International charities, by the numbers.
6,352 of them filed a full Form 990 and spent $55.4B between them.
- 6,352
- charities filing a full Form 990, 2,004 spending $1M+
- $55.4B
- spent in their latest year, with $49.9B coming in as gifts and grants
- 36%
- of all that spending by the 10 biggest
What “international” covers.
The biggest slice is international development, at 64% 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 399 international charities.
| # | Charity | Spending | Program share | Cost to raise $1 | Savings | CEO pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Good360Our file Alexandria, VA · Other · FY 2024 | $3.3B | 100% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $306K |
| 2 | Gavi AllianceOur file Washington, SZ · International development · FY 2024 | $3.1B | 97% 96% CPA view | 2¢ 3¢ CPA view | 27 mo | $379K |
| 3 | Direct ReliefOur file Santa Barbara, CA · International development · FY 2025 | $2.3B | 99% | 0¢ | 7 mo | $1.04M |
| 4 | International Committee of the Red CrossOur file Switzerland, SZ · International development · FY 2024 | $2.0B | 89% | 1¢ | 7 mo | $454K |
| 5 | Americares FoundationOur file Stamford, CT · Other · FY 2025 | $1.9B | 98% | 1¢ | 2 mo | $554K |
| 6 | The Governors of the University of Alberta Canada, CA · International development · FY 2026 | $1.6B | 93% | 3¢ | 17 mo | – |
| 7 | World VisionOur file Federal Way, WA · International development · FY 2025 | $1.4B | 86% 86% CPA view | 10¢ 10¢ CPA view | 4 mo | $574K |
| 8 | University of Western Ontario Canada, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $1.4B | 70% | 4¢ | 29 mo | – |
| 9 | MAP InternationalOur file Brunswick, GA · International development · FY 2025 | $1.3B | 100% | 0¢ | 3 mo | $439K |
| 10 | International Rescue CommitteeOur file New York, NY · International human rights · FY 2025 | $1.3B | 87% | 5¢ | 3 mo | $1.12M |
| 11 | Save the Children FederationOur file Fairfield, CT · International development · FY 2024 | $896.4M | 83% | 9¢ | 5 mo | $582K |
| 12 | CAREOur file Atlanta, GA · International development · FY 2025 | $836.5M | 90% | 7¢ | 6 mo | $502K |
| 13 | Doctors Without Borders USAOur file New York, NY · International development · FY 2024 | $774.3M | 84% | 15¢ | 4 mo | $351K |
| 14 | Plan InternationalOur file New York, NY · International development · FY 2025 | $756.2M | 93% | 0¢ | 4 mo | $268K |
| 15 | United States Fund for UNICEFOur file New York, NY · International relief · FY 2025 | $594.1M | 83% | 10¢ | 9 mo | $928K |
| 16 | Family Health International Durham, NC · International development · FY 2025 | $517.9M | 80% | 0¢ | 4 mo | $670K |
| 17 | Feed the ChildrenOur file Oklahoma City, OK · International development · FY 2025 | $426.9M | 91% | 6¢ | 4 mo | $497K |
| 18 | Food for the PoorOur file Coconut Creek, FL · International development · FY 2024 | $417.7M | 88% | 9¢ | 1 mo | $306K |
| 19 | The Rotary Foundation of Rotary InternationalOur file Evanston, IL · Other · FY 2025 | $392.9M | 86% | 8¢ | 49 mo | $777K |
| 20 | Mercy CorpsOur file Portland, OR · International development · FY 2025 | $387.1M | 76% | 5¢ | 3 mo | $553K |
| 21 | The American Jewish Joint Distribution CommitteeOur file New York, NY · International development · FY 2024 | $376.4M | 90% | 3¢ | 24 mo | $793K |
| 22 | Habitat for Humanity InternationalOur file Atlanta, GA · International development · FY 2025 | $370.7M | 77% | 22¢ | 14 mo | $523K |
| 23 | The Carter Center CollaborativeOur file Atlanta, GA · Other · FY 2025 | $360.8M | 100% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $474K |
| 24 | United Israel AppealOur file New York, NY · International human rights · FY 2025 | $349.7M | 100% | 0¢ | 4 mo | – |
| 25 | PathOur file Seattle, WA · International development · FY 2025 | $320.6M | 91% | 1¢ | 2 mo | $632K |
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 international.
