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Mercy Ships International
Mercy Ships International reported $250.4 million in revenue and $191.4 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $78.18 went to program services, $8.24 to management and general costs and $13.58 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.1% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $350,000 (FOUNDER). 143 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 136% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $191MFor context, the median across 469 covered international, foreign affairs & national security charities: $89.04 programs, $8.28 management, $2.68 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $250MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 78.2% | 86.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 8.2% | 8.0% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 13.6% | 2.6% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.10 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 99.1% | 96.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $350,000 | $341,362 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.18% | 1.06% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 143 | 10 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 27.0 | 7.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 21 of 22 | 100.0% |
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
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseMercy Ships follows the 2,000-year-old model of jesus, bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor. In 2025, Mercy Ships continued providing medical services at no cost, including, but not limited to: - specialty surgeries performed 5,019 - patients evaluated during field consultation for surgery 7,093 - healthcare professionals trained and mentored 1,061 - total number of participant training hours 305,400 - dental procedures 31,863 - volunteer crew 2,152 - crew nationalities represented 75 - trained in nutritional agriculture 12
Highest reported compensation
2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOUNDER Director/trustee, officer, 45.0 hrs/week | $350,000 | $0 | $0 | $350,000 |
| CFIO Officer, 55.0 hrs/week | $305,305 | $0 | $42,657 | $347,962 |
| COO Key employee, 55.0 hrs/week | $271,939 | $0 | $40,608 | $312,547 |
| Secretary & General Counsel Officer, 45.0 hrs/week | $300,000 | $0 | $0 | $300,000 |
| SR VP OF USNO/ASST. SECRETARY Officer, 55.0 hrs/week | $226,783 | $0 | $25,489 | $252,272 |
| VP OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS Key employee, 45.0 hrs/week | $243,552 | $0 | $0 | $243,552 |
| CEO END:03/25 Director/trustee, officer, 55.0 hrs/week | $218,625 | $0 | $12,177 | $230,802 |
| EXECUTIVE DIR OF GLOBAL CORP PTSHPS Highest compensated employee, 45.0 hrs/week | $206,232 | $0 | $2,579 | $208,811 |
143 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Mercy Ships International (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.2M (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · 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–1b22 · 21 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aNo
- 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 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5605
- Volunteers Part I, line 62,175
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| FULL HEARTS Mail solicitations | $25,028,474 |
| U S POSTAL SERVICE Mail provider | $3,452,812 |
| Navantia SA SME Shipping Agent | $2,434,929 |
| AFRICA GLOBAL LOGISTICS MADAGASCAR Shipping Agent | $2,149,863 |
| NORTHERN MARINE MANNING SERVICES Contracted mariners | $1,734,452 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 88 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
330 private foundations reported grants to Mercy Ships International totaling $6.9M 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 Mercy Ships International's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Mercy Ships International, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Mercy Ships International spent in 2025, $78.18 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Mercy Ships International's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Mercy Ships International reported that 78.2% of its $191.4 million in expenses went to program services, 8.2% to management and general and 13.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Mercy Ships International pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Mercy Ships International reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $350,000, for the role of FOUNDER (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Mercy Ships International get its money?
Of $250.4 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 99.1% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Mercy Ships International a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 26-2414132 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202612109349301416 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202542129349300134 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202412219349301521 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202332219349300203 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202232579349301418 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202132099349300133 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202002459349301260 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 26-2414132: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.