethics Founders' Award in 1989.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Evidence-Based Policy Engagement 7 orgsmethodology: evidence_based_policy_researchBy generating independent, peer-reviewed research and translating it through public engagement and media outreach, we influence policy and practice because sustained, accessible dissemination increases the likelihood that decision-makers adopt ethically sound and empirically grounded positions.shared approach: Research-to-Policy Pipeline →
- Collaborative Deliberative Analysismethodology: collaborative_deliberationBy convening interdisciplinary and diverse stakeholders in sustained dialogue, we produce more just and effective bioethical guidance because inclusive deliberation reduces misunderstanding and surfaces nuanced insights that single-discipline or consensus-driven approaches miss.
- Interdisciplinary Knowledge Integrationmethodology: interdisciplinary_researchBy combining insights from philosophy, law, political science, and education, we advance bioethics as a field because complex ethical challenges in science and medicine require multiple epistemic frameworks to fully unpack moral dimensions and practical implications.
- Justice-Centered Structural Analysismethodology: structural_ethicsBy centering systemic inequities and structural factors—such as law, space, and economics—in bioethical inquiry, we produce more equitable ethical frameworks because structural forces fundamentally shape agency, access, and moral experience, especially for marginalized populations.