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A tax-exempt organization makes money as a result of its activities, but it uses that revenue to support the work of the organization -- not to make a profit. The earnings aren't taxable income, as long as they coincide with the nonprofit's purpose.
To see which tax-exempt companies bring in the most money, GOBankingRates sourced data on all tax-exempt organizations in each state from the IRS, then listed the top 50 from the lowest to highest earners.
Click through to see some of the largest charitable organizations in the country, and learn which ones take in the most revenue.
50. University of Miami
Revenue: $3.32 billion
The University of Miami has approximately 16,000 students. The private research school offers more than 180 majors and programs. U.S. News & World Report ranked the school No. 46 on its 2018 list of best colleges.
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49. Blue Care Network of Michigan
Revenue: $3.51 billion
The Blue Care Network of Michigan is a nonprofit health organization owned by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. BCN has 807,000 members, as well as more than 5,000 primary care physicians and nearly 17,000 specialists.
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48. Emory University
Revenue: $3.59 billion
Emory University has 15,252 students enrolled as of fall 2017. The university is a highly ranked private institution, recognized for its liberal arts colleges, and graduate and professional schools. The school is located in Atlanta's Druid Hills neighborhood.
47. Adventist Health System/Sunbelt Inc.
Revenue: $3.64 billion
Adventist Health System employs more than 80,000 individuals in hospitals, home health agencies and nursing homes. Also known as Sunbelt, the organization is one of the country's largest faith-based hospital systems, operating 45 hospitals, 20 nursing homes and 25 home healthcare agencies in about a dozen states, located primarily in the Southeast.
46. Indiana University Health Inc.
Revenue: $3.72 billion
Indiana University Health operates in conjunction with Indiana University School of Medicine. The organization comprises hospitals, physicians and other patient care in Indiana and elsewhere. IU Health employs 25,927 individuals.
45. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Associate Health & Welfare Trust
Revenue: $3.86 billion
This Walmart employees' beneficiary association is based in Bentonville, Ark., and gained tax-exempt status in 1983. Walmart is also the most valuable public company in Arkansas.
44. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Revenue: $3.94 billion
In addition to its New York City location, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has cancer and treatment facility locations in Long Island, New Jersey and Westchester. It is the world's oldest and largest cancer treatment center.
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43. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Revenue: $3.96 billion
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private university in Cambridge, Mass. It has five different schools, including architecture and planning; engineering; humanities, arts and social sciences; management; and science. There are roughly 1,000 faculty members and 11,000 students.
42. Allina Health System
Revenue: $4.10 billion
Allina Health is a healthcare system based in Minneapolis that offers illness prevention and treatment. It has more than 27,000 employees and 6,000 associated and employed physicians within the system of nonprofit hospitals and other health facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
41. Mercy Health
Revenue: $4.23 billion
Mercy Health is a Catholic healthcare provider that offers services in Ohio and Kentucky. There are 34,000 employees working for the faith-based ministry.
40. Memorial Hermann Health System
Revenue: $4.28 billion
Memorial Hermann Health System, based in Houston, is the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Southeast Texas. The organization has more than 26,000 employees and 5,500 affiliated physicians, and it has received national recognition and awards.
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39. Cornell University
Revenue: $4.37 billion
Cornell University is a private Ivy League college located in Ithaca, N.Y. There are 1,648 faculty members and 8,109 staff members, according to the university's website. About 22,000 students are enrolled there.
37. President and Fellows of Harvard College
Revenue: $4.46 billion
The Harvard Corporation, known formally as the President and Fellows of Harvard College, is the oldest corporation in the Western Hemisphere. The corporation manages the daily operation of business and finances of Harvard College. Harvard University has the largest university endowment, at $36.4 billion, CNN Money reported.
36. Advocate Health & Hospitals Corporation
Revenue: $4.58 billion
Advocate Health & Hospitals Corporation is headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill., and provides healthcare, acute care and outpatient services. The corporation offers nearly 400 locations.
