Religion charities, by the numbers.
15,052 of them filed a full Form 990 and spent $23.7B between them.
- 15,052
- charities filing a full Form 990, 2,432 spending $1M+
- $23.7B
- spent in their latest year, with $18.8B coming in as gifts and grants
- 31%
- of all that spending by the 10 biggest
What “religion” covers.
The biggest slice is christian, at 45% of all spending in the cause. Spending outside these groups is in charities the IRS coded more generally.
Spending in each charity's latest e-filed Form 990 (Part I, line 18), grouped by the NTEE code in the IRS master file.
The biggest 400 religion charities.
| # | Charity | Spending | Program share | Cost to raise $1 | Savings | CEO pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALSAC / St. Jude Children's Research HospitalOur file Memphis, TN · Other · FY 2025 | $2.8B | 76% 72% CPA view | 16¢ 20¢ CPA view | 46 mo | $1.39M |
| 2 | Samaritan's PurseOur file Boone, NC · Christian · FY 2025 | $1.3B | 86% 85% CPA view | 6¢ 7¢ CPA view | 25 mo | – |
| 3 | Christian Healthcare Ministries Barberton, OH · Christian · FY 2024 | $710.6M | 96% | 2¢ | 5 mo | $539K |
| 4 | Ncf Charitable TrustOur file Clearwater, FL · Other · FY 2024 | $565.0M | 98% | 0¢ | 37 mo | – |
| 5 | Servant FoundationOur file Overland Park, KS · Interfaith · FY 2025 | $349.3M | 98% | 1¢ | 27 mo | $392K |
| 6 | Trihealth Cincinnati, OH · Other · FY 2025 | $348.5M | 100% | 0¢ | 78 mo | $2.56M |
| 7 | Cl Healthcare Flushing, NY · Interfaith · FY 2024 | $336.7M | 94% | – | 0 mo | $1.76M |
| 8 | Trinity Broadcasting of Texas Fort Worth, TX · Religious media · FY 2024 | $310.5M | 43% | 12¢ | 22 mo | $729K |
| 9 | Cottage Health Santa Barbara, CA · Other · FY 2024 | $293.9M | 65% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $2.01M |
| 10 | The Christian Broadcasting NetworkOur file Virginia Bch, VA · Religious media · FY 2025 | $267.5M | 81% 66% CPA view | 16¢ 36¢ CPA view | 11 mo | $934K |
| 11 | Premier Health Partners Dayton, OH · Other · FY 2024 | $250.6M | 89% | 0¢ | 2 mo | $1.54M |
| 12 | Christian Aid MinistriesOur file Berlin, OH · Christian · FY 2025 | $162.2M | 96% | 2¢ | 8 mo | $114K |
| 13 | Religious and Charitable Risk Pooling Romeoville, IL · Christian · FY 2025 | $145.9M | 98% | – | 23 mo | – |
| 14 | Operation CompassionOur file Cleveland, TN · Christian · FY 2024 | $132.3M | 99% | 0¢ | 2 mo | $220K |
| 15 | International Generosity Foundation TrustOur file Clearwater, FL · Other · FY 2024 | $120.7M | 99% | 0¢ | 14 mo | – |
| 16 | Ccf-La Supporting Organization Glendale, CA · Other · FY 2024 | $115.9M | 99% | – | 19 mo | $314K |
| 17 | Gospel Light Mennonite Church Medical Aid PlanOur file Canton, OH · Christian · FY 2025 | $114.3M | 89% | 0¢ | 5 mo | $454K |
| 18 | Cross InternationalOur file Pompano Beach, FL · Christian · FY 2025 | $112.2M | 96% 96% CPA view | 2¢ 3¢ CPA view | 1 mo | $214K |
| 19 | Thru the Bible Claremont, CA · Religious media · FY 2024 | $110.2M | 98% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $236K |
| 20 | Foundation for World Evangelism Liechtenstein, LS · Interfaith · FY 2024 | $106.5M | 99% | – | 10 mo | – |
| 21 | Eternal Word Television NetworkOur file Irondale, AL · Religious media · FY 2025 | $98.8M | 78% | 16¢ | 10 mo | $365K |
| 22 | Independent Living for Seniors Rochester, NY · Other · FY 2024 | $95.4M | 95% | 0¢ | 9 mo | $3.95M |
| 23 | The Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $92.3M | 75% | 7¢ | 28 mo | $1.12M |
| 24 | Hexagon FoundationOur file Colorado Spgs, CO · Christian · FY 2024 | $89.7M | 100% | 0¢ | 67 mo | – |
| 25 | Mercy Health East Communities Chesterfield, MO · Other · FY 2025 | $88.2M | 114% | 0¢ | 43 mo | $1.33M |
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 religion.
Medians across 2,432 charities spending $1M or more. Use them to judge any charity in this cause.
- 86%
- median program share, as reported
- 2¢
- 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 | 1,930 | $101K | 86% |
| $5–25M | 406 | $179K | 85% |
| $25–100M | 76 | $279K | 89% |
| $100M+ | 20 | $539K | 96% |
The yes-or-no answers.
Counts of religion 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 religion charity we cover.
- ALSAC / St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Christian Aid Ministries
- Cross International
- Diocesan Council for the Society of St Vincent De Paul Diocese Phoenix
- Eternal Word Television Network
- Gospel Light Mennonite Church Medical Aid Plan
- Hexagon Foundation
- International Generosity Foundation Trust
- Ncf Charitable Trust
- Operation Compassion
- Samaritan's Purse
- Servant Foundation
- The Christian Broadcasting Network
Questions about religion charities.
What is the largest religion charity?
By spending, ALSAC / St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (TN), at $2.8B in its fiscal year ending 2025, per its Form 990.
How much do religion charity CEOs make?
The median CEO of a religion charity spending $1–5M a year was paid $101K. At charities spending $100M or more, the median was $539K. Figures are reportable compensation from the charity, Form 990 Part VII.
What percentage of donations to religion charities goes to programs?
The median religion 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 religion charities are there?
15,052 religion organizations filed a full Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, 2,432 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, “Religion charities, by the numbers,” data as of 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/causes/religion/