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Special Olympics Inc

The mission of special olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving …

Human Services Washington, DC EIN: 520889518 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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80
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
80/100 · methodology

About Special Olympics Inc

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Founded
Headquarters
Washington, DC
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
N720
IRS subsection
501(c)(c3)
Ruling date
Size
very-large

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1969

Mission

The mission of special olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other special olympics athletes and the community.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Cause tags

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar human services in United States
Program spending This charity: 85%
Peer average: 84%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 0.28%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 80
Peer average: 90

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for IRS revocation history, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

Where every $1 goes

· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)
$0.85
Program$0.85
85% to programs beats the peer average (84%) and beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Special Olympics Inc has a complete profile, sourced from the IRS.

  • By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 99% of the 136,181 human services charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
  • Established in 1968, it predates 89% of the human services charities in the United States GiveRadar has a founding year for. View this cohort
  • GiveRadar holds a more complete profile for this organization than for 90% of the 322,679 human services charities in the United States it tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (5 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • a donation page
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Special Olympics Inc is a registered human services nonprofit based in Washington, DC, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1968 and has been operating for 58 years. Its EIN is 520889518. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 80/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $186M in annual revenue. 214 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Special Olympics Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 520889518. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.

Special Olympics Inc has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 80 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 85% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for human services charities in United States is 90/100.

Special Olympics Inc is located in Washington, DC, United States. The organization was established in 1968 and has been active for 58 years.

Based on official tax filings, Special Olympics Inc has $186M in annual revenue. It allocates 85% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 84% for human services charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $3M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Special Olympics Inc is classified as a Human Services organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a very-large organization. It has $186M in annual revenue. The organization has 214 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Special Olympics Inc. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, Special Olympics Inc holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 85% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 84%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Inc is classified as a human services organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1968.

Among human services charities registered in United States: It allocates 85% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 84%. Its annual revenue of $186M is well above the peer average of $3M.

Yes, donations to Special Olympics Inc are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Its EIN is 520889518, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Annual revenue
$100M-$1B
85% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
286

Leadership

From FY2024 filing

JA
James B•••••
CFO

Officers & trustees (25)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

25 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$186.4M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Form filed
$152.2M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
Form filed
$138.3M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$148.3M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$126.0M revenue
FY2020
IRS 990

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Cause areas in United States

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Human Services this charity 322,679
Education 195,586
Arts & Culture 133,128
Advocacy & Civil Rights 128,026
Religion 114,636
Health 98,862
Community Development 56,086
Youth Development 53,450
See all cause areas in United States

Most common causes in United States

Causes charities work on most.

Community Development 235,146
Education 159,016
Religion 103,741
Arts & Culture 101,203
Human Rights 76,926
Health 65,250
Youth Development 47,775
Animal Welfare 32,425

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 214 disclosed in the public registry.

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 6, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 10
  • Financial data · FY2024 on record
  • Named leadership · 214 officers on file
  • Executive pay · Disclosed
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Tax-deductibility · Verified
  • Founding date · 1968
Not available · 1
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about Special Olympics Inc

What is Special Olympics Inc?
Special Olympics Inc is a human services publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Washington, United States. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
When was Special Olympics Inc founded?
Special Olympics Inc was founded in 1968.
Who leads Special Olympics Inc?
James Barbee serves as CFO.
Where is Special Olympics Inc located?
Headquartered in Washington, DC, United States.
What is Special Olympics Inc's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $100M-$1B. 85% of expenses go to program services.
Is Special Olympics Inc trustworthy?
Special Olympics Inc has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Special Olympics Inc's registration number?
IRS EIN: 520889518.
What is Special Olympics Inc's website?
http://www.specialolympics.org