Childrens Hospital of Chicago Medical Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O.
- Income
- $39.2 million
- Spending
- $42.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 69%
- Reserves
- -0.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 56%
- Employees
- 330
- Volunteers
- 49
- Highest pay
- $2.6 million, ex-officio director/president & ceo lch
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 19 out of 100. Higher than 1% of charities in its peer group (health care, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 607% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 7% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 46% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1569% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 52% of charities in its peer group (health care, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2549 of 51 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, 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 (1)
- $29.0 million spent. Children's Hospital of Chicago Medical Center (the "Medical Center"), an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, engages in budget approval, asset management, resource allocation, investment oversight and strategic planning for affiliates. Affiliates include organizations for which the Medical Center is a controlling member. In FY25, the Medical Center had the following affiliates: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (Lurie Children's), Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Foundation (Lurie Children's Foundation), Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute (Manne Research Institute), Lurie Children's Medical Group, LLC , Lurie Children's Primary Care, LLC , Pediatric Faculty Foundation, Inc , Lurie Children's Health Services, LLC (LCHS), Almost Home Kids (AHK), Lurie Children's Pediatric Anesthesia Associates , Lurie Children's Surgical Foundation, Inc. And CMMC Insurance Co, Ltd (CMMC). Effective January 1, 2025, Lurie Children's Surgical Foundation, Inc., Lurie Children's Pediatric Anesthesia Associates, Lurie Children's Primary Care, Inc. f/k/a Lurie Children's Primary Care, LLC, and Lurie Children's Multispecialty Group, Inc. F/k/a Lurie Children's Medical Group, LLC merged with and into Pediatric Faculty Foundation, Inc. Also effective on January 1, 2025, Pediatric Faculty Foundation, Inc. changed its name to Lurie Children's Medical Group, Inc. (LCMG). Lurie Children's operates the only full-service, independent, self-governing pediatric hospital in Illinois, with 364 licensed beds, as well as a full range of inpatient and outpatient care and related ancillary services. This not-for-profit, tertiary care hospital, founded in 1882, provides patient care 24 hours-per-day, 7 days-per-week and more pediatric healthcare than any other hospital provider in Illinois in nearly every pediatric medical and surgical specialty. As a major academic tertiary care medical center, Lurie Children's served patients from 50 states and more than 40 countries in FY25. Lurie Children's is a designated level I pediatric trauma center for the city of Chicago, level IV neonatal intensive care facility, both of which are the highest designations in Illinois. In U.S. News & World Report 2025 rankings, Lurie Children's ranked in the top hospitals across the nation and ranked in 11 featured specialties, including for urology (6th), nephrology (7th), and neurology & neurosurgery (7th). In addition, for more than 70 years, Lurie Children's has served as the pediatric training site for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, training residents, medical students and fellows who will comprise the next generation of health care providers. Lurie Children's Foundation seeks to optimize philanthropy in support of the mission and future of the Children's Hospital of Chicago Medical Center. The mission of Manne Research Institute is to generate new knowledge and translate advancements in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases that affect children's health through adolescence and adulthood. Manne Research Institute's multidisciplinary teams are committed to making discoveries that will improve the lives of children and their families. LCMG is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation whose sole member is the Medical Center. LCMG is an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the code. LCMG employs pediatric specialists, subspecialists, surgeons, and hospital-based physicians who practice at Lurie Children's and at affiliated outreach locations. LCHS exists for the provision and coordination of medical care of medically complex children, contracting with managed care organizations and commercial health plans to provide care coordination services to children within their plans that have complex medical needs. AHK provides a bridge from hospital to home through an innovative community-based care system for children with medical complexities. AHK responds to the needs of families, train caregivers, offer respite care, advocate for accessibility and inclusion and educate healthcare professionals. CMMC provides a self-insurance program for the Medical Center.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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.
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.
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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending August 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 1987.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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.
Could it be confused with another charity? Worth knowing.
A much larger organization has a similar name: Childrens Hospital Medical Center (Cincinnati, OH), EIN 31-0833936. If that is the one you meant, check the EIN before giving.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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.