Desiring God Ministries
Desiring God Ministries reported $10.5 million in revenue and $10.4 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $81.67 went to program services, $15.14 to management and general costs and $3.19 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 96.9% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $289,705 (ENGINEER DIRECTOR). 26 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 39% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $10MFor context, the median across 290 covered religion-related charities: $88.39 programs, $9.62 management, $1.99 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $10MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 81.7% | 86.0% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 15.1% | 9.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 3.2% | 1.9% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.03 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 96.9% | 83.4% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.2% | 2.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $289,705 | $276,040 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.78% | 1.40% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 26 | 4 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 8.3 | 12.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 4 of 7 | 90.9% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseSpreading: Desiring God (dg) distributes our teaching resources through events, partnerships and digital promotion
Teaching: Desiring God creates new teaching resources such as articles, books, podcasts and videos
Product: Desiring God maintains an independent web platform where all of our teaching resources are hosted
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINEER DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $237,657 | $0 | $52,048 | $289,705 |
| CREATIVE DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $229,441 | $0 | $51,489 | $280,930 |
| DONOR OFFICER Key employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $196,141 | $0 | $65,751 | $261,892 |
| DONOR OFFICER Key employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $199,097 | $0 | $57,058 | $256,155 |
| PAST PRESIDENT Director/trustee, officer, 45.00 hrs/week | $200,122 | $0 | $53,529 | $253,651 |
| PRESIDENT, CEO Director/trustee, officer, 45.00 hrs/week | $202,059 | $0 | $50,198 | $252,257 |
| TEACHER, DIRECTOR Director/trustee, 45.00 hrs/week | $185,070 | $0 | $62,744 | $247,814 |
| SENIOR TEACHER Highest compensated employee, 45.00 hrs/week | $189,299 | $0 | $53,147 | $242,446 |
26 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Desiring God Ministries (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $713K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b7 · 4 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13No
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 533
- Volunteers Part I, line 64
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses onlyIndividuals listed as contractors are left out. 5 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
17 private foundations reported grants to Desiring God Ministries totaling $250K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Desiring God Ministries's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Desiring God Ministries, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Desiring God Ministries spent in FY2025, $81.67 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Desiring God Ministries's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Desiring God Ministries reported that 81.7% of its $10.4 million in expenses went to program services, 15.1% to management and general and 3.2% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Desiring God Ministries pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Desiring God Ministries reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $289,705, for the role of ENGINEER DIRECTOR (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Desiring God Ministries get its money?
Of $10.5 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 96.9% came from contributions and grants and 0.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Desiring God Ministries a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 01-0797083 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202621129349300822 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202403379349301000 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202323339349301252 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202203419349300020 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202230639349300118 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202100989349300815 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 01-0797083: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.