CEO pay at US international relief and development nonprofits, ranked
This list ranks 19 international relief and development nonprofits by what they paid their CEO, using each one's latest full-year IRS Form 990. Every row links to the return it comes from. This is a partial list: 53 of the 73 international nonprofits that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.
Last updated from IRS e-file data.
What counts as an international nonprofit here
US nonprofits that work abroad or on international affairs: relief, development, exchange programs and foreign affairs. Each must report at least $100 million in total revenue (Part I, line 12) on its latest full-year return. 73 organizations meet the definition: 19 are ranked here, and 53 do not have pages on this site yet.
Each row is the return that reports the chief executive's pay, and the revenue shown is that return's own. Affiliates that list the same executive as the ranked return are left out so one person's pay is not listed twice.
The best-known national charities are ranked on the major nonprofits list, not here. One more that meets the definition, United Israel Appeal, isn't ranked because its latest full-year return lists no paid lead person.
The ranking
The chief executive on each organization's latest full-year return, or the highest-paid person where no title marks one. Each row is a different return, so each links to its own filing.
The percentile compares each row's pay / revenue with organizations of similar revenue across this site, not only this list, because the site has fewer than 20 international nonprofits. Rows in different revenue bands are compared with different groups, so similar shares can show different percentiles.
| Rank | Organization and CEO | Total pay | Year ending | Revenue | Pay / revenue | Share percentile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  DKT InternationalChristopher H PurdyCEO PRESIDENT/CEO/DIRECTOR | $2,256,771 | Dec 2025 | $182,329,221 | 1.24% | 92% | Filing |
| 2 |  CIEEJames P PellowCEO CEO & President | $1,212,104 | Aug 2025 | $218,141,529 | 0.56% | 59% | Filing |
| 3 |  International Rescue CommitteeDavid MilibandCEO Director, CEO & President | $1,188,792 | Sep 2025 | $1,314,041,795 | 0.09% | 23% | Filing |
| 4 |  Direct ReliefThomas TigheCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (THRU 12/24) | $1,111,239 | Jun 2025 | $2,398,998,642 | 0.05% | 6% | Filing |
| 5 |  World Education ServicesEsther T BenjaminCEO CEO & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | $996,526 | Dec 2024 | $139,593,000 | 0.71% | 72% | Filing |
| 6 |  American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of ScienceDavid DonesonCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $993,732 | Sep 2025 | $262,912,000 | 0.38% | 48% | Filing |
| 7 |  Jewish National Fund-USARussell RobinsonCEO CEO | $981,628 | Sep 2025 | $197,058,808 | 0.50% | 57% | Filing |
| 8 |  Institute of International EducationDr Allan E GoodmanCEO CEO/TRUSTEE (THRU 02/2025)See note 1. | $948,481 | Sep 2025 | $306,381,946 | 0.31% | 37% | Filing |
| 9 |  American Jewish Joint Distribution CommitteeAriel ZwangCEO Chief Executive Officer | $897,783 | Dec 2024 | $412,907,647 | 0.22% | 20% | Filing |
| 10 |  Rotary FoundationJohn HewkoCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $852,448 | Jun 2025 | $462,635,498 | 0.18% | 13% | Filing |
| 11 |  FHI 360Ana Teresa Gutierrez-San MartinCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $712,991 | Sep 2025 | $539,608,705 | 0.13% | 43% | Filing |
| 12 |  Mercy CorpsTjada D'Oyen McKennaCEO Chief Executive Officer | $601,632 | Jun 2025 | $376,251,780 | 0.16% | 10% | Filing |
| 13 |  CAREMary M NunnCEO PRESIDENT AND CEO | $539,217 | Jun 2025 | $832,911,696 | 0.06% | 11% | Filing |
| 14 |  Feed the ChildrenTravis ArnoldCEO PRESIDENT AND CEO (TERMED 2/28/25, filed with the name)See note 2. | $530,257 | Jun 2025 | $386,446,959 | 0.14% | 7% | Filing |
| 15 |  Food for the PoorEdward RaineCEO PRESIDENT/CEO | $342,434 | Dec 2024 | $412,105,034 | 0.08% | 3% | Filing |
| 16 |  Good360Romaine SeguinCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (TO 8/2024)See note 3. | $314,515 | Dec 2024 | $3,264,744,236 | 0.01% | 0% | Filing |
| 17 |  One Acre FundEric PohlmanCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $241,320 | Dec 2025 | $351,753,463 | 0.07% | 2% | Filing |
| 18 |  Plan InternationalEvariste SindayigayaCEO Executive Director | $168,840 | Jun 2025 | $779,465,250 | 0.02% | 1% | Filing |
| 19 |  MAP InternationalChris PalomboCEO President & CEO | $115,898 | Sep 2025 | $1,379,040,410 | 0.01% | 0% | Filing |
- 1.More than one person held the top job during the year this return covers. The row shows Dr Allan E Goodman ("CEO/TRUSTEE (THRU 02/2025)"); the return also lists Mr Jason Czyz ("PRESIDENT/CEO (AS OF 02/2025)"), $823,406.
