Medical research charities, by the numbers.
1,761 of them filed a full Form 990 and spent $29.1B between them.
- 1,761
- charities filing a full Form 990, 633 spending $1M+
- $29.1B
- spent in their latest year, with $13.1B coming in as gifts and grants
- 68%
- of all that spending by the 10 biggest
The biggest 400 medical research charities.
| # | Charity | Spending | Program share | Cost to raise $1 | Savings | CEO pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and MalariaOur file Switzerland, SZ · Other · FY 2024 | $6.7B | 99% | 1¢ | 6 mo | $452K |
| 2 | Sutter Bay Medical Foundation Sacramento, CA · Other · FY 2024 | $4.0B | 91% | 5¢ | 4 mo | $2.25M |
| 3 | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA · Other · FY 2025 | $3.8B | 91% | 7¢ | 14 mo | $2.31M |
| 4 | Howard Hughes Medical Institute Chevy Chase, MD · Other · FY 2025 | $1.2B | 80% | 0¢ | 281 mo | $1.65M |
| 5 | Health Research Menands, NY · Other · FY 2026 | $1.0B | 96% | 0¢ | 7 mo | $190K |
| 6 | The Broad InstituteOur file Cambridge, MA · Other · FY 2025 | $799.0M | 79% | 1¢ | 36 mo | – |
| 7 | The Jackson LaboratoryOur file Bar Harbor, ME · Other · FY 2024 | $617.0M | 85% | 4¢ | 21 mo | $2.52M |
| 8 | Henry M Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military MedicineOur file Bethesda, MD · Other · FY 2025 | $611.7M | 98% | 0¢ | 4 mo | $764K |
| 9 | The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's ResearchOur file New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $607.2M | 91% | 5¢ | 6 mo | $1.54M |
| 10 | The Scripps Research InstituteOur file La Jolla, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $537.5M | 92% | 2¢ | 26 mo | $1.78M |
| 11 | Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope Duarte, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $385.1M | 83% | 0¢ | 38 mo | $6.09M |
| 12 | Public Health SolutionsOur file New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $318.1M | 98% | 0¢ | 0 mo | $421K |
| 13 | Allen InstituteOur file Seattle, WA · Other · FY 2024 | $270.7M | 81% | 0¢ | 9 mo | $1.23M |
| 14 | Riverside Research Institute Fairfax, VA · Other · FY 2025 | $182.6M | 95% | – | 18 mo | $1.12M |
| 15 | Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Cambridge, MA · Other · FY 2025 | $174.3M | 87% | 7¢ | 57 mo | $1.03M |
| 16 | Dana-Farbermass General Brigham Cancer Care Boston, MA · Other · FY 2025 | $170.7M | 100% | – | 0 mo | $1.17M |
| 17 | The Feinstein Institutes for Westbury, NY · Other · FY 2024 | $163.3M | 88% | 5¢ | 13 mo | $1.72M |
| 18 | Greater Delaware Valley Society of Phila, PA · Other · FY 2024 | $147.6M | 93% | – | 9 mo | $833K |
| 19 | The J David Gladstone Institutes San Francisco, CA · Other · FY 2024 | $144.8M | 85% | 15¢ | 14 mo | $1.09M |
| 20 | Chan Zuckerberg BiohubOur file Redwood City, CA · Other · FY 2024 | $142.4M | 85% | 0¢ | 117 mo | $904K |
| 21 | Children's Research InstituteOur file Washington, DC · Other · FY 2025 | $140.2M | 79% | 0¢ | -41 mo | $2.38M |
| 22 | Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS FoundationOur file Washington, DC · Other · FY 2024 | $140.0M | 88% | 3¢ | 1 mo | $591K |
| 23 | Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Oklahoma City, OK · Other · FY 2025 | $126.5M | 93% | 4¢ | 50 mo | $819K |
| 24 | Van Andel Research InstituteOur file Grand Rapids, MI · Other · FY 2024 | $118.9M | 65% | 2¢ | 18 mo | $692K |
| 25 | Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery InstituteOur file La Jolla, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $116.1M | 82% | 2¢ | 29 mo | $994K |
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 medical research.
Medians across 633 charities spending $1M or more. Use them to judge any charity in this cause.
- 83%
- median program share, as reported
- 3¢
- median cost to raise $1, among charities taking in $100K+ in gifts
- 13 mo
- median net assets, in months of spending
| Annual spending | Charities | Median CEO pay | Median program share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1–5M | 386 | $181K | 83% |
| $5–25M | 158 | $320K | 82% |
| $25–100M | 61 | $584K | 84% |
| $100M+ | 28 | $1.09M | 87% |
The yes-or-no answers.
Counts of medical research 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 medical research charity we cover.
- Allen Institute
- Arc Research Institute
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
- Children's Research Institute
- Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
- Henry M Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
- Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-Ucla Medical Center
- Public Health Solutions
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research
- The Broad Institute
- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria
- The Jackson Laboratory
- The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
- The Scripps Research Institute
- Van Andel Research Institute
Questions about medical research charities.
What is the largest medical research charity?
By spending, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria (SZ), at $6.7B in its fiscal year ending 2024, per its Form 990.
How much do medical research charity CEOs make?
The median CEO of a medical research charity spending $1–5M a year was paid $181K. At charities spending $100M or more, the median was $1.09M. Figures are reportable compensation from the charity, Form 990 Part VII.
What percentage of donations to medical research charities goes to programs?
The median medical research charity spending $1M or more reported 83% 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 medical research charities are there?
1,761 medical research organizations filed a full Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, 633 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, “Medical research charities, by the numbers,” data as of 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/causes/medical-research/