The M S Hershey Foundation

Analysis

The M S Hershey Foundation is a registered charity in United States, based in Hershey, PA. It received its IRS tax-exemption ruling in July 1966, 60 years ago. Its declared purposes cover philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking foundations, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. The IRS classifies it as a publicly supported organisation (gross receipts test) under section 501(c)(3), and contributions to it are listed as tax-deductible.

In the financial year ending December 2023, The M S Hershey Foundation reported income of $18.2m and spending of $18.8m, spending 103% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2019 to December 2023, income grew from $12.4m to $18.2m (+48%), an average of +10% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2021, when income rose by 119%. Over the whole period it spent 76% of the income it received.

Among 19,413 United States charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, The M S Hershey Foundation sits at the 97th percentile: it is larger than about 97% of them. Against every charity in United States with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile, and in the 96th percentile within PA. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Springfield Foundation ($18.1m), Highland Santa Barbara Foundation Inc ($18.3m) and Muskegon County Community Foundation ($18.0m).

On its Form 990 for the period ending December 2023, revenue came from contributions and grants 9.7% and program service revenue 80% of the total. Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees was $384k (2.0% of expenses). Other salaries and wages came to $3.3m. At year end it held assets of $71.3m against liabilities of $14.5m, net assets of $56.8m. It reported 189 employees.