Celebrating 30 years of helping you give wisely
America's most independent,
assertive charity watchdog
Top Rated

Alzheimer's Association

CharityWatch rating issued
May 2026

Top-Rated Charity
B+
CharityWatch Rating
Our independent rating based
on a number of factors.
 
75%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$25
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

Alzheimer's Association
225 N. Michigan Ave.
17th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601-7633

Other Names

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association

Tax Status

501(c)3

Website

www.alz.org

Stated Mission

Leads the way to end Alzheimer's & all other dementia, by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction & early detection, and maximizing quality care & support.

View similar charities
Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 06/30/2025

Program Percentage: 75%

The percentage of Alzheimer's Association's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$481,000,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $25

How many dollars Alzheimer's Association spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$393,000,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Joint Costs

Alzheimer's Association's rating was adjusted for Joint Costs. If you are a donor who considers direct mail, telemarketing, and other Joint Cost solicitations to be true charitable programs, the below efficiency ratios, which were not adjusted for joint costs, may better reflect your goals.

Program % Cost to Raise $100
78% $21
Accounting rules allow charities to report some telemarketing, direct mail, and other solicitation costs as Program expenses. CharityWatch believes that most donors do not consider a charity's solicitation activities to be the Programs they are intending to support with their donations. We therefore adjust such expenses out of a charity's reported Program expense and add it to Fundraising expense prior to calculating its rating.

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
Alzheimer's Association Consolidated Audited Financial Statements Multiple
Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association, Inc. IRS Form 990 13-3039601
Entity: Alzheimer's Association
Document Type: Consolidated Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: Multiple
Entity: Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association, Inc.
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 13-3039601

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
This charity is Top-Rated
What does it mean to be Top-Rated?
 
Alzheimer's Association
meets governance benchmarks.
 
Alzheimer's Association
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy

  Name Title Compensation
1 Joanne Pike President/CEO $1,174,136
2 Donna McCullough COO $1,027,741
3 Maria Carrillo Chief Science Officer $1,020,548
1
Name: Joanne Pike
Title: President/CEO
Compensation: $1,174,136
2
Name: Donna McCullough
Title: COO
Compensation: $1,027,741
3
Name: Maria Carrillo
Title: Chief Science Officer
Compensation: $1,020,548

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

CharityWatch's rating of the Alzheimer's Association is for the 501(c)(3) public charity, Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association (tax ID #13-3039601).

According to the Alzheimer's Association consolidated audit of June 30, 2025 (Note A, Organization and Basis of Consolidation): "...The Association oversees the operations and activities for 75 chapters to facilitate strategic alignment, deliver on the overarching Association-wide strategic objectives and priority activities, and to ensure coverage for all geographic territories."

According to the Alzheimer's Association consolidated audit of June 30, 2025 (Note L, Contributions of Non-Financial Assets) [dollars in thousands, as noted below]:

The Association received contributions of non-financial assets during fiscal 2025 on which it placed a total value of [$9,789,000]. Of this amount, [$2,000] was attributed to "Digital assets: Cryptocurrency." 

CharityWatch considers the $2,000 of donated cryptocurrency to be cash contributions because they were monetized upon receipt. Thus, CharityWatch's adjusted total of in-kind donations received during fiscal 2025 is $9,787,000.

[Note: CharityWatch generally excludes the value of in-kind (non-cash) donations of goods and services from its calculations of Program % and Cost to Raise $100. More information on how grades are calculated and the treatment of in-kind donations can be found on the Our Process page.]

According to the Alzheimer's Association tax filing for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the Association reports for Business Transactions Involving Interested Persons a transaction involving Sara Giammarise, Senior Director and daughter of David Hunter, Former Director. The transaction is in the amount of $111,956 and is reported as being for "Employment" (IRS Form 990, Schedule L, Parts IV & V).

According to the Alzheimer's Association tax filing for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the Association reports re: Compensation, Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, and Highest Compensated Employees (IRS Form 990, Schedule J, Part II):

The Association reports providing "bonus & incentive compensation" during 2024 to 12 individuals. Katherine "Joanne" Pike, President & CEO, received $274,834 of bonus and incentive compensation with total reported compensation of $1,174,136. The remaining 11 individuals received between $57,031 to $226,000, with total reported compensation ranging from $476,660 to $1,027,741 (the above figures include compensation from related organizations as reported in row (ii), if applicable)


Related External Articles