Bringing Home the Bacon

Is there such a thing as a multi-Billion dollar NONprofit? Yes, there is, and one of them is The ARC, the country's largest advocacy organization for people with developmental disabilities. 

An article in Fusion, a newsletter from the national ARC for September 29, 2014, covers a recent report from the National Center on Charitable Statistics of the Urban Institute. Based on a year's worth of data compiled from IRS 990 forms (the forms that most nonprofit organizations file annually with the IRS),  The ARC and its chapters throughout the United States have brought in $4.02 Billion in Gross Receipts, "…including $3.83 Billion in Total Revenue, $2.76 Billion in Program Service Revenue, $989 Million in Contributions & Grants (includes Government Grants) and $20 Million in Investment Income."

"Of the Total Contributions, Gifts and Grants, $145 Million is from individuals, foundations and corporations while $847 Million is from government…"

That's a lot of money! Of The ARC's total revenues of $3.83 Billion, $847 Million or 22% came from government, and  $145 Million or 3.8% from individual donations.

One can learn a lot about an organization from its IRS 990 forms, including its revenues, expenditures, and how much it pays its highest paid employees. Guidestar is a good place to start looking for information on nonprofit organizations. Registration is free. Here is Guidestar's Frequently Asked Questions about form 990.

Read the full article on The ARC's finances here.