34. BJC Health System
Revenue: $4.66 billion
BJC HealthCare is a nonprofit healthcare organization that delivers services to patients primarily in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions. The organization includes 15 not-for-profit hospitals and multiple community health locations that offer inpatient and outpatient care.
33. Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
Revenue: $4.71 billion
The Trustees of Columbia University is the governing body for the New York City school. Overall governance falls on its 24-member Board of Trustees.
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32. Mayo Clinic
Revenue: $4.72 billion
The Mayo Clinic offers healthcare, research and education, with over 3,000 physicians, scientists and researchers working for the nonprofit organization. The Mayo Clinic has multiple campuses, including Rochester, Minn.; Scottsdale and Phoenix, Ariz.; and Jacksonville, Fla. The Mayo Clinic Health System has locations in several different states.
31. Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund
Revenue: $4.78 billion
Fidelity Charitable, established in 1991, allows donors to give through a donor-advised fund, called the Giving Account. The organization is governed by a board of trustees, which comprises professionals from across the country. Its headquarters are in Boston.
30. Battelle Memorial Institute
Revenue: $4.79 billion
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle Memorial Institute is a science and research development company that operates as a nonprofit. They call their employees "solvers" as a testament to the solutions they provide to overcome big challenges.
29. Yale University
Revenue: $4.81 billion
The New Haven, Conn., Ivy League school was founded in 1701. In 2016, Yale had 12,458 students and 4,483 faculty members. Yale has one of the largest university endowments, at $25.6 billion, according to CNN Money.
28. University of Southern California
Revenue: $4.89 billion
The University of Southern California, commonly referred to as USC, is a private institution with an undergraduate enrollment of 18,794. The main campus, known as University Park, is located near downtown Los Angeles. U.S. News & World Report ranks the school at No. 21 on its 2018 Best Colleges and Universities list.
27. Credit Unions in the State of California
Revenue: $4.92 billion
Headquartered in Eureka, Calif., the financial organization works under the name of Coast Central Credit Union. The not-for-profit financial institution has 65,000 members. There are many advantages to belonging to a credit union -- and some disadvantages, too.
26. Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York
Revenue: $4.93 billion
Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York operates under EmblemHealth. It offers health plans for residents in New York City and the surrounding areas.
25. Ohio Health Corporation
Revenue: $5.22 billion
OhioHealth is a combination of not-for-profit hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout central Ohio. There are 29,000 associates, physicians and volunteers who work within its system of 11 hospitals and over 200 ambulatory sites, hospice, home health, medical equipment and other health services.
24. New York Presbyterian Hospital
Revenue: $5.32 billion
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital offers patient care in the New York metropolitan area, nationally and throughout the world. The hospital has 20,000 employees in addition to 6,500 affiliated physicians. The hospital receives more than 2 million visitors annually.
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23. Southern Illinois Hospital Services
Revenue: $5.51 billion
Southern Illinois Hospital Services is a healthcare system with over 3,000 employees, in addition to physicians and volunteers throughout its facilities.
22. The Methodist Hospital (Houston Methodist)
Revenue: $5.59 billion
Houston Methodist was ranked the No. 1 hospital for patient care in Texas by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit hospital system consists of six hospitals that serve the Greater Houston area.
20. IHC Health Services Inc.
Revenue: $5.62 billion
IHC Health Services is headquartered in Salt Lake City. The nonprofit health organization provides behavioral healthcare, cancer care, dialysis treatment, hospice care and many other services.
19. Trustees of Dartmouth College
Revenue: $5.66 billion
The board of trustees has the ultimate responsibility for the financial, administrative and academic affairs of Dartmouth College. There are 26 members of the board at the New Hampshire school.
18. Delta Dental of California
Revenue: $5.86 billion
There are 74 million individuals who use Delta Dental of California as their dental provider. There are dentists contracted nationwide in roughly 500,000 locations.
