Philanthropy & Grantmaking (T300) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

THE M S HERSHEY FOUNDATION

EIN: 23-6242734 · HERSHEY, PA 17033-1502 · United States · FY 2024 Data

3 out of 5 59 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 86/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 97/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2024 · Scored 9/13/2026

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Mission Statement

To educate, inspire and engage visitors by celebrating and preserving the history of Milton S. Hershey.

Financial Overview — FY 2024

$25.7M

Total Revenue

$21.8M

Total Expenses

$61.5M

Net Assets

216

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 94.8%

Fundraising Efficiency 1.7%

Operating Reserve 33.86x

Liability-to-Asset 15.9%

Revenue Diversification 71.4%

Executive Compensation $401K

Compared with Peers

FY 2024

Compared with 923 similar organizations (United States, Philanthropy & Grantmaking, $10M–$100M in expenses), FY 2024.

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	94.8%	91.7%	P10P90	Above median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	5.2%	6.2%	P10P90	Above median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	0.0%	2.2%	P10P90	Top quarter
Fundraising efficiency Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income · lower is better	1.7%	925.3%	P10P90	Top quarter
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	33.9 mo	70.2 mo	P10P90	Below median
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	15.9%	2.5%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	71.4%	88.2%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	40.7%	17.6%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	15.9%	10.6%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	15.1%	6.3%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2024	$25.7M	$21.8M	$61.5M	94.8%	216
2023	$18.2M	$18.8M	$56.8M	93.2%	189
2022	$28.4M	$15.3M	$53.6M	91.4%	192
2021	$17.2M	$9.1M	N/A	—	179

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Organization Details

EIN: 23-6242734
State: PA
City: HERSHEY
ZIP: 17033-1502
Classification: T300
Category: Philanthropy & Grantmaking
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1935
Foundation Code: 16
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

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