Washburn Center for Children
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Washburn Center for Children diagnose and treats children in their social, emotional or behavioral development so that they grow into their full potential through therapeutic and healing services that includes their families in a setting that is (Cont'd on Sch O) best for the child: in homes, clinics, schools or in community spaces.
- Income
- $26.4 million
- Spending
- $29.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 1.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 66%
- Employees
- 337
- Volunteers
- 34
- Highest pay
- $289,543, chief executive officer
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
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 7% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 12% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 37% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2523 of 24 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 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 (4)
- $11.5 million spent. Outpatient Individual & Family TherapyThe Outpatient Therapy program provides mental health assessment and treatment for a wide range of mental health concerns for children from birth to age 18. Located at clinics in Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park and Edina, the Outpatient Therapy program served 974 children in 2025.School-based mental health services offer families convenient on-site access to assessment, treatment and school consultation. Washburn Center clinicians are located at several schools in the Bloomington, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Eden Prairie, Minneapolis, and Columbia Heights public school districts along with a few charter schools. (Continued on Schedule O)An expansion into the Centennial public schools started in June 2025. The age of the clients varies by school, but the program as a whole serves kindergarten through 12th grade. This program served 1635 children in 2025.
- $11.1 million spent. Community Based ServicesCase Management services provide Hennepin County families with children experiencing severe emotional disturbances access to a variety of social services, including mental health, educational, interpersonal, vocational, medical, dental, insurance and recreational services. Case Managers serve children, ages three through 18, advocate on behalf of the children's needs and coordinate care across multiple providers. In 2025, 690 children received Case Management services.(Continued on Schedule O)Crisis Stabilization provides intensive in-home therapy, skills building and caregiver support to increase stability and help children with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties avoid hospitalization or out-of-home placement as well as support them as the transition back in to their homes. In 2025, 427 children, ages three to 18, received Crisis services.Early Childhood Outreach provides observational assessment of children in Hennepin County childcare and preschool settings. The program offers consultation and collaboration with teachers and guardians to identify and address social, emotional, behavioral, and/or developmental concerns. Training to teachers is available on request. This program served 70 children in 2025, from birth to kindergarten.Intensive In-Home therapy is available for families whose children, ages five to 17, are at risk of being removed from their homes or receiving a higher level of care due to social and emotional difficulties and conflict within the family system. Therapists collaborate with caregivers in the home setting to improve family functioning and help children develop life skills to increase stability across settings. In 2025, 183 children were served in this program.Family Focused provides intensive in-home family therapy and a therapeutic preschool to strengthen the parent/child relationship and support the healthy functioning and development of children who are having social, emotional or behavioral difficulties and/or experiencing environmental stressors. This program served 267 children, from birth to kindergarten. In 2025, 38 of those clients were also served in the milieu component of this program.
- $2.0 million spent. Intensive Therapeutic GroupsDay Treatment services provide a half-day therapeutic classroom to help young children with severe emotional and/or behavioral challenges gain the skills needed to be successful with their families, at school and in the community. Family therapy and school collaboration with the child's teachers is also provided. Approximately 74 children, ages three to nine, received Day Treatment services in 2025.
- $781,781 spent. A commitment to treatment and trainingWashburn Center for Children (Washburn Center) is a critical community resource providing compassionate therapeutic care to children and families, as well as training clinical professionals who work with children nationally. Founded in 1883, families in the community have come to Washburn Center for over 140 years to help children thrive at home, in school and in the community. Washburn Center nurtures every child and family's well-being and full potential through transformative children's mental health care. Washburn Center for Children leads Minnesota in child-centered mental health care with a broad and deep spectrum of outpatient services across the continuum of care. The mental health care kids receive at Washburn Center is a safety-net. Community-based mental health care is for all kids and families who need us, period.As an agency, Washburn is balancing community needs that are ever-evolving, financial sustainability and taking care of our staff so they develop and grow - sustaining this mission for this generation of children and those to come. In 2025, our therapists met with 4,013 children (5,397 duplicated) for 100,071 hours of therapy in family homes, schools, hospitals, and community centers. This represents 8.8% more children than 2024 - a clear reflection of the increased community need that is impacted by societal changes, community violence, and changing availability of resources. In 2025, 27% of the children we served relied on more than one Washburn Center service. With our full continuum of care, Washburn Center serves children ages birth to 18, with an average of 47% between ages 6 to 11, who live in the Twin Cities and surrounding counties, and 63% of families served qualify for some form of financial support.Children and their families are served in three office locations - Brooklyn Park, Edina and Minneapolis - as well as in-home, in more than 60 partner schools, in more than 30 hospitals and clinics, and in our communities. Washburn Center has more than 120 community-based therapists driving into neighborhoods, sitting in homes and meeting families where they are.Comprehensive and evidence-based children's mental health services include assessment, evaluation, individual and family therapy, psychological evaluations, psychiatry, and care coordination. Services are designed to develop skills, navigate social, emotional and behavioral development as well as connect families with resources to help children reach their full potential. In addition to comprehensive therapeutic services, Washburn Center's Training Institute is a national leader in training mental health professionals in trauma-informed, evidence-based practices. In-house and online training is offered to clinicians, interns, and allied professionals to ensure children receive the best quality care. Since its inception, the Training Institute has provided over 125,000 hours of training and consultation to 8,243 professionals nationally and internationally so that children can receive high quality mental health care. Additionally, the agency trains about 50 undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students annually.
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
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? 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 December 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 December 1949.
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.