About the ABIM Foundation
The ABIM Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization created by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) in 1989 as a supporting organization within the meaning of Section 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Dedicated to enhancing the quality of health care and advancing medical professionalism, the ABIM Foundation actively pursues these goals through strategic grantmaking and diverse initiatives.
How the ABIM Foundation is Funded
ABIM’s first transfer of funds to the ABIM Foundation – $5 million – occurred in 1990. Between 1990 and 2008, approximately $56 million was transferred by ABIM to the ABIM Foundation. There have been no transfers since 2008. Today, all fees currently paid by physicians to ABIM are exclusively used to support ABIM’s mission of improving health care quality by certifying internists and subspecialists who demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for excellent patient care; none of those diplomate funds are allocated to the Foundation.
In fiscal years 2017-2019, the ABIM Foundation transferred approximately $10 million to ABIM to fund numerous improvements to its programs and services based on physician feedback. These included improving assessments so they were more flexible and convenient for physicians, creating a user-friendly Physician Portal, redesigning www.abim.org, and exploring collaboratively-developed assessment pathways with medical specialty societies.
Financial Reporting
The ABIM Foundation operates on a July to June fiscal year and its most recent publicly available 990 form (pdf) is for fiscal year 2023, which ended on June 30, 2023. It reflects compensation paid for the preceding calendar year (January-December 2022) and financial activity for the current fiscal year (July 2022-June 2023).
As is required for supporting organizations by governing accounting standards, the audit report for ABIM and the ABIM Foundation has been consolidated throughout the ABIM Foundation’s history. The most recent audited financials for ABIM and the ABIM Foundation comprise the consolidated statements (pdf) of financial position, activities, and cash flow as of June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022.