Center of the American Experiment

EIN: 363611426 501(c)(3) Youth Development

Minnetonka, MN

Total Revenue
$4,815,572
Total Expenses
$4,387,778
Total Assets
$2,352,155
Net Assets
$1,470,054
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Financial Trends

Organization Details

Formation Year
1988
Legal Domicile
MN
Principal Officer
John Hinderaker
Phone
6123383605
Tax Period
2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31

Center of the American Experiment, founded in 1988, is a community nonprofit in the Youth Development sector that reported $4.8M in total revenue in fiscal year 2025. Revenue grew 12% year-over-year, indicating healthy expansion. Expenses of $4.4M left a modest 9% surplus.

Mission

Center of the American Experiment is a nonpartisan public policy and educational institution that brings conservative and free market ideas to bear on the hardest problems facing Minnesota and the nation. Through research, op-eds, public forums, legislative testimony, public messaging in a variety of media, and a stream of publications, we are working to build a Culture of Prosperity in Minnesota and the nation.

Program Service Accomplishments

Program 1
Expenses: $3,886,577 Revenue: $50,699

Our Policy Fellows were hard at work during this year's legislative session. We testified 13 times on a variety of topics, including public safety, healthcare, the budget, energy, education, and...

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Our Policy Fellows were hard at work during this year's legislative session. We testified 13 times on a variety of topics, including public safety, healthcare, the budget, energy, education, and fraud. We submitted written testimony on even more issues, including housing and childcare. We also appeared in Congress, in the North Dakota and Ohio legislatures, and in front of the Minneapolis City Council. (Accomplishments continued on schedule o)In the legislature we: -With more than 20,000 emails, we led the chorus of Minnesotans who demanded that House Democrats return to work, and they did, with a favorable outcome for conservatives after a 23-day boycott. -Successfully pressured the legislature to terminate the program funding healthcare for illegal immigrants -Successfully opposed the "sick tax" proposed by Senate Democrats that would have led to a cost increase on all health care services -Played a prominent role in the establishment of the House Fraud Prevention committee, and testified twice in front of that committee In the community we: -Released an exclusive recording of Keith Ellison's private meeting with Feeding Our Future fraudsters, who he assures he's "here to help" -Debuted a viral video debunking wind and solar's status as "clean" energy sources that has been watched over 6 million times-Launched significant initiative to bring real school choice to Minnesota, and awarded our first ever scholarship to support students receiving high-quality private education -Exposed Mary Moriarty's harmful policies as Hennepin County Attorney through publication of her decisions and their results, including her refusal to properly charge carjacking crimes. She will not be seeking re-election-Received national attention for exposing Governor Walz's radical Ethnic Studies framework, and successfully suing the Department of Education when they withheld this framework from the public. -Rebutted the failed socialist policies attempting to rebrand as "democratic socialism and take root in the Twin Cities As an organization we:-Increased our email audience to over 200,000 subscribers -Put on 51 events across the state of Minnesota, including a 20-stop summer tour called Minnesota DOGE: Cut the waste, save the budget.-Received donations from more than 11,000 Minnesotans, with the median donation being $35-Released 6 original reports and 6 policy briefings aimed at educating policy makers and citizens on conservative solutions to our biggest problems -Reached more people on social media than ever before, amassing tens of millions of impressions with our content, and hundreds of millions of contacts through all media In North Dakota we: -Helped pass a long-overdue bill legalizing charter schools and micro schools to give parents and children more educational options -Got a high-quality school choice bill to the Governor's desk -were awarded a prize by the State Policy Network for our innovative plan to support new charter schools in North Dakota

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Liquidity (40%) • Solvency (30%) • Sustainability (20%) • Efficiency (10%)

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Financial Overview (2025)

Revenue Breakdown

Contributions & Grants $4,775,356
Program Service Revenue $50,699
Investment Income $19,477
Other Revenue $-29,960
TOTAL REVENUE $4,815,572

Expense Breakdown

Grants Paid $50,000
Salaries & Benefits $2,005,443
Fundraising Expenses $411,112
Program Expenses $3,886,577
Other Expenses $2,332,335
TOTAL EXPENSES $4,387,778

Year-over-Year Comparison

2025 2024 Change
Revenue $4,815,572 $4,313,337 +0.1%
Expenses $4,387,778 $4,150,088 +0.1%
Net Income $427,794 $163,249 +1.6%
Key Indicators
Grants to Organizations Grants to Individuals Lobbying Political Activity Foreign Activities Donor Advised Fund Schedule B Required
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Governance

Voting Members
38
Independent Members
37
Employees
22
Volunteers
100

Governance Policies

Conflict of Interest Policy
Whistleblower Policy
Document Retention Policy

Special Practices & Reported Activities

Operated a School
Operated a Hospital
Provided First Class Travel
Reported Conflict of Interest
Reported Asset Diversion
Excess Benefit Transaction
Made Political Expenditures
Engaged in Lobbying
Operated Donor Advised Fund
Maintained Art Collections
Filed Form 720

Compensation of Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Total Officers
4
$201,544
Total Directors
38
$201,544
Key Employees
0
$0
Highest Compensated
4
reported
Name Title Hours/Week Role Reportable Comp Other Comp Total
John Hinderaker President 50.00
Officer Director
$163,000 $38,544 $201,544
Ron Eibensteiner Chairman 5.00
Officer Director
$0 $0 $0
Molly Cronin Vice Chair 5.00
Officer Director
$0 $0 $0
Scott Rile Treasurer 5.00
Officer Director
$0 $0 $0
Ed Anderson Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Elam Baer Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Nataly Baig Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Mike Barry Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Bob Breckner Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Mitch Davis Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Jerry Dettinger Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Barbara Dovolis Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Greg Frandsen Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Ben Golnik Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Sharon Hawkins Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Mike Hayden Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Lowell Hellervik Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Robin Kelleher Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Russell King Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Mark Kroll Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Robert Kukuljan Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Jeremy LaBeau Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Carol Lanners Hockert Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Ken Morris Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Wendy Dankey Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Mike O'Shaughnessy Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Richard Penn Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Ted Risdall Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Kent Roers Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Tom Rosen Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Ron Schutz Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Daniel Spiegel Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Ross Strehlow Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Barb Sutter Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Ben Wilmoth Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Ron Yougdahl Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Nick Zerwas Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Kevin Roche Director 1.00
Director
$0 $0 $0
Catrin Wigfall Policy Fellow 50.00
Highest
$112,206 $25,272 $137,478
John Phelan Economist 50.00
Highest
$121,656 $31,872 $153,528
Bill Walsh Director of Communications 50.00
Highest
$110,171 $26,352 $136,523
Mike Amery Greater MN 50.00
Highest
$105,425 $16,668 $122,093
Note: Compensation data is self-reported by the organization on their Form 990. "Reportable Comp" includes salary, bonuses, and other reportable compensation from the organization and related organizations. "Other Comp" includes benefits, deferred compensation, and non-taxable benefits.

Historical Data

Year Revenue Expenses Assets Net Income
2025 $4,815,572 $4,387,778 $2,352,155 $427,794
2024 $4,313,337 $4,150,088 $1,829,607 $163,249
2023 $4,661,132 $4,871,382 $1,489,913 $-210,250
2022 $3,399,952 $5,005,753 $1,816,526 $-1,605,801
2021 $5,418,684 $4,542,236 $2,778,066 $876,448
2020 $3,582,778 $4,022,063 $1,902,568 $-439,285
2019 $4,126,955 $3,209,358 $2,514,437 $917,597
2018 $3,731,628 $3,108,123 $1,733,059 $623,505
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