MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

EIN 04-2108374 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A800)

What they do

to PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING of THE HISTORY of MASSACHUSETTS and THE NATION BY COLLECTING and COMMUNICATING MATERIALS and RESOURCES THAT FOSTER HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $51.90 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders35 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

61.42%of revenue went to mission work51.9% of expenses · Program services

8.47%of revenue went to fundraising7.2% of expenses

$118.25spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

48.36%of revenue went to management and office costs40.9% of expenses

$12.97in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

42.1%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $1,974,465 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $359,014 for CATHERINE ALLGOR (PRESIDENT UNTIL 06/2024). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$10,818,587

Mission workProgram services$6,644,86461.42% of revenue51.9% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$5,232,33348.36% of revenue40.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$915,8558.47% of revenue7.2% of expenses

Total expenses$12,793,052118.25% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 51.9% mission · 40.9% management · 7.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 118.25% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 58.2% mission · 31.7% management · 10.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 147.52% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 59.0% mission · 32.6% management · 8.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 256.30% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 58.4% mission · 29.7% management · 11.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.67% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 56.7% mission · 32.2% management · 11.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 58.50% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 61.6% mission · 29.6% management · 8.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 177.63% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 64.8% mission · 27.8% management · 7.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 111.02% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 74.0% mission · 19.3% management · 6.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 163.35% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$10,818,587

Expenses$12,793,052

Annual shortfall $1,974,465 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$6,644,864 · 51.9% of expenses

Management and office costs$5,232,333 · 40.9% of expenses

Fundraising$915,855 · 7.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$10,818,587

Expenses$12,793,052

Assets$165,944,879

Income$12,509,538

Contributions$4,553,507

Mission work (program services)$6,644,864

Fundraising$915,855

Management and general$5,232,333

Stocks and bonds$27,697,068

Accounting fees$56,346

Investing fees$3,019,330

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

CATHERINE ALLGORPRESIDENT UNTIL 06/2024 · 35 hrs/week $359,014Base $328,912 · Other $30,102

BRENDA M LAWSONINTERIM PRESIDENT · 35 hrs/week $237,591Base $206,326 · Other $31,265

VICTORIA MCKAYDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT · 35 hrs/week $196,329Base $150,708 · Other $45,621

CAROL W KNAUFFVP FOR PROGRAMS & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS · 35 hrs/week $192,511Base $154,339 · Other $38,172

PETER DRUMMEYCHIEF HISTORIAN & LIBRARIAN · 35 hrs/week $162,936Base $149,388 · Other $13,548

KANISORN WONGSRICHANALAIDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH · 35 hrs/week $152,214Base $131,958 · Other $20,256

SARA MARTINEDITOR IN CHIEF · 35 hrs/week $145,819Base $131,943 · Other $13,876

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (35)

CATHERINE ALLGORPRESIDENT UNTIL 06/2024

BRENDA M LAWSONINTERIM PRESIDENT

VICTORIA MCKAYDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

CAROL W KNAUFFVP FOR PROGRAMS & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

PETER DRUMMEYCHIEF HISTORIAN & LIBRARIAN

KANISORN WONGSRICHANALAIDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH

SARA MARTINEDITOR IN CHIEF

MELINDA BARBERTRUSTEE

ANDREW E SERWERTRUSTEE

SUSAN W HUNNEWELLVICE CHAIR

ROBERT G RIPLEY JRTRUSTEE

ROBERT WALDRONTRUSTEE AS OF 01/30/25

ROBERT KWAKTRUSTEE

RICHARD N PIERSON IIITRUSTEE

RENE JONESTRUSTEE UNTIL 08/2024

R NEWCOMB STILLWELLTRUSTEE

ANNETTE GORDON-REEDTRUSTEE

PAUL W SANDMANTRUSTEE

PATRICIA CHUBBTRUSTEE AS OF 01/30/25

OLIVER F AMES JRSECRETARY

MICHAEL A EWALDTRUSTEE

BENJAMIN C ADAMSVICE CHAIR

LEVIN H CAMPBELL JRCHAIR

KATHERINE BABSON JRTRUSTEE

ALEXANDER D WHITTEMOREVICE CHAIR, ADVISORY COUNCIL

JUDITH BRYANT WITTENBERGTRUSTEE

JAMES W SEGELTRUSTEE

HILLARY HEDGES RAYPORTCHAIR, ADVISORY COUNCIL

GREGORY G GROOVER SRTRUSTEE

GRACE LEETRUSTEE

G MARSHALL MORIARTYVICE CHAIR, ADVISORY COUNCIL

ELIZABETH A CHANGTRUSTEE

EDWARD B BALDINITREASURER

CHRISTOPHER J TOOMEYTRUSTEE

ANTHONY H LENESSTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1942
Location: 1154 BOYLSTON ST, BOSTON, MA 02215-3631
County: Suffolk
In care of: CRAIG MEYER
Primary officer: CRAIG MEYER, CFO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailpsampson@masshist.org Phone(617) 536-1608

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A800)