But the tests also quiet the doubters who say that Phoenix, a profit-making institution, is simply looking to make a buck.

"It's the first time an effort has been made to put a private profit-making financial institution into a community to help serve as a catalyst for that community."

"We are not a profit-making institution looking out for our own advantage," he said.

For instance, the newspaper found a lot of public money going to private or parochial schools, to profit-making institutions and to religious organizations.

But we are talking about billions, and hospitals, clinics, and laboratories are profit-making institutions.

It found, for instance, that a lot of public money was going to private or parochial schools, to profit-making institutions and to religious organizations.

Lawmakers of both political parties say that in today's fiercely competitive health care marketplace, many nonprofit hospitals operate like investor-owned, profit-making institutions.

"I'm somewhat skeptical of any profit-making institution in education because you have a conflict," said Bill Honig, California's superintendent of public schools.

About 3,000 students are working toward an Arizona teaching license through a master's program at the University of Phoenix Online, a profit-making institution.

State-owned forests are a self-financing, profit-making institution.