Recreation & Sports (N520) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

IOWA STATE FAIR FOUNDATION

EIN: 42-1376689 · DES MOINES, IA 50317-0003 · United States · FY 2024 Data

3 out of 5 50 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 73/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 68/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

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

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation is to raise funds for the renovation and preservation of the historic Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Financial Overview — FY 2024

$14.8M

Total Revenue

$6.5M

Total Expenses

$23.9M

Net Assets

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 68.7%

Fundraising Efficiency 144.6%

Operating Reserve 44.41x

Liability-to-Asset 9.3%

Revenue Diversification 85.8%

Executive Compensation $0

Compared with Peers

FY 2024

Compared with 1,615 similar organizations (United States, Recreation & Sports, $1M–$10M 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	68.7%	87.4%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	15.5%	9.7%	P10P90	Below median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	15.8%	0.0%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Fundraising efficiency Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income · lower is better	144.6%	37.7%	P10P90	Below median
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	44.4 mo	8.2 mo	P10P90	Top quarter
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	9.3%	11.0%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	85.8%	89.6%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	178.5%	9.3%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	-0.4%	9.5%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	56.4%	2.8%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2024	$14.8M	$6.5M	$23.9M	68.7%	4
2023	$5.3M	$6.5M	$15.5M	65.1%	4
2022	$13.3M	$6.1M	$16.7M	68.9%	4
2021	$3.6M	$5.6M	$9.5M	69.2%	3
2020	$8.4M	$12.9M	N/A	—	0

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Organization Details

EIN: 42-1376689
State: IA
City: DES MOINES
ZIP: 50317-0003
Classification: N520
Category: Recreation & Sports
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1993
Foundation Code: 15
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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