Financial Highlights
Despite challenging economic conditions, the American Chemical Society (ACS) ended 2013 with solid operating results. As noted in the accompanying financial summary, the ACS generated a net contribution of $16.9 million. The 2013 financial results represent the tenth consecutive year of positive net contribution. The Society’s strong operating performance was attributable to a combination of positive financial performance from the information services divisions and a continued emphasis on expense management across all operating units.
In addition to the positive operating results, the Society’s financial position improved significantly in 2013 with unrestricted net assets increasing from $111.9 million as of December 31, 2012, to $250.7 million at December 31, 2013. The improvement is attributed to a combination of the net contribution, investment gains, and a partial reversal of non-cash accounting charges recorded in previous years related to the Society’s underfunded postretirement benefit plans.
In furtherance of its mission “to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people,” ACS continues to invest heavily in its information services units. These investments are made to strengthen the Society’s position as the world’s most trusted and comprehensive source for chemistry-related information. In support of this, in 2013, ACS added 8 million new small molecules to the CAS REGISTRY℠, indexed more than 1.5 million articles and patents, and added more than 8 million reactions to CASREACT®. SciFinder introduced a new, streamlined design to enable fast, accurate review of results and one-click access to powerful SciFinder search features, and the second version of the new STN®, powered by the Search Engine of Tomorrow (SPOT), was made available to customers. ACS Publications undertook the first full calendar year of publication of a new title: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering and announced a major new commitment to support Open Access. The program consists of 4 components: 1) ACS Central Science, a new journal that will be free to both readers and authors; 2) ACS Editors’ Choice, designed to provide free public access to new research of importance to the global research community; 3) ACS Author Rewards, a loyalty program intended to encourage ACS authors to choose open access, via $60 million in open access publishing credits redeemable over the period 2015-2016; and 4) ACS AuthorChoice, expanded in 2014 to include new and affordable licensing options to help authors meet open access requirements. ACS journals continued their preeminence in citations and Impact Factors, receiving more than 2.2 million total citations and posting a #1 ranking in either Impact Factor and/or Total Citations across 15 subject categories as reported in the 2012 Journal Citation Reports® released in June 2013.
Looking ahead, the Society intends to vigorously pursue the goals set out in its Strategic Plan for 2014 and Beyond. Whether providing information resources, advancing member careers, improving education or communicating chemistry’s value, ACS remains firmly committed to providing indispensable programs, products and services. This includes expanding the Society’s global reach and creating more integration between the products and service offerings. In this way, ACS will enhance the Society’s value and relevance to its diverse stakeholders, including members, educators, public policy makers, customers and other chemistry professionals.
To access ACS audited financial statements and IRS Form 990 filings, visit the ACS website at www.acs.org. Click the About Us tab, scroll down and click on the link to ACS Financial Information, or click here.