Medians across 2,004 charities spending $1M or more. Use them to judge any charity in this cause.
- 85%
- median program share, as reported
- 4¢
- median cost to raise $1, among charities taking in $100K+ in gifts
- 8 mo
- median net assets, in months of spending
| Annual spending | Charities | Median CEO pay | Median program share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1–5M | 1,307 | $133K | 85% |
| $5–25M | 448 | $215K | 85% |
| $25–100M | 160 | $329K | 86% |
| $100M+ | 89 | $455K | 88% |
The yes-or-no answers.
Counts of international 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 international charity we cover.
- ACDI/VOCA
- Action Against Hunger - USA
- Aga Khan Foundation USA
- Agra
- American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science
- American Councils for International Education Actr Accels
- American Friends of Hebrew University
- American Friends of Magen David Adom
- American Friends of Tel Aviv Univ
- American Near East Refugee Aid
- American Society for Technion Israel Institute of Technology
- Americares Foundation
- Brother's Brother Foundation
- CARE
- Catholic Medical Mission Board
- Central Fund of Israel
- Centro Internacional De Agricultura Tropical
- Centro Internacional De Mejoramiento De Maiz Y Trigo
- Childfund International USA
- Children's Hunger Fund
- Church World Service
- Cis Development Foundation
- Clinton Health Access Initiative
- Direct Relief
- Doctors Without Borders USA
- Feed the Children
- Food for the Hungry
- Food for the Poor
- Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
- Gavi Alliance
- Global Communities
- Global Impact
- Globalgiving Foundation
- Good360
- Habitat for Humanity International
- Heart to Heart International
- Heifer International
- Helen Keller International
- HIAS
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
- International Justice Mission
- International Livestock Research Institute
- International Medical Corps
- International Rescue Committee
- International Research & Exchanges Board
- International Rice Research Institute
- Islamic Relief USA
- Jewish National Fund (keren Kayemeth Leisrael)
- Joint Israel
- Kingsway Charities
- Mana Nutritive Aid Products
- Management Sciences for Health
- MAP International
- Matthew 25 Ministries
- Mercy Corps
- Mercy Ships International
- Multifaith Alliance
- Myriad USA
- National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
- One Acre Fund
- Operation Smile
- Oxfam-America
- Pact
- Palestine Children's Relief Fund
- Pan American Development Foundation
- Path
- Pathfinder International
- Plan International
- Project Hope - the People-to-People Health Foundation
- Project Orbis International
- Rise Against Hunger
- Save the Children Federation
- Technoserve
- The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
- The Asia Foundation
- The Carter Center
- The Carter Center Collaborative
- The Halo Trust (usa)
- The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International
- United Israel Appeal
- United Palestinian Appeal
- United States Fund for UNICEF
- USA for UNHCR
- Vital Strategies
- Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development
- World Central Kitchen
- World Relief Corp of National Association of Evangelicals
- World Resources Institute
- World Vision
Questions about international charities.
What is the largest international charity?
By spending, Good360 (VA), at $3.3B in its fiscal year ending 2024, per its Form 990.
How much do international charity CEOs make?
The median CEO of a international charity spending $1–5M a year was paid $133K. At charities spending $100M or more, the median was $455K. Figures are reportable compensation from the charity, Form 990 Part VII.
What percentage of donations to international charities goes to programs?
The median international charity spending $1M or more reported 85% 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 international charities are there?
6,352 international organizations filed a full Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, 2,004 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, “International charities, by the numbers,” data as of 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/causes/international/