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Center of the American Experiment

EIN 36-3611426 · Minnetonka, MN

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood75 out of 100GovernanceGood85 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Center of the American Experiment is a nonpartisan public policy and educational institution that brings conservative and free market ideas to bear on the hardest problems facing Minnesota and the nation. Through research, op-eds, public forums, legislative testimony, public messaging in a variety of media, and a stream of publications, we are working to build a Culture of Prosperity in Minnesota and the nation.

Income
$4.8 million
Spending
$4.4 million
Spent on programs
89%
Reserves
3.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 99%
Employees
22
Volunteers
100
Highest pay
$201,544, president

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 38% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 9% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 12% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    89% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 38% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    37 of 38 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no 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, 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)
  1. $3.9 million spent. Our Policy Fellows were hard at work during this year's legislative session. We testified 13 times on a variety of topics, including public safety, healthcare, the budget, energy, education, and fraud. We submitted written testimony on even more issues, including housing and childcare. We also appeared in Congress, in the North Dakota and Ohio legislatures, and in front of the Minneapolis City Council. (Accomplishments continued on schedule o)In the legislature we: -With more than 20,000 emails, we led the chorus of Minnesotans who demanded that House Democrats return to work, and they did, with a favorable outcome for conservatives after a 23-day boycott. -Successfully pressured the legislature to terminate the program funding healthcare for illegal immigrants -Successfully opposed the "sick tax" proposed by Senate Democrats that would have led to a cost increase on all health care services -Played a prominent role in the establishment of the House Fraud Prevention committee, and testified twice in front of that committee In the community we: -Released an exclusive recording of Keith Ellison's private meeting with Feeding Our Future fraudsters, who he assures he's "here to help" -Debuted a viral video debunking wind and solar's status as "clean" energy sources that has been watched over 6 million times-Launched significant initiative to bring real school choice to Minnesota, and awarded our first ever scholarship to support students receiving high-quality private education -Exposed Mary Moriarty's harmful policies as Hennepin County Attorney through publication of her decisions and their results, including her refusal to properly charge carjacking crimes. She will not be seeking re-election-Received national attention for exposing Governor Walz's radical Ethnic Studies framework, and successfully suing the Department of Education when they withheld this framework from the public. -Rebutted the failed socialist policies attempting to rebrand as "democratic socialism and take root in the Twin Cities As an organization we:-Increased our email audience to over 200,000 subscribers -Put on 51 events across the state of Minnesota, including a 20-stop summer tour called Minnesota DOGE: Cut the waste, save the budget.-Received donations from more than 11,000 Minnesotans, with the median donation being $35-Released 6 original reports and 6 policy briefings aimed at educating policy makers and citizens on conservative solutions to our biggest problems -Reached more people on social media than ever before, amassing tens of millions of impressions with our content, and hundreds of millions of contacts through all media In North Dakota we: -Helped pass a long-overdue bill legalizing charter schools and micro schools to give parents and children more educational options -Got a high-quality school choice bill to the Governor's desk -were awarded a prize by the State Policy Network for our innovative plan to support new charter schools in North Dakota

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, 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 November 6, 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 2025.

    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 April 1989.

    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 November 4, 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.