Highest Paid Nonprofit CEOs

Mass General Brigham Incorporated And Affiliates Group Rtn leads our 2026 ranking with $105.2M in total current-officer compensation (IRS Form 990 Part IX, line 5 — the aggregate for all listed officers, directors, trustees, and key employees, not one person's salary). The full top 50 above shows officer compensation across the largest US nonprofits — most top earners run hospitals, universities, and large healthcare systems rather than traditional charities.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, ALSAC (the fundraising arm), and related entities each file separate Form 990s. CEO compensation across the parent + ALSAC has historically totaled $1.5M-$2.5M annually depending on bonus and benefits. Look up "St. Jude" on this site for the latest reported figures.

The Salvation Army is structured as a religious organization rather than a 501(c)(3) charity, and its top officers (territorial commanders) are commissioned ministers receiving modest compensation packages — typically $80,000-$150,000 in salary plus housing allowances. This is dramatically lower than most large charities and reflects the religious-order structure rather than executive market rates.

Wounded Warrior Project's CEO compensation has been publicly scrutinized — the most recent Form 990 typically shows total compensation in the $400,000-$600,000 range. Look up "Wounded Warrior" on this site for the latest filed figure and the program-expense ratio context.

The American Red Cross CEO has historically earned $500,000-$700,000 in total compensation per IRS Form 990. The Red Cross is one of the largest US nonprofits by revenue ($3B+), and CEO pay reflects the scale of the operation. Look up "American Red Cross" on this site for the most recent reported figure.

March of Dimes Foundation's CEO compensation has historically run $500,000-$700,000 in total compensation per IRS Form 990. Search "March of Dimes" on this site for the most recent filing year.

It depends on context. Large nonprofits managing billions in revenue (hospitals, universities, large healthcare systems) typically need to offer competitive compensation comparable to their for-profit peers — otherwise they can't recruit qualified executives. The IRS uses a "rebuttable presumption" standard requiring boards to benchmark executive pay against comparable organizations. Smaller charities under heavy public scrutiny face more pressure to keep pay modest. Our Efficiency Score weights current-officer compensation as a percentage of total revenue (25% of the score) — $1M in officer pay at a $1B nonprofit is structurally different from $1M at a $20M nonprofit.

The "80/20 rule" in nonprofits typically refers to the program-expense ratio: ideally at least 80% of expenses should go to mission programs (vs. fundraising and overhead). Watchdog groups like Charity Navigator and CharityWatch use 65-80% as their thresholds for top ratings, and you can compute it yourself from Form 990 Part IX, line 25. Our Efficiency Score does not include this ratio — total program service expenses are not available in the ProPublica feed we ingest — so we never estimate it; instead the score uses financial reserves, revenue consistency, and officer compensation.

All compensation data comes from IRS Form 990, which tax-exempt organizations must file annually with the IRS. These filings are public record (free at ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer or CauseIQ) and include detailed compensation for officers, directors, key employees, and the five highest-paid contractors. Total compensation includes base salary, bonuses, retirement plan contributions, deferred compensation, and benefits/perks.