Northwestern Memorial Healthcare
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE IS AN INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, CONSISTING OF MULTIPLE HOSPITALS (INCLUDING NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER) AND NETWORKS OF PHYSICIANS AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, WHERE THE PATIENT COMES FIRST. WE ARE AN ORGANIZATION OF CAREGIVERS WHO ASPIRE TO CONSISTENTLY HIGH STANDARDS OF QUALITY, COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND PATIENT SATISFACTION. WE SEEK TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE BY DELIVERING A BROAD RANGE OF SERVICES WITH SENSITIVITY TO THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF OUR PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. WE ARE BONDED IN AN ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC AND SERVICE RELATIONSHIP WITH FEINBERG SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. THE QUALITY OF OUR SERVICES IS ENHANCED THROUGH THEIR INTEGRATION WITH EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ENCOURAGES EXCELLENCE OF PRACTICE, CRITICAL INQUIRY AND LEARNING.
- Income
- $11.2 billion
- Spending
- $11.0 billion
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- 6.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 98%
- Employees
- 38,962
- Volunteers
- 1,400
- Highest pay
- $10.8 million, see schedule o
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
Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 83% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.7 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 26% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 12% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 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, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 25105 of 132 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
Reports results. Its tax return states measurable results. These are its own figures and nobody has checked them.
Results it reports
- NMH admitted more than 48,000 adults as inpatients.Work delivered
- NMH had more than 90,600 emergency department visits.Work delivered
- NMH had more than 11,600 deliveries.Work delivered
- CDH had 24,100 inpatient admissions.Work delivered
- CDH's emergency department had 78,500 visits.Work delivered
- LFH provided care for over 11,800 inpatient admissions.Work delivered
- LFH's trauma center and free-standing emergency room had more than 73,200 emergency visits.Work delivered
- The family medicine residency program had 24 residents.Work delivered
Read from the return by an AI model and shown only where the wording was found in the return. These are the charity's own figures.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $8.6 billion spent. THE NMHC GROUP RETURN REFLECTS THE COMBINED INFORMATION AND OPERATIONS OF NINETEEN TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS. THIS INCLUDES NINE HOSPITAL FACILITIES, THREE MEDICAL GROUPS, ONE FOUNDATION, AND VARIOUS OTHER RELATED ENTITIES SUPPORTING THE HEALTHCARE MISSION OF THE SYSTEM. NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (EIN: 37-0960170) ("NMH") FOR MORE THAN 150 YEARS, NMH AND ITS PREDECESSOR INSTITUTIONS, PASSAVANT MEMORIAL AND WESLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITALS, HAVE SERVED THE RESIDENTS OF CHICAGO. THE COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE, REGARDLESS OF THE PATIENTS' ABILITY TO PAY, REACHES BACK TO THE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES OF PASSAVANT AND WESLEY AND CONTINUES TO BE INTEGRAL TO OUR MISSION TO PUT PATIENTS FIRST. NMH IS AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER (AMC) HOSPITAL AND SERVES AS THE PRIMARY TEACHING HOSPITAL FOR THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY FEINBERG SCHOOL OF MEDICINE ("FEINBERG"), WITH 2,565 PHYSICIANS ON THE MEDICAL STAFF, THE MAJORITY OF WHOM HAVE FACULTY APPOINTMENTS AT FEINBERG. NMH IS AMONG THE LIMITED NUMBER OF HOSPITALS IN THE UNITED STATES TO BE DESIGNATED AS A MAJOR TEACHING HOSPITAL BY THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES (AAMC). ACCORDING TO THE AAMC, WHILE MAJOR TEACHING HOSPITALS REPRESENT ONLY 5 PERCENT OF ALL HOSPITALS, THEY ACCOUNT FOR 25 PERCENT AND 20 PERCENT OF ALL MEDICAID AND MEDICARE DISCHARGES, RESPECTIVELY, AS WELL AS PROVIDE 35 PERCENT OF THE COUNTRY'S CHARITY CARE. IN AGGREGATE, MAJOR TEACHING HOSPITALS SERVE A HIGHER PROPORTION OF LOW-INCOME, DUAL-ELIGIBLE, DISABLED AND MINORITY PATIENTS THAN OTHER HOSPITALS. AS AMCS SERVE AS MAJOR REFERRAL CENTERS AND HAVE VERY SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE, THEY PROVIDE CARE TO THOSE PATIENTS WHO ARE UNABLE TO SEEK NECESSARY CARE ELSEWHERE AND THEREFORE HAVE A PATIENT POPULATION THAT IS OFTEN MORE COMPLEX, SICKER AND MORE VULNERABLE THAN THE GENERAL PATIENT POPULATION. NMH IS A 943-BED, ADULT ACUTE CARE HOSPITAL LOCATED IN CHICAGO'S GROWING DOWNTOWN AREA AND SAW MORE THAN 48,000ADULTS ADMITTED AS INPATIENTS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. AS AN ADULT LEVEL I TRAUMA CENTER IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO