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The original was posted on /r/lifeprotips by /u/ExNihiloAdInfinitum on 2024-10-15 19:25:17+00:00.

First off, I know no one in their right mind reads IRS forms if they don’t have to. Bear with me. Making an exception here is worth it. The form is long-ish but it’s simple to hit “page down” a few times and ignore the irrelevant stuff.

Why do it at all? Because a unfortunately large percentage of charities (even some well ranked by charity-ranking sites) are awful. Huge expenditures for administrative salaries instead of for charitable programs. Huge expenditures for marketing/fundraising but not the programs themselves. Revenues pouring in but being accumulated (why?) instead of spent.

The forms are available online by searching “[charity name] 990”.

Another note: IRS form 990 is (obviously) a US form but many non-US charities also fill it out.