The Union of Concerned Scientists emerged in 1969 from the halls of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Faculty and students gathered to draft a founding document that explicitly rejected military technology as the primary focus for research applications.
One co-founder was physicist Henry Kendall, who later won a Nobel Prize and served many years as chairman of the board. In 1992, Henry Kendall presided over the World Scientists' Warning to Humanity which bore signatures from 1700 scientists including a majority of Nobel prize winners in the sciences.
In August 2008, the organization purchased billboards at airports in Denver and Minneapolis, Saint Paul during presidential conventions. These displays showed downtown areas within crosshairs stating that one nuclear bomb could destroy such cities before Northwest Airlines removed the advertisement after complaints.
By February 2025, noted environmental scientist Dr. Gretchen Goldman became the organization's president. Her predecessor Johanna Chao Kreilick was chosen partly for her track record of integrating racial justice into complex organizations following an open letter from staff member Ruth Tyson in June 2020.
IRS Form 990 records show the group received $39.9 million in total revenue for the tax year beginning the 1st of October 2017. That same year expenses totaled $3.1 million while net assets reached $48.8 million.