2026 Special Olympics USA Games

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
881665248
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
St Paul, MN, USA
Phone
6515037895
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services

Reported finances

Revenue
$140,312
Expenses
$2,276,753
Assets
$9,817,851
Liabilities
$13,099,750

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRISTY SOVEREIGN (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARY HORWATH (CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER): $211,113 total reported compensation
  • LONNIE SNYDER (CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER): $179,380 total reported compensation
  • KEVIN QUIRING (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $167,100 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

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.

What it reported doing in 2024

The corporation is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, more specifically to plan, organize, finance and conduct the 2026 special olympics USA games (the "games") in accordance with a license from special olympics inc. Taking place from june 20 - 26, 2026, more than 3,000 elite athletes, 10,000 volunteers, 1,500 coaches, and 20,000 family members and fans from all states in which special olympics operates will travel across the u.s. To unite and participate in one of the most cherished sporting events - the special olympics USA games. The games comprise of 16 olympic-type sports played by athletes representing each state. The games will be hosted at various venues on the university of Minnesota campus as well as national sports center and bowlero in blaine.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 75
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 95.2%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1,522.6%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.31; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.33; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 39.7%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 91.9% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 125.4% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 98.5% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 95.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $211K · 20 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $128K reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.