Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jul 1986.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
82 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
21 people listed on the 990; $3.0M paid to officers and key staff.
Cedric Bryant’s $492K as President & Chief Executive Officer is at the 82nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 290 $10–100M recreation & sports nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Goudeseune CEO | — | — | $605,193 | $645,204 | — |
| Scott Goudeseune | $343,645 | $549,112 | — | — | $628,229 |
| Alex Mirnezam | $434,601 | $401,759 | $498,001 | $440,756 | $469,890 |
| Cedric Bryant | $491,917 | $434,205 | $471,837 | $467,659 | $455,578 |
| Amanda Cass | $368,481 | $359,967 | $351,201 | $344,949 | $337,603 |
| David Fischer | $344,659 | $236,361 | $239,313 | $190,928 | $234,910 |
| Graham Melstrand | — | — | — | $318,701 | $339,525 |
| Graham Melstrand Evpcommunity | $295,927 | $300,425 | $318,305 | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Encourages people to be active and healthy through fitness education and resources.
Questions for American Council on Exercise
Your first name shows with your question. American Council on Exercise answers here, for everyone.
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Certification, Preparatory Education and Continuing Education
The certification of well-qualified exercise professionals and health coaches is the foundation of ace's approach to get people moving. Ace develops, reviews, and maintains ace certification exams, educational materials and training manuals.
Outreach
Ace continues to provide the public with science-based information to educate and encourage people from all walks of life to achieve sustainable health change. Working alongside others to expand commitment to physical activity, ace remains committed to educating fitness professionals and related wellness experts on safe and effective…
Renewals and Membership Fees
Ace offers exercise professionals and health coaches the opportunity to renew their certification. Ace also partners with other organizations who provide ace-approved education opportunities for certified professionals.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $5.5M | $5.3M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $5.9M | $8.2M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $10.3M | $9.5M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $26.2M | $27.7M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $13.4M | $12.1M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $12.8M | $15.6M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $2.1M | $714K | $1.4M | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $9.2M | $7.8M | $1.4M | |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $392K | $246K | $146K | |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $821K | $613K | $208K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $719K | $532K | $187K | |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $90K | $58K | $32K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $49K | $32K | $17K | |
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $3K | $3K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $40K | $40K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $4.9M | $4.8M | $138K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $364K | $305K | $59K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $263K | $184K | $79K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $23K | $12K | $11K | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $35K | $34K | $606 | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $852K | $469K | $384K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $278K | $192K | $85K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $3.6M | $3.5M | $83K | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $1.3M | $980K | $312K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $25.0M | $20.4M | $4.6M | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $19.3M | $19.7M | −$461K | $5.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $19.6M | $24.8M | −$5.2M | $6.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $19.6M | $24.7M | −$5.1M | $12.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $26.7M | $24.3M | $2.4M | $16.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 Viewing | $26.4M | $25.0M | $1.4M | $15.6M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $26,370,140 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 12 of 13 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $26,370,140 across 9 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $24,980,765 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $27,746,605 assets, 18 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $15,642,810 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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