Western Washington Fair Association
Also known as Washington State Fair
Western Washington Fair Association reported $50.9 million in revenue and $52.7 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $96.30 went to program services, $3.18 to management and general costs and $0.52 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 85.5% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $259,999 (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER). 11 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 1951% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending November 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $53MFor context, the median across 237 covered recreation & sports charities: $88.05 programs, $10.89 management, $1.06 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending November 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $51MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 96.3% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 3.2% | 10.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.09 | $0.05 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 6.2% | 25.2% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.5% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 85.5% | 61.0% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $259,999 | $365,322 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.49% | 2.14% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 11 | 6 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 20.9 | 14.9 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 0 of 13 | 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
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseThe association self produces five signature events including the washington state fair for 20 days typically in september, spring fair for eight days in april, the taste nw for three days the weekend before july 4th, oktoberfest nw for three days in october and holiday magic for thirteen days in december. The wsfec is also rented for approximately 130 events throughout the year
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $245,131 | $0 | $14,868 | $259,999 |
| VENDOR SERVICES MANAGER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $187,015 | $0 | $10,926 | $197,941 |
| CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $165,911 | $0 | $680 | $166,591 |
| TRADES & PROJECTS SUPERVISOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $146,434 | $0 | $9,322 | $155,756 |
| CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $139,610 | $0 | $8,913 | $148,523 |
| CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $134,364 | $0 | $8,598 | $142,962 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $113,223 | $0 | $5,600 | $118,823 |
| DIRECTOR Director/trustee, 3.00 hrs/week | $36,500 | $0 | $0 | $36,500 |
11 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Western Washington Fair Association (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $662K (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–1b13 · 0 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 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 51,826
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Western Washington Fair Association's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Western Washington Fair Association, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Western Washington Fair Association spent in FY2025, $96.30 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- San Antonio Livestock ExpositionSan Antonio, TX · revenue $51M · programs 86.1% · FY2025
- Conference USADallas, TX · revenue $52M · programs 98.3% · FY2025
- The Western Stock Show AssociationDenver, CO · revenue $50M · programs 76.5% · FY2025
- African Parks Foundation of AmericaWashington, DC · revenue $55M · programs 96.1% · 2024
- United States Bowling CongressArlington, TX · revenue $50M · programs 72.4% · 2024
All recreation & sports charities · Largest charities in Washington
Questions people ask
How much of Western Washington Fair Association's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending November 30, 2025, Western Washington Fair Association reported that 96.3% of its $52.7 million in expenses went to program services, 3.2% to management and general and 0.5% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Western Washington Fair Association pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Western Washington Fair Association reported for one person in the fiscal year ending November 30, 2025 was $259,999, for the role of CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Western Washington Fair Association get its money?
Of $50.9 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending November 30, 2025, 6.2% came from contributions and grants (including 0.5% from government grants) and 85.5% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Western Washington Fair Association a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 91-0470250 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 November 30, 2025, object 202622469349301607 · read the filing
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2024, object 202522659349300747 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2023, object 202412649349300221 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2022, object 202302899349303675 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2021, object 202212909349302056 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2020, object 202102879349302500 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 91-0470250: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.