What percentage of donations to st. jude go directly to patient care and research?

1. What St. Jude publicly reports: “82 cents” to care and research

St. Jude’s own communications and financial pages say “82 cents of every dollar received” has gone to support treatment, research and future needs, and that donors’ gifts fund patient care, research and operations ^{[1] [2] [4]}. The hospital points readers to its annual report and Charity Navigator ratings for more detail and emphasizes that families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food ^{[1] [2] [5]}.

2. Independent reporting that complicates the picture: fundraising and reserves

ProPublica’s investigation examined IRS filings and reports that, over five recent fiscal years, roughly 30% of contributions covered fundraising operations and about 20% increased the organization’s reserves, while “about” half went to hospital research and patient care — a composition that differs from the 82-cent claim when you reclassify ALSAC (the fundraising arm) and St. Jude hospital flows ^[3]. ProPublica also reported the organization had about $5.2 billion in reserves at the time of reporting ^[3].

3. Why the numbers appear to conflict: definitions and organizational structure

Available sources show St. Jude and ALSAC are separate but related nonprofits: ALSAC raises funds and St. Jude provides care and research. St. Jude’s 82-cent figure is framed as “of every dollar received” and includes donations plus research grants, insurance recoveries and investment returns, which can produce a higher share attributed to program services on consolidated reporting ^{[2] [1]}. ProPublica’s accounting separates fundraising expenses and transfers to reserves, yielding a different percentage specifically for money spent directly on patient care and research ^[3]. The sources do not provide a single identical methodology across both sets of figures, which explains the divergent conclusions ^{[2] [3]}.

4. What donors should ask for clarity

Donors seeking granular truth should request the combined financial statements or the specific line-item breakdown of “program services” versus “fundraising” and “reserves” for the most recent fiscal year; St. Jude’s site points to its annual report and IRS Form 990s for deeper detail ^{[2] [6]}. Independent auditors’ reports and Charity Navigator impact reports are also referenced by St. Jude as places to verify transparency and financial health ^[1].

5. Competing viewpoints and implicit agendas

St. Jude’s messaging emphasizes mission impact and the 82-cent figure to encourage donations and donor confidence ^{[1] [2]}. ProPublica’s reporting stresses stewardship concerns and the scale of reserves and fundraising costs, arguing donors may expect more immediate spending on patient care ^[3]. Each source has an agenda: the hospital to sustain fundraising and public trust, and investigative journalism to scrutinize nonprofit practices — both are valid perspectives that yield different emphases ^{[1] [3]}.

6. Bottom line for the original question

If you accept St. Jude’s consolidated statement and its stated metric, 82 cents of every dollar supports treatment, research and the hospital’s future needs ^{[1] [2]}. If you measure purely the proportion of recent donated dollars that went to direct patient care and research after isolating fundraising costs and reserve transfers, ProPublica’s analysis finds roughly half went to the hospital while about 30% paid for fundraising and about 20% increased reserves ^[3]. Available sources do not provide a single reconciled percentage that both parties use in the same way ^{[1] [3]}.

Limitations and next steps: Request the latest Combined Financial Statements and the ALSAC/St. Jude IRS Form 990 referenced by Paddock Post and St. Jude to see exact line-item flows and the methodology behind each percentage ^{[6] [2]}.