Critical CARE Services
Also known as Life Link III
Critical CARE Services reported $79.8 million in revenue and $69.5 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $85.34 went to program services, $14.66 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 95.5% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $446,880 (PRESIDENT AND CEO). 149 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 81% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $69MFor context, the median across 5,634 covered health care charities: $86.19 programs, $13.81 management, $0.00 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 $80MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 85.3% | 85.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 14.7% | 13.7% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 1.7% | 1.3% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 1.7% | 0.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 95.5% | 93.7% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $446,880 | $975,831 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.64% | 1.34% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 149 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 11.4 | 6.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 11 of 11 | 88.9% |
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
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseRotor wing servicesprovides air transportation of patients requiring Critical Care and emergency medical care in helicopters configured for mobile intensive care with 3,541 transports in 2025. Life link iii provides helicopter air medical transportation including on-scene emergency response and inter-facility transport 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. With helicopter bases throughout minnesota and wisconsin, life link iii transports all types of critically ill or injured patients
Fixed wing servicesprovides air transportation of patients requiring Critical Care and emergency medical care in fixed wing aircraft configured for mobile intensive care with 280 transports in 2025. Life link iii provides airplane ambulance transportation throughout the united states, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Life link iii has a dedicated, medically-configured airplane ready at all times to transport all types of critically ill or injured patients
Community education and safetylife link iii's airplane and helicopter transportation services are accredited by the commission on accreditation of medical transport systems (camts), which reflects the organization's commitment to meeting or exceeding the highest standards of patient care, quality and safety. Life link iii is one of only 60 medical transportation services nationally and internationally that are camts accredited for the two modes of Critical Care air medical transportation: rotor wing and fixed wing. Life link iii successfully completed the reaccreditation process in march 2025…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT AND CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $393,999 | $0 | $52,881 | $446,880 |
| CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $325,838 | $0 | $22,385 | $348,223 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $308,105 | $0 | $31,397 | $339,502 |
| CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $301,382 | $0 | $28,034 | $329,416 |
| RN BACHELOR BASE LEAD Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $300,441 | $0 | $27,573 | $328,014 |
| CHIEF BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND PLANNING Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $257,221 | $0 | $48,517 | $305,738 |
| RN BACHELOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $217,087 | $0 | $36,918 | $254,005 |
| INSTRUCTOR PILOT AND CHECK AIRMAN Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $210,359 | $0 | $41,877 | $252,236 |
149 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Critical CARE Services (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.8M (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–1b11 · 11 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 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 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5385
- Volunteers Part I, line 619
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| K&E CONSULTING It support | $407,879 |
| FAEGRE DRINKER Legal services | $307,687 |
| PRIMACY STRATEGY Professional services | $180,000 |
| MULCHATNA CONSULTING Professional services | $155,127 |
| FULTON ANALYTICS Software support | $123,200 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 5 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
2 private foundations reported grants to Critical CARE Services totaling $30,000 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 Critical CARE Services's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Critical CARE Services, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Critical CARE Services spent in 2025, $85.34 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- St Joseph's Hospital & Health CenterPhoenix, AZ · revenue $80M · programs 90.7% · FY2025
- Baylor Health Care SystemDallas, TX · revenue $80M · programs 100.0% · FY2025
- Hospital Development CoSpencer, WV · revenue $80M · programs 73.6% · FY2025
- Augusta Medical GroupFishersville, VA · revenue $80M · programs 96.3% · 2024
- HSS Properties CorporationNew York, NY · revenue $80M · programs 98.8% · 2024
Questions people ask
How much of Critical CARE Services's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Critical CARE Services reported that 85.3% of its $69.5 million in expenses went to program services, 14.7% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Critical CARE Services pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Critical CARE Services reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $446,880, for the role of PRESIDENT AND CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Critical CARE Services get its money?
Of $79.8 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 1.7% came from contributions and grants (including 1.7% from government grants) and 95.5% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Critical CARE Services a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 41-1518013 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, 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 202612659349301136 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202512689349301126 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202402789349301515 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202342759349300404 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202221929349300232 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202102159349301675 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202012139349300411 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 41-1518013: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.