17. Providence Health & Services Washington
Revenue: $5.95 billion
The not-for-profit Catholic hospital system operates in Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Its 82,000 employees serve in a variety of roles, from birth care to end-of-life care.
16. Healthfirst PHSP Inc.
Revenue: $6.01 billion
This provider-sponsored health insurance company serves more than 1.2 million members in downstate New York. Healthfirst offers Child Health Plus and Managed Long Term Care. It also offers Medicaid and Medicare Advantage -- here's how to tell the cost differences between those two plans.
15. New York University
Revenue: $6.04 billion
There are more than 50,000 students enrolled at this not-for-profit university in New York. Applications each year top 75,000.
14. Johns Hopkins University
Revenue: $6.05 billion
There are more than 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students at Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore. The university is known for its schools of medicine, nursing and public health.
13. United States Steel Corporation Represented Retirees Benefit Trust
Revenue: $6.24 billion
In 1995, the United States Steel Corporation Represented Retirees Benefit Trust received its tax-exempt status from the IRS. It is a voluntary non-government employees' beneficiary association with headquarters in Pittsburgh.
12. Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
Revenue: $6.29 billion
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania was recognized as a nonprofit in 1940 in Philadelphia. The mission of the trustees is to provide an expansive and diverse education to its students, serve as a pioneer in research and provide quality healthcare through the university's health system. See what a year of tuition costs at Penn, one of the most beautiful colleges in America.
11. Banner Health
Revenue: $6.33 billion
Banner Health is based in Phoenix. The not-for-profit healthcare system operates in multiple states. In 2015, Banner Health merged with the University of Arizona Health Network of Tucson to form Banner-University Medicine.
10. CareSource
Revenue: $6.44 billion
CareSource is a nonprofit health insurance provider for people who are uninsured. The organization is based in Dayton, Ohio.
9. The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
Revenue: $6.97 billion
The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University is the legal name for the governing board of Stanford University located in Stanford, Calif. The board oversees funds and sets budget and policies for the university.
8. Ochsner Clinic Foundation
Revenue: $7.22 billion
Ochsner Clinic Foundation is the largest healthcare provider in southeastern Louisiana. The foundation employs 18,000 people, plus over 1,100 physicians.
7. New York State Catholic Health Plan Inc.
Revenue: $8.44 billion
The business name for the New York State Catholic Health Plan Inc. is Fidelis Care. It's a managed care organization for members who receive health insurance from Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus, Family Plus Employer Buy-In and Medicare.
6. Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Revenue: $8.91 billion
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation is a not-for-profit academic medical center that cares for patients and engages in research and education. The Cleveland Clinic is one of the largest medical institutions in the country.
5. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Revenue: $9.68 billion
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a Christian not-for-profit organization that offers financial products and services. The company has more than 2,300 financial representatives throughout the U.S.
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4. Dignity Health
Revenue: $10.19 billion
Dignity Health is a not-for-profit healthcare system with headquarters in San Francisco. It has 39 hospitals and more than 400 care centers across California, Arizona and Nevada.
3. Partners HealthCare System Inc.
Revenue: $11.3 billion
Partners HealthCare was founded in 1994 by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. The not-for-profit healthcare system provides patient care at hospitals and community health centers, home care and other health-related facilities. It's headquartered in Boston.
2. UPMC
Revenue: $11.7 billion
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is one of the largest healthcare providers in the world. Based in Pittsburgh, UPMC has nearly 80,000 employees and more than 5,700 affiliated physicians.
1. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.
Revenue: $51.06 billion
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. is one of the largest managed healthcare organizations in the country, with more than 11.3 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. The hospitals and physician practices operate under the Kaiser Permanente name.
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Methodology: GOBankingRates pulled data from the IRS on all tax-exempt organizations in each state. We evaluated all tax-exempt organizations by revenue amount and ranked the top 50 highest in the U.S.
Photo Disclaimer: Please note photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the photos might not reflect the organizations listed in this article.