WITH 24/7 SERVICE, NMH HAD MORE THAN 90,600 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (ED) VISITS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. NMH IS ALSO THE ONLY AMC HOSPITAL IN CHICAGO PARTICIPATING IN BOTH CITY AND STATE LEVEL I TRAUMA NETWORKS AND AS A LEVEL III NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, ALLOWING US TO PROVIDE LIFESAVING CARE AND TREATMENT TO THE MOST SERIOUSLY INJURED ADULTS AND PREMATURE AND SICK INFANTS. NMH HAS THE LARGEST BIRTHING CENTER IN ILLINOIS, WITH MORE THAN 11,600 DELIVERIES IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE CENTRAL DUPAGE HOSPITAL (EIN: 36-2513909) ("CDH") CDH HAS A RICH HISTORY OF CARING FOR ITS COMMUNITY. THE 406-BED, TERTIARY-CARE FACILITY LOCATED IN WINFIELD, ILLINOIS OFFERS EMERGENCY, INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT CARE IN MEDICAL AND SURGICAL SERVICES, OBSTETRICS, PEDIATRICS, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, CARDIOLOGY, NEUROLOGY AND ONCOLOGY TO RESIDENTS OF DUPAGE COUNTY AND SURROUNDING AREAS. CDH IS DESIGNATED AS A LEVEL II TRAUMA CENTER AND PROVIDES LEVEL III NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE; CDH EMS SERVES AS A STATE-DESIGNATED RESOURCE HOSPITAL. IT IS ALSO A REGIONAL DESTINATION FOR ONCOLOGY, ORTHOPEDIC, PEDIATRIC AND CARDIOLOGY CARE. CANCER PATIENTS ARE OFFERED HIGHLY ADVANCED TREATMENT AT THE STATE'S FIRST AND ONLY PROTON THERAPY CENTER. CDH HAS 1,457 PHYSICIANS ON THE MEDICAL STAFF AND THEY ARE TRAINED IN MORE THAN 90 SPECIALTY AREAS. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, CDH HAD 24,100 INPATIENT ADMISSIONS. CDH'S ED HAD 78,500 VISITS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. NORTHWESTERN LAKE FOREST HOSPITAL (EIN: 36-2179779) ("LFH") WITH ROOTS IN THE NORTHERN CHICAGO REGION, LFH WAS FOUNDED IN 1899 AS ALICE HOME ON THE CAMPUS OF LAKE FOREST COLLEGE. SINCE ITS FOUNDING, LFH HAS UPHELD THE PROMISE TO PROVIDE LAKE COUNTY RESIDENTS WITH CONVENIENT ACCESS TO QUALITY CARE SUPPORTED BY ADVANCED DIAGNOSTICS AND TECHNOLOGY. THE CURRENT LAKE FOREST HOSPITAL INCLUDES 114 PRIVATE INPATIENT ROOMS, 72 OUTPATIENT CARE SPACES, EIGHT OPERATING ROOMS AND 483,500 SQUARE FEET OF NEW CONSTRUCTION ON ITS 160-ACRE CAMPUS, OPENED IN FISCAL YEAR 2018. LFH SERVES THE LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS AND KENOSHA COUNTY, WISCONSIN AREA. 1,159 PHYSICIANS OFFER LAKE COUNTY RESIDENTS CONVENIENT ACCESS TO ADVANCED DIAGNOSTIC AND SPECIALTY SERVICES. CARE IS PROVIDED THROUGH THE MAIN HOSPITAL CAMPUS IN SUBURBAN LAKE FOREST, ABOUT 30 MILES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN CHICAGO, AT LARGE OUTPATIENT FACILITIES IN GRAYSLAKE, ILLINOIS AND GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS AND AT IMMEDIATE CARE CENTERS. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, LFH PROVIDED CARE FOR OVER 11,800 INPATIENT ADMISSIONS. LFH'S BOARD-CERTIFIED EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS AND TRAUMA-TRAINED NURSES PROVIDE TRAUMA AND EMERGENCY CARE TO PATIENTS THROUGH THE LEVEL II TRAUMA CENTER AT LFH AND A FREE-STANDING EMERGENCY ROOM AT THE GRAYSLAKE OUTPATIENT CENTER, WHICH TOGETHER HAD MORE THAN 73,200 EMERGENCY VISITS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. LAUNCHED IN 2015, LFH SERVES AS THE HOME SITE FOR THE NORTHWESTERN MCGAW FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM WITH 24 RESIDENTS IN FISCAL YEAR 2025. SINCE FISCAL YEAR 2020, LFH'S TRANSITIONAL CARE CLINIC HAS PROVIDED MEDICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT TO PATIENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN AND FACE COMPLEX CHALLENGES NAVIGATING THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM FOLLOWING AN INPATIENT OR EMERGENCY HEALTH EPISODE AND THE CLINIC HAS TREATED MORE THAN 500 PATIENTS SINCE ITS LAUNCH. THE MAXINE AND THOMAS B. HUNTER III SIMULATION AND EDUCATION CENTER IS A 14,000 SQUARE-FOOT SPACE PROVIDING REALISTIC, SIMULATED HEALTHCARE SETTINGS. THE CENTER INCLUDES STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY, HIGH-FIDELITY SIMULATORS AND A MIXED-REALITY LEARNING SPACE, ALL TO PROVIDE HOSPITAL STAFF, FIRST RESPONDERS, LOCAL COLLEGES AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WITH ACCESS TO ROBUST TRAINING AND EDUCATION SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND REDUCE LEARNING GAPS. NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION (EIN: 35-3155315) ("NMF") NMF IS THE FUNDRAISING ARM OF THE HEALTH SYSTEM AND REPRESENTS THE COMBINED LEGACY OF THE HOSPITALS COMPRISING THE GROUP. NMF PROVIDES SUPPORT SYSTEMWIDE THROUGH THE CONTRIBUT
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 November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Worth knowing.
Not individually listed by the IRS as eligible, which is usual for local chapters covered by a parent organization's exemption. The master file records contributions to it as deductible.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, 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 June 2011.
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 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.