Most Efficient Charities in Iowa
6 nonprofits ranked by Efficiency Score. 0 earn an A grade for excellent financial stewardship.
The 6 Iowa nonprofits in our dataset are ranked here by efficiency score. Top-of-list combines healthy reserves, steady multi-year revenue, and reasonable officer compensation.
Efficiency rankings do not necessarily favor large or small organizations — the rubric rewards organizations that hold healthy reserves, run on stable funding, and pay officers in line with sector norms regardless of scale. Efficiency scores are recomputed each time we ingest new Form 990 filings; small movements year-to-year are normal as filing data updates.
| # | Organization | Category | Score | Officer Pay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drake University Education | 71 | $1.6M | B | |
| 2 | Intermediaryed Education | 71 | $3.7M | B | |
| 3 | The Trustees Of Grinnell College Education | 57 | $3.6M | C | |
| 4 | Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Environment & Animals | 57 | $366K | C | |
| 5 | Iowa State University Foundation Education | 55 | $1.8M | C | |
| 6 | State University Of Iowa Foundation Education | 45 | $2.6M | D |
See highest paid CEOs in Iowa or browse all Iowa nonprofits.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most efficient charities in Iowa are ranked above by our Efficiency Score. The top-ranked organization scores 71/100.
The Efficiency Score weighs three factors from IRS Form 990 data: financial health / operating reserves (40%), revenue-growth consistency (35%), and current-officer compensation relative to revenue (25%). It does not include a program-spending ratio, which our data source does not provide. Scores range from 0 to 100.