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Lean Enterprise Institute Inc

EIN 04-3382623 · Boston, MA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair53 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO PROMOTE THE WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF A SET OF IDEAS KNOWN AS LEAN THINKING.

Income
$7.2 million
Spending
$7.4 million
Spent on programs
94%
Reserves
2.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 89%
Employees
14
Volunteers
13
Highest pay
$466,259, senior coach

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 53 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 2.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 55% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 2% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 1% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    94% of spending went to programs.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 68% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 13 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (4)
  1. $4.0 million spent. CO-LEARNING PARTNERS - INSTITUTE PERSONNEL WORK WITH ORGANIZATIONS DESIRING TO SUPPORT THE INSTITUTE'S NON-PROFIT, EDUCATION AND RESEARCH MISSION BY PARTICIPATING IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND CO-LEARNING ACTIVITIES AS PART OF THE ORGANIZATION'S LEARNING AND IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY. TYPICALLY THE CO-LEARNING PARTNERSHIP CONSIST OF ACTIVITIES IN FIVE CORE AREAS: 1) EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ENGAGEMENT; 2) TRAINING AND CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT; 3) CO-LEARNING PROJECTS OR EXPERIMENTS; 4) INTERACTION WITH LEI PARTNERS AND THE LEI COMMUNITY; AND 5) DOCUMENTATION AND RESEARCH.
  2. $1.6 million spent. LEAN EVENTS - EVENTS HIGHLIGHTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE SUSTAINED THE LEAN JOURNEY WHICH IS DESIGNED TO INTEGRATE VALUE STREAMS TO CREATE PULL FOR THE INSTITUTE'S OFFERINGS.SPEAKINGS AND ASSESSMENTS - INSTITUTE PERSONNEL SPEAK AND TEACH AT CONFERENCES AND EVENTS ON THE TOP OF LEAN THINKING.
  3. $700,280 spent. LEAN PUBLICATIONS - SALES OF LEI WORKBOOKS, REFERENCE BOOKS THAT EXPLAIN THE ROOTS OF LEAN AND RELATED PRODUCTS THAT SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LEAN.
  4. $516,652 spent. OTHER PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING -1) LEAN WORKSHOPS - THE INSTITUTE'S WORKSHOPS DELIVER PRACTICAL AND COMPREHENSIVE CONTENT ABOUT THE KEY ELEMENTS OF LEAN KNOWLEDGE AND HOW TO IMPLEMENT THEM.2) PHILANTHROPY - THE ORGANIZATION MADE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE JAMES P. WOMACK SCHOLARSHIP & PHILANTHROPY FUND (THE JPW FUND) AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since February 1998.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.