Community of Recovering People
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities affected by alcohol and drug dependency by providing affordable, effective educational services grounded in the Twelve Step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Income
- $10.1 million
- Spending
- $5.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 89%
- Reserves
- 0.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 62%
- Employees
- 74
- Volunteers
- 400
- Highest pay
- $359,136, president and ceo
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: 69 out of 100. Higher than 54% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 8% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 45% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 57% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1589% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
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 37% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 17 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, 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)
- $4.2 million spent. Residential and Non-Residential Services:A total of 522 guests were served in 2024 through our Residential Program at The Retreat in Wayzata, MN. The average length of stay for a guest in our residential program was 27 days. Sixty-five percent of the people participating were men and thirty-four percent were women with an average age of 44 years. The Retreat's Non-Residential Programs in both St. Paul and Wayzata served a total of 138 people in 2024, with 100 in our Evening Program and 38 in our 55Plus Program. Our Scholarship program assisted 547 people in 2024 providing $808,879 in scholarships.Teaching the essentials of recovery as embodied in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and providing a strong focus on the basic principles of recovery are hallmarks of The Retreat philosophy. The Retreat creates an environment that promotes emotional and spiritual growth and helps establish a solid connection to the recovery community. Guests share their experience, strength and hope with one another, learning to trust and to understand the true nature of their illness and to take the steps necessary to recover.Retreat guests discover the importance of practicing the Twelve Step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous in their daily lives and gain a commitment to undergo the personal change so important to recovery. Mentoring and sponsorship deepen this process of change. Staff and volunteers who have walked a similar path share their experience and help guests to take the actions necessary to recover from their alcoholism or chemical dependency.
- $461,181 spent. Sober Residences:The Organization operates six Sober Residences in the beautiful Crocus Hill area of St. Paul, MN. We offer 78 beds, 66 for men and 7 for women. In 2024 we served a total of 105 residents.The Sober Residences gives individuals the opportunity to put into practice the principles of recovery embodied in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. With its close proximity to AA meetings, coffee houses and employment opportunities, residents become fully immersed in the recovery community and are provided the time structure and support essential to building a strong foundation of recovery.Housed separately, men and women work closely with sponsors to create a safe and supportive environment while establishing a solid foundation for recovery. Each resident commits to living at the Sober Residence for a minimum of six months. The fee ranges from $600-$950 per month.
- $165,403 spent. Family Program:The Organization's Family program runs Thursday evening through Sunday at noon two times each month. In 2024 there were 233 people that attended the 4-day retreat either in person or virtually.Alcoholism is a disease that affects the entire family. At The Retreat, we recognize the need for family members and loved ones to embark upon their own spiritual journey of recovery. The Retreat Family Program allows those negatively impacted by alcoholism and drug dependency to begin the healing process and encourages family members and loved ones to further explore how their lives have been personally affected by the disease. The Retreat Family Program gives participants the opportunity to better understand addiction, family dynamics and the process of recovery embodied in the Twelve Steps of Al-Anon.
- $112,412 spent. Other Programs:There were 314 people that participated in a Spiritual Retreat in 2024.Alcoholism affects us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The development of the human spirit is a fundamental element of recovery and critical to a successful and fulfilling life. At The Retreat, we believe that on-going spiritual development is essential to long term sobriety and contentment. The Retreat's Center for Spiritual Development offers retreats as well as individual and group direction for those seeking to deepen their commitment to spiritual renewal and recovery. Guests explore the basic spiritual principles that give meaning to life and provide the framework for continued development.In an effort to help more people recover and bring the vast resources of recovery related information together into one easily accessible format, the Retreat continues to operate myRecovery.com. This online recovery resource offers a social networking site designed specifically for people in recovery and the most comprehensive resource directory of recovery related information in the world including thousands of AA and Al-Anon talks, videos, a national AA and Al-Anon directory, a variety of self-scoring assessment tools, articles, blogs, podcasts and many other amazing features.We continued to host 100+ meetings a week with over 65 trusted services. Currently our MyRecovery Facebook page has over 100,000 followers.
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
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 1993.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.