Social Science (V22Z) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

MERCATUS CENTER INC

EIN: 54-1436224 · ARLINGTON, VA 22201-4541 · United States · FY 2025 Data

3 out of 5 58 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 89/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 83/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2025 · Scored 9/13/2026

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Financial Overview — FY 2025

$48.3M

Total Revenue

$40.9M

Total Expenses

$39.8M

Net Assets

200

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 90.3%

Fundraising Efficiency N/A

Operating Reserve 11.68x

Liability-to-Asset 8.4%

Revenue Diversification 96.7%

Executive Compensation $1.6M

Compared with Peers

FY 2025

Compared with 8 similar organizations (United States, Social Science, $10M–$100M in expenses), FY 2025.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	90.3%	88.3%	P10P90	Above median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	5.0%	6.7%	P10P90	Top quarter
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	4.7%	3.1%	P10P90	Below median
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	11.7 mo	14.0 mo	P10P90	Below median
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	8.4%	10.3%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	96.7%	94.0%	P10P90	Below median
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	22.7%	4.4%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	-8.6%	1.9%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	15.2%	3.0%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2025	$48.3M	$40.9M	$39.8M	90.3%	200
2024	$39.3M	$44.8M	$32.4M	92.1%	233
2023	$47.4M	$49.3M	$37.6M	93.2%	219
2022	$50.1M	$45.1M	$39.4M	92.7%	226
2021	$50.1M	$48.7M	N/A	—	221

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Organization Details

EIN: 54-1436224
State: VA
City: ARLINGTON
ZIP: 22201-4541
Classification: V22Z
Category: Social Science
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
Form 990: On File

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CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

★★★★★ 80–100 ★★★★☆ 60–79 ★★★☆☆ 40–59 ★★☆☆☆ 20–39 ★☆☆☆☆ 1–19

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The coverage grade (A to D) says how much filing data the score rests on; NONE means there is not enough to rate.
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