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NonprofitTruth

Updated 2026

Largest Nonprofits in Virginia 2026

Inova Health Care Services is the largest tax-exempt nonprofit in Virginia, with $5.7B in annual revenue per IRS Form 990 filings. The top 25 Virginia nonprofits hold a combined $22.2B in annual revenue, with an average Efficiency Score of 74/100.

Top 25 Total Revenue
$22.2B
Avg Efficiency Score
74/100
A-Grade Charities
9 of 25
B-Grade Charities
9 of 25

Top 25 Largest Nonprofits in Virginia

#NonprofitCategoryRevenueGrade
1Inova Health Care ServicesHealth$5.7BA
2Sentara Health PlansHealth$5.2BB
3Sentara HospitalsHealth$4.0BA
4George Washington UniversityEducation$1.8BB
5Liberty University IncEducation$1.6BB
6Public Broadcasting ServiceArts, Culture & Humanities$544.0MA
7University Of RichmondEducation$471.3MC
8University Of Virginia Investment Management CompanyEducation$355.3MC
9The Conservation Fund A Nonprofit CorporationEnvironment & Animals$327.4MB
10Washington & Lee UniversityEducation$276.6MB
11Edward Via Virginia College Of Osteopathic MedicineEducation$254.8MA
12Conservation International FoundationEnvironment & Animals$235.1MB
13Virginia Tech Foundation IncEducation$222.3MC
14Hampton UniversityEducation$197.4MC
15Shenandoah UniversityEducation$149.2MA
16Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association IncArts, Culture & Humanities$141.1MA
17Colonial Williamsburg FoundationArts, Culture & Humanities$125.8MC
18George Mason University Foundation IncEducation$123.2MC
19National Wildlife FederationEnvironment & Animals$117.9MA
20Wolf Trap Foundation For The Performing ArtsArts, Culture & Humanities$72.6MA
21People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals IncEnvironment & Animals$69.9MA
22Mount Vernon Ladies Association Of The UnionArts, Culture & Humanities$66.1MC
23Trout Unlimited IncEnvironment & Animals$62.7MB
24Stand Together TrustEducation$58.7MB
25Mattress Recycling CouncilEnvironment & Animals$42.2MB

What These Numbers Mean

Revenue alone doesn't tell you whether a charity is well-run — a $1B nonprofit can be wasteful and a $5M nonprofit can be highly efficient. The Efficiency Grade above combines four signals: program-expense ratio (50% weight), revenue stability over time (20%), fund reserves in months of operating expenses (20%), and CEO compensation as a share of total expenses (10%).

Virginia's nonprofit sector $skews healthy: 18 of the top 25 largest organizations earn an A or B Efficiency Grade. Healthcare systems (hospitals, health plans) typically dominate revenue rankings — that's true in most states. Universities and large foundations also frequently appear at the top.

How to Read a Nonprofit Profile

Click any nonprofit above to see its full IRS Form 990 financial breakdown: revenue, expenses, assets, program-expense ratio, CEO compensation, and the four-factor breakdown of our Efficiency Score. The "Where Your Donation Goes" section visualizes how much of every dollar reaches mission work vs. overhead.

For deeper diligence, cross-reference our data with Charity Navigator (program-rating focused), CharityWatch (most rigorous, hand-graded), BBB Wise Giving Alliance (broader accountability standards), and the original ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer for raw Form 990 PDFs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on IRS Form 990 revenue filings, Inova Health Care Services is the largest nonprofit in Virginia at $5.7B in annual revenue. It receives an Efficiency Grade of A (86/100) based on program-expense ratio, revenue stability, fund reserves, and CEO compensation. The top 25 Virginia nonprofits are listed above.

Among the largest Virginia nonprofits, Inova Health Care Services earns the highest Efficiency Grade (A, 86/100). Reputability isn't just size — it's how much of every donation reaches programs vs. overhead, fundraising, and executive pay. Our Efficiency Score weights: program ratio (50%), revenue consistency (20%), fund reserves (20%), CEO comp ratio (10%). For broader reputability assessment, cross-reference Charity Navigator and BBB Wise Giving Alliance ratings.

No legitimate charity uses literally 100% of donations on programs — every nonprofit has some overhead (accounting, audits, IRS filings, basic operations). The most efficient Virginia nonprofits in our dataset spend 85-95% on programs. Charities claiming "100% to programs" typically mean specific designated funds rather than overall operations. Look for the program-expense ratio in our Efficiency Score — anything above 80% is excellent.

It varies by organization. Federal program-expense ratios in Virginia typically range from 60% (lower-rated) to 95% (top-rated). The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance considers 65%+ acceptable; Charity Navigator's top tier requires 75%+; CharityWatch's "A" grades require 75-90% depending on category. Our Efficiency Score factor weights program ratio at 50% — pages above with grade A or B mostly hit 75%+.

By total annual revenue from the most recent IRS Form 990 filings (typically prior fiscal year). Form 990 is the public tax return all 501(c)(3) charities must file. We exclude organizations with $0 reported revenue or those still in their first year of filings. Revenue includes contributions, government grants, program service revenue, and investment income.

Each nonprofit name above links to its detailed profile with revenue history, expense breakdown, program ratio, CEO compensation, and our Efficiency Score breakdown. All data is sourced from IRS Form 990 via ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer API. For raw 990 forms, visit ProPublica or CauseIQ — both publish PDF copies of every nonprofit filing.

Generally yes, with caveats. Larger nonprofits ($100M+ revenue) typically score 5-10 percentage points higher on program-expense ratio because their fundraising and admin costs scale sub-linearly. But the largest nonprofits (especially hospitals and universities) often have higher executive compensation in absolute dollars — which we account for via the CEO-comp ratio factor. Mid-size nonprofits ($10M-$100M) are often the most stretched on overhead.

All revenue, expense, and compensation data comes from IRS Form 990, the federal tax return tax-exempt organizations must file annually. Form 990 data is public record and freely available via ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer API, CauseIQ, and GuideStar. We cache the most recent filing year for each organization. Fiscal years vary, so reported figures may reflect data 12-24 months old at time of viewing.

Top 25 nonprofits in each state ranked by IRS Form 990 annual revenue (most recent filing year). Efficiency Score combines program-expense ratio (50%), revenue stability (20%), fund reserves (20%), and CEO compensation ratio (10%).