Community improvement charities, by the numbers.
9,649 of them filed a full Form 990 and spent $40.9B between them.
- 9,649
- charities filing a full Form 990, 2,858 spending $1M+
- $40.9B
- spent in their latest year, with $43.8B coming in as gifts and grants
- 49%
- of all that spending by the 10 biggest
The biggest 398 community improvement charities.
| # | Charity | Spending | Program share | Cost to raise $1 | Savings | CEO pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundOur file Boston, MA · Other · FY 2025 | $15.6B | 100% | 0¢ | 66 mo | – |
| 2 | Brown University Providence, RI · Other · FY 2025 | $1.8B | 91% | 7¢ | 59 mo | $1.43M |
| 3 | Jobsohio Beverage System Columbus, OH · Other · FY 2025 | $655.2M | 92% | – | -8 mo | $756K |
| 4 | National Center for Manufacturing Sciences Ann Arbor, MI · Other · FY 2024 | $558.0M | 98% | 1¢ | 1 mo | $897K |
| 5 | Local Initiatives SupportOur file New York, NY · Other · FY 2024 | $344.5M | 88% | 4¢ | 19 mo | $689K |
| 6 | CambaOur file Brooklyn, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $246.6M | 87% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $2.16M |
| 7 | Strada Education Foundation Indianapolis, IN · Other · FY 2024 | $180.5M | 51% | 29¢ | 117 mo | $1.35M |
| 8 | Food Bank for New York CityOur file Bronx, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $175.7M | 88% | 7¢ | 3 mo | $433K |
| 9 | Community and Economic Development Chicago, IL · Other · FY 2025 | $167.0M | 97% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $315K |
| 10 | Community PartnersOur file Los Angeles, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $150.8M | 86% | 7¢ | 6 mo | $387K |
| 11 | Fidelity Non-Profit Management Boston, MA · Other · FY 2024 | $141.7M | 100% | 0¢ | 217 mo | $558K |
| 12 | Enterprise Community PartnersOur file Columbia, MD · Other · FY 2025 | $139.9M | 89% | 9¢ | 76 mo | $1.27M |
| 13 | American Association of State Highway Washington, DC · Other · FY 2025 | $131.3M | 88% | 0¢ | 13 mo | $572K |
| 14 | Common Counsel Foundation Oakland, CA · Other · FY 2024 | $126.1M | 97% | 1¢ | 6 mo | $306K |
| 15 | Arrow Child & Family Ministries Combined Spring, TX · Other · FY 2025 | $124.7M | 93% | 0¢ | 2 mo | $519K |
| 16 | Hadassah the Women's Zionist Org of AmericaOur file New York, NY · Other · FY 2024 | $115.4M | 72% | 9¢ | 55 mo | $470K |
| 17 | Wayne-Metropolitan Community Action AgencyOur file Detroit, MI · Other · FY 2025 | $111.9M | 91% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $349K |
| 18 | The Community Preservation New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $109.8M | 83% | 0¢ | 35 mo | $1.49M |
| 19 | Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging Reseda, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $105.5M | 75% | 14¢ | 0 mo | $923K |
| 20 | Center for Urban Community ServicesOur file New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $103.3M | 90% | 1¢ | 0 mo | $184K |
| 21 | Urban AlchemyOur file San Francisco, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $101.7M | 83% | 1¢ | 1 mo | $347K |
| 22 | The Bridgespan Group Boston, MA · Other · FY 2024 | $96.9M | 82% | 3¢ | 22 mo | – |
| 23 | Metropolitan Entertainment & Omaha, NE · Other · FY 2025 | $96.9M | 93% | 13¢ | 8 mo | $673K |
| 24 | Brooklyn Navy Yard DevelopmentOur file Brooklyn, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $96.7M | 77% | 0¢ | 56 mo | $287K |
| 25 | Fiscal Sponsorship AlliesOur file Indianapolis, IN · Other · FY 2025 | $87.3M | 100% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $146K |
Program share = program expenses ÷ total expenses (Part IX, line 25). Cost to raise $1 = fundraising expenses ÷ contributions (Part IX, Part VIII line 1h). Savings = net assets ÷ annual spending × 12, which includes buildings, endowments and restricted gifts, so zoos and aquariums run high. CEO pay is reportable compensation from the charity (Part VII). “CPA view” moves joint fundraising costs reported on line 26 out of programs. Names link to our file where we have one, otherwise to the filing on ProPublica.
Benchmarks for community improvement.
Medians across 2,858 charities spending $1M or more. Use them to judge any charity in this cause.
- 86%
- median program share, as reported
- 1¢
- median cost to raise $1, among charities taking in $100K+ in gifts
- 9 mo
- median net assets, in months of spending
| Annual spending | Charities | Median CEO pay | Median program share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1–5M | 2,033 | $147K | 85% |
| $5–25M | 670 | $208K | 88% |
| $25–100M | 133 | $303K | 90% |
| $100M+ | 22 | $572K | 89% |
The yes-or-no answers.
Counts of community improvement charities answering “yes” (or failing a basic check) in their latest Form 990. The charities answer these themselves.
charities told the IRS they discovered a significant diversion of assets (theft, embezzlement or misuse).
charities reported a paid fundraiser that kept half or more of what it raised.
charities reported an excess benefit transaction with an insider.
charities had $2M+ in revenue and no audited financial statements.
charities had $1M+ in revenue and no conflict-of-interest policy.
charities reported loans to or from officers or directors.
A “yes” is a reason to read the filing, not a verdict. Learn what each answer means in how to check a charity, and see how we read a 990.
Every community improvement charity we cover.
- Brooklyn Navy Yard Development
- Camba
- Center for Urban Community Services
- Community Partners
- Enterprise Community Partners
- Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund
- Fiscal Sponsorship Allies
- Food Bank for New York City
- Grameen America
- Hadassah the Women's Zionist Org of America
- Hispanic Federation
- Local Initiatives Support
- Rural Community Assistance
- Self-Help Ventures Fund
- The Indianapolis Foundation
- The National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources
- Urban Alchemy
- Wayne-Metropolitan Community Action Agency
Questions about community improvement charities.
What is the largest community improvement charity?
By spending, Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund (MA), at $15.6B in its fiscal year ending 2025, per its Form 990.
How much do community improvement charity CEOs make?
The median CEO of a community improvement charity spending $1–5M a year was paid $147K. At charities spending $100M or more, the median was $572K. Figures are reportable compensation from the charity, Form 990 Part VII.
What percentage of donations to community improvement charities goes to programs?
The median community improvement charity spending $1M or more reported 86% of its spending on programs, on Form 990 Part IX. That is the charity's own split. Some charities count part of their fundraising mail as program work; our pages show the number both ways.
How many community improvement charities are there?
9,649 community improvement organizations filed a full Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, 2,858 of them spending $1 million or more. Thousands more file the short 990-EZ or the 990-N postcard.
Where this comes from.
Each charity's latest Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, joined to the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File for its NTEE cause code. Organizations that file as charities but aren't funded like one (research contractors, sports bodies and similar) are left out of the comparison table. Charities that file a 990-EZ or 990-N aren't included. Figures are as filed; we haven't reviewed each one, except where a charity has our full file.
Charity Math, “Community improvement charities, by the numbers,” data as of 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/causes/community-improvement/