Most Efficient Charities in Minnesota
29 nonprofits ranked by Efficiency Score. 2 earn an A grade for excellent financial stewardship.
The 29 Minnesota 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 | Ucare Minnesota Health | 85 | $168K | A | |
| 2 | Neighborhood Recycling Corporation Environment & Animals | 80 | $537K | A | |
| 3 | Mayo Clinic Group Return Health | 79 | $102.9M | B | |
| 4 | Mayo Clinic Health | 79 | $1.2M | B | |
| 5 | Hennepin Theatre Tr Arts, Culture & Humanities | 78 | $608K | B | |
| 6 | Fairview Health Services Health | 76 | $19.5M | B | |
| 7 | Allina Health System Health | 75 | $22.8M | B | |
| 8 | Scholarship America Inc Education | 75 | $634K | B | |
| 9 | Minnesota Land Trust Environment & Animals | 75 | $525K | B | |
| 10 | Minnesota Public Radio Arts, Culture & Humanities | 73 | $2.3M | B | |
| 11 | Twin Cities Public Television Inc Arts, Culture & Humanities | 70 | $2.6M | B | |
| 12 | Center For Energy And Environment Environment & Animals | 69 | $1.3M | B | |
| 13 | Borealis Philanthropy Arts, Culture & Humanities | 66 | $648K | B | |
| 14 | University Of St Thomas Education | 65 | $5.5M | B | |
| 15 | Ecmc Group Inc Education | 59 | $5.2M | C | |
| 16 | University Of Minnesota Foundation Education | 59 | $3.6M | C | |
| 17 | Minnesota Historical Society Arts, Culture & Humanities | 58 | $692K | C | |
| 18 | Carleton College Education | 56 | $2.8M | C | |
| 19 | St Catherine University Education | 56 | $1.5M | C | |
| 20 | Walker Art Center Inc Arts, Culture & Humanities | 56 | $1.5M | C | |
| 21 | Mayo Clinic Health | 55 | $21.1M | C | |
| 22 | Minnesota Orchestral Association Arts, Culture & Humanities | 55 | $1.1M | C | |
| 23 | Guthrie Theatre Foundation Arts, Culture & Humanities | 55 | $967K | C | |
| 24 | St Olaf College Education | 54 | $2.6M | C | |
| 25 | Artspace Projects Inc Arts, Culture & Humanities | 53 | $1.3M | C | |
| 26 | Minneapolis Society Of Fine Arts Arts, Culture & Humanities | 51 | $2.8M | C | |
| 27 | Gustavus Adolphus College Education | 50 | $989K | C | |
| 28 | Science Museum Of Minnesota Arts, Culture & Humanities | 47 | $632K | D | |
| 29 | Macalester College Education | 40 | $3.4M | D |
See highest paid CEOs in Minnesota or browse all Minnesota nonprofits.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most efficient charities in Minnesota are ranked above by our Efficiency Score. The top-ranked organization scores 85/100.
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.