American Bureau of Shipping
The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) is a 501(c)(6) business league organization headquartered in Spring, Texas. Founded in 1862, ABS operates as a classification society dedicated to setting safety standards for the marine and offshore industries. The organization was granted tax-exempt status in June 1919. As a 501(c)(6) organization, donations to ABS are not tax-deductible.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.3B
+6.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.0M
-70.3% YoY
Grant Count
20
+5.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$52K
-71.8% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
ABS's mission is to serve the public interest as well as the needs of its members and clients by promoting the safety of life and property and preserving the natural environment through the development and verification of standards for design, construction, and operational maintenance of ships and marine-related facilities.
The organization's core commitment centers on establishing and applying technical standards within the marine and offshore industries.
Grantmaking
ABS engages in philanthropic activities and has made significant donations to educational institutions. The organization donated $2.5 million to Texas A&M University to endow an Ocean Engineering Department Chair and fund a new laboratory for ocean innovation, demonstrating a commitment to advancing research and education in marine-related fields.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of December 2024:
- Annual Revenue: $537 million
- Annual Expenses: $515 million
- Total Assets: $2.25 billion
- Total Liabilities: $331 million
As of December 2021:
- Gross Receipts: $710,039,950
- Total Employees: 1,285
The organization maintains substantial financial resources and operates with significant annual revenue and assets.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,250,382,108 | $2,119,439,453 | $1,917,786,915 |
| Revenue | $536,588,479 | $541,482,602 | $487,783,327 |
| Expenses | $514,933,830 | $479,466,138 | $427,437,389 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $54,374,423 | $63,405,983 | $58,668,398 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
92 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Laura C. Fulton serves as the principal officer of the organization.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher J Wiernicki | Chairman and CEO | 40 | $2,803,152 |
| John P McDonald | President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) | 40 | $1,147,279 |
| David W Grzebinski | Director | 1 | $210,000 |
| Craig H Stevenson Jr | Director | 1 | $210,000 |
| Elizabeth D Whitaker | Director | 1 | $210,000 |
| Louis A Raspino Jr | Director | 1 | $200,000 |
| Michael L Carthew | Director | 1 | $230,000 |
| Phillip J Shapiro | Director | 1 | $210,000 |
| William E Jenkins | Director | 1 | $215,000 |
| Susan K Neely | Director | 1 | $200,000 |
| Darryl K Willis | Director | 1 | $200,000 |
| Mark H Ross | Director | 1 | $100,000 |
| Robert G Clyne | EVP General Counsel & Secretary | 40 | $1,060,198 |
| Derek S Novak | VP & Chief Engineer | 40 | $494,650 |
| Laura C Fulton | SVP & Chief Financial Officer (CFO) | 40 | $1,020,305 |
| Adam W Moilanen | VP & Chief Surveyor | 40 | $532,010 |
| Chuck Raymond Kemper | SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer | 40 | $644,050 |
| Kara Pelecky | SVP & Chief Information Officer (CIO) | 40 | $711,643 |
| Patrick J Ryan | SVP & Chief Technology Officer (CTO) | 40 | $577,329 |
| Jessica Mahaffey | SVP & Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) | 40 | $523,812 |
| Miguel Hernandez | SVP, Global Offshore Market | 40 | $533,892 |
| Annisa Lyvers | VP - Data and Analytics | 40 | $335,534 |
| Arinjit Roy | SVP - Pacific & MEA Operations | 40 | $729,637 |
| Joshua Lavire | VP, Health, Safety, Quality and Environment (HSQE) | 40 | $306,637 |
| Bruce Baffer | SVP, Global Government Services | 40 | $445,759 |
| Joshua Divin | SVP - Western Operations | 40 | $324,014 |
| Paul Karam | VP, Operations - Greater China Region | 40 | $735,124 |
| Gareth C Burton | SVP, Global Engineering | 40 | $320,347 |
| Andrew Lipman | Director, Projects, Offshore GC Regional Operation | 40 | $626,485 |
| Tommy Nguyen | Director, Business Development Global Offshore - S | 40 | $608,452 |
| Ben Ford | Surveyor III, Senior * CN Shanghai Port (MLO) | 40 | $591,901 |
| Bhattacharya Sandipan | Vice President, Application Development (no longer | 40 | $415,909 |
| Johnny M Garrett Jr | Vice President, Regional Operations * Southern Pac | 40 | $594,721 |
| Eric C Kleess | Former Senior VP - Eastern Hemisphere | 40 | $181,593 |
| Matthew D Tremblay | Former Senior VP, Global Offshore Markets | 40 | $404,048 |
| Richard D Pride | Former Senior VP - Western Hemisphere | 40 | $321,532 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
ABS has expanded its research activities to support marine and offshore industries. The organization leads a U.S. government-backed project focused on accelerating the approval of additive manufacturing technologies for marine applications. Additionally, ABS was awarded $2.1 million for safety research initiatives.
ABS Leads US Government Backed Project to Accelerate Approval of AdditiveRelated Funders
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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