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NonprofitTruth

Updated 2026

Largest Nonprofits in Washington 2026

Providence Health & Services Washington is the largest tax-exempt nonprofit in Washington, with $9.8B in annual revenue per IRS Form 990 filings. The top 25 Washington nonprofits hold a combined $39.2B in annual revenue, with an average Efficiency Score of 76/100.

Top 25 Total Revenue
$39.2B
Avg Efficiency Score
76/100
A-Grade Charities
9 of 25
B-Grade Charities
13 of 25

Top 25 Largest Nonprofits in Washington

#NonprofitCategoryRevenueGrade
1Providence Health & Services WashingtonHealth$9.8BB
2Providence Health & Services OregonHealth$5.5BA
3Multicare Health SystemHealth$4.5BA
4Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Of WashingtonHealth$4.2BA
5PeacehealthHealth$3.3BA
6Swedish Health ServicesHealth$3.0BA
7Seattle Childrens HospitalHealth$2.3BB
8Fred Hutchinson Cancer CenterHealth$2.3BA
9Providence Health System Southern CaliforniaHealth$2.2BB
10Corporation Of Gonzaga UniversityEducation$424.2MB
11Association Of University PhysiciansEducation$415.2MB
12University Of Washington FoundationEducation$176.0MC
13Whitman College Board Of TrusteesEducation$163.9MB
14Pacific Lutheran University IncEducation$158.6MA
15University Of Puget SoundEducation$157.2MB
16Whitworth UniversityEducation$141.4MB
17Seattle Theatre GroupArts, Culture & Humanities$75.6MB
18Museum Of Flight FoundationArts, Culture & Humanities$65.3MB
19Woodland Park Zoological SocietyEnvironment & Animals$64.7MA
20Seattle Aquarium Society SeasEnvironment & Animals$53.3MB
21Cascade Public MediaArts, Culture & Humanities$38.6MC
22Seattle Symphony Orchestra IncArts, Culture & Humanities$31.3MB
23Seattle Art MuseumArts, Culture & Humanities$30.0MC
24Nia Tero FoundationEnvironment & Animals$26.2MA
25Pacific Northwest Ballet AssociationArts, Culture & Humanities$25.5MB

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%).

Washington's nonprofit sector $skews healthy: 22 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, Providence Health & Services Washington is the largest nonprofit in Washington at $9.8B in annual revenue. It receives an Efficiency Grade of B (77/100) based on program-expense ratio, revenue stability, fund reserves, and CEO compensation. The top 25 Washington nonprofits are listed above.

Among the largest Washington nonprofits, Multicare Health System 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 Washington 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 Washington 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%).