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Action on Smoking and Health

CharityWatch rating issued
April 2026

 
NOT
RATABLE
CharityWatch Rating
 

Contact Information

Action on Smoking and Health
1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20036

Other Names

ASH

Tax Status

501(c)3

Website

www.ash.org

Stated Mission

To advocate for innovative legal & policy measures to end the global tobacco epidemic.

View similar charities
Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2024

*Why Not Ratable?

CharityWatch is currently unable to rate this organization. This does not imply a negative or positive evaluation. Please see the Analysts' Notes section for a more detailed explanation.

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.
Action on Smoking and Health
meets governance benchmarks.
 
Action on Smoking and Health
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 No Sharing  

  Name Title Compensation
1 Laurent Huber Executive Director $274,517
2 Elizabeth Furgurson Chief Operating Officer $195,478
3 Chris Bostic Deputy Director for Policy $180,792
1
Name: Laurent Huber
Title: Executive Director
Compensation: $274,517
2
Name: Elizabeth Furgurson
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Compensation: $195,478
3
Name: Chris Bostic
Title: Deputy Director for Policy
Compensation: $180,792

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 is unable to provide a rating for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) based on its fiscal year ended 12/31/2024 due to the charity's small size. CharityWatch's inability to provide a rating for ASH at this time does not imply a negative or positive evaluation. According to its fiscal 2024 IRS Form 990, ASH raised $446,654 in contributions and reported $1,523,325 in total expenses in fiscal 2024. 

ASH reports that it formed in 1967, according to its IRS tax Form 990. Also according to Form 990 reporting, it raised approximately $3.7 million in contributions during the five-year period 2020 through 2024, which averages to less than $750,000 annually (IRS Form 990, Schedule A, Part II, Section A). 

The financial reporting of small charities is often not comparable to that of larger ones for several reasons, including Economies of Scale:

Economies of Scale

Economies of scale occur when the size of an organization's operations allow it to operate more efficiently. As an organization grows it costs it less (per unit) to produce its goods or services due to its overhead and other fixed costs being spread over a larger volume of output. For example, a small charity that serves 500 poor people per year may need to pay $8,000 for its annual financial audit. A larger charity that serves 3,000 poor people per year may need to pay $10,000 for its annual financial audit. The first charity spent $16 per person served for the overhead cost of its audit, while the second spent far less at only $3.33 per person served.

Charity rating methods suitable for larger organizations often cannot be fairly applied to much smaller charities given that the latter lack the economies of scale necessary to operate at the same level of efficiency. Small charities that assist underserved populations, that are fulfilling an unmet need, or that are new or in the process of scaling up to a larger size may still be worthy of donors' support despite CharityWatch's inability to rate them due to this comparability issue.