Childrens Mercy Hospital
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Children's Mercy is a leading independent children's health organization dedicated to holistic care, translational research, breakthrough innovation, and educating the next generation of caregivers. Together, we transform the health, well-being and potential of children, with unwavering compassion for those most vulnerable.
- Income
- $2.3 billion
- Spending
- $2.0 billion
- Spent on programs
- 77%
- Reserves
- 12.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 86%
- Employees
- 10,248
- Volunteers
- 1,105
- Highest pay
- $1.8 million, director; president & ceo; end 1/2/25
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 96 out of 100. Higher than 93% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 12.1 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 18% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 14% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 13% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1577% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 53% of charities in its peer group (health care, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 16 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 June 30, 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 (2)
- $1.4 billion spent. All expenses for program services relate to providing healthcare. There was a total of 390 licensed beds and 203,844 adjusted patient days during the year from 14,807 admissions. Outpatient visits totaled 585,160 which includes 50,803 primary care visits, 91,051 urgent care visits, 95,187 emergency department visits and 348,119 specialty clinic visits. Telemedicine visits totaled 59,319 which includes both synchronous and asynchronous visits. There was a total of 21,482 surgical cases which includes 4,528 inpatient cases and 16,954 outpatient cases. Children's Mercy's Adele Hall Campus consists of a 338-bed teaching hospital for children located in Kansas City, Missouri, and a 52-bed hospital for children located in Overland Park, Kansas. Children's Mercy Hospital provides the highest level of medical care, technology, services, equipment, and facilities promoting the health and well-being of children in the region, from birth through adolescence. Patients and their families are treated with compassion in a family-centered environment that recognizes their physical, emotional, financial, social, and spiritual needs. The comprehensive healthcare environment provided by the Hospital includes clinical services, research, and teaching efforts, which are designed to serve today's and tomorrow's children, and the community in which they live. The Hospital's services are available to all regardless of ability to pay.
- $107.4 million spent. Children's Mercy Hospital (CM) is dedicated to becoming a leader in pediatric translational research. A strategic planning initiative established the Children's Mercy Research Institute (CMRI) to focus on research and research infrastructure. Through the generosity of two philanthropic gifts totaling $150 million, the Hospital has built a nine story, 375,000 square foot facility enabling research scientists to gain access to state-of-the-art research technology as well as dry lab and wet lab space to support that research. The building includes an auditorium for presentations to train medical school students and inform the public about pediatric healthcare innovations that are being developed and created by research scientists and physicians here in collaboration with others throughout the nation and world. In addition these generous gifts will help support funding for scientific programs and recruitment. Research conducted today at CM includes basic science and clinical research in numerous areas including pharmacology, cancer, cardiology, genetic diseases and health outcomes. Areas of research strength include Precision Therapeutics, Genomics Medicine, Population Health, Emerging Infections and Health Care Innovation. During the year ended June 30, 2025 there were more than 823 active sponsored research projects. The Children's Mercy Research Institute occupies about 16% of the space on the main campus and 7% of the total annual operating budget. Children's Mercy spent $107 million in the year ended June 30, 2025 on research and per information from the NIH Reporter received more than $12.4 Million in NIH funding in this same time period. More than 700+ publications were accepted and/or published. The Children's Mercy Research Institute provides seed funding to investigators with internal competitive grant programs such as the Midwest Cancer Alliance and the Katherine Berry Richardson (KBR) Fund, with expectations that this funding will lead to applications for externally funded grant programs in the future.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 June 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 February 1956.
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.
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.