- 2.More than one person held the top job during the year this return covers. The row shows Travis Arnold ("PRESIDENT AND CEO (TERMED 2/28/25, filed with the name)"); the return also lists Emily Callahan ("PRESIDENT AND CEO (STARTED 12/30/24, filed with the name)"), $45,000.
- 3.More than one person held the top job during the year this return covers. The row shows Romaine Seguin ("CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (TO 8/2024)"); the return also lists Jonathon Cannon ("INTERIM CEO (AS OF 11/2024)"), $246,428.
More rankings: Highest-paid nonprofit CEOs, CEO pay at major US nonprofits, CEO pay at nonprofit hospital systems, University president pay, all 17 rankings, or search every organization.
About the data
Every figure comes from a Form 990 e-file return the organization submitted to the IRS, which the IRS publishes as open data. Each row uses one return and links to it. We don't estimate, round or combine years; column F is the organization's own estimate of other compensation.
- Which return
- The most recent return that covers a full year. Short-year returns, filed when an organization changes its fiscal year, cover only a few months and are not used as the latest year. Where a return was amended, the amended version is used.
- What “total” means
- Part VII columns D, E and F added together: reportable pay from the organization, reportable pay from related organizations, and estimated other compensation. We add them up; each organization's page shows the three amounts separately.
- Timing
- Returns are due up to 10½ months after the fiscal year ends and appear in IRS data anywhere from about 4 to 18 months after the year ends, so the latest year here is often a year or more old.
- Who counts as CEO
- The person whose filed title names them chief executive (CEO, chief executive officer or executive director), or, where no one has one of those titles, a plain "President" or head of school. At a university it is the president or chancellor. If no one has any of these titles, we show the highest-paid person and say so. Totals and percentages labeled as calculated are our arithmetic on figures from one filing.
The full rules are on the methodology page. To report an error or ask for a review, email corrections@ceopaycheck.com.
Common questions
Of the 19 ranked so far, the top total is $2,256,771 for Christopher H Purdy, president and CEO of DKT International, on its return for the fiscal year ending December 2025. Next is James P Pellow of CIEE at $1,212,104. Totals are Part VII columns D, E and F added together, so they include pay from related organizations and the organization's estimate of other compensation, such as retirement contributions. This is a partial list: 53 more that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.
Across these 19 the median is $852,448 (our calculation). 4 reported $1,000,000 or more for their CEO or top-paid person, and 14 reported $500,000 or more. The median share is 0.14% of the ranked return's revenue, our calculation from the same return.
The list covers organizations whose latest full-year Form 990 reports at least $100 million in total revenue, one row per organization. Affiliates that list the same executive as another return are left out so one person's pay is not counted twice. The best-known national charities are on the major nonprofits ranking instead. 53 more that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.