SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

EIN 95-1728991 · Visual Arts (A40)

What they do

THE MISSION of THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER is to PRESERVE OUR REGIONS HISTORY - TELL THE DIVERSE STORY of OUR REGIONS PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE; EDUCATE and ENRICH OUR COMMUNITY; and FOSTER CIVIC PRIDE.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $60.40 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 leaders23 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

26.78%of revenue went to mission work60.4% of expenses · Program services

$44.32spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

17.55%of revenue went to management and office costs39.6% of expenses

$2.51in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

92.8%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.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $217,855 for WILLIAM LAWRENCE (CEO). 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$9,316,303

Mission workProgram services$2,494,47226.78% of revenue60.4% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,634,68417.55% of revenue39.6% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$5,187,14755.68% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$4,129,15644.32% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

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: 60.4% mission · 39.6% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 44.32% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 56.2% mission · 43.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 126.21% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 50.8% mission · 35.4% management · 13.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 189.43% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 64.2% mission · 21.0% management · 14.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 128.53% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 66.7% mission · 15.1% management · 18.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 116.35% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 66.3% mission · 14.1% management · 19.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 136.44% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 66.3% mission · 16.1% management · 17.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.73% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 68.5% mission · 16.4% management · 15.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.69% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$9,316,303

Expenses$4,129,156

Annual surplus $5,187,147 Revenue was higher than expenses 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)$2,494,472 · 60.4% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,634,684 · 39.6% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$9,316,303

Expenses$4,129,156

Assets$10,367,353

Income$9,316,303

Contributions$8,648,567

Mission work (program services)$2,494,472

Management and general$1,634,684

Stocks and bonds$1,674,092

Accounting fees$62,913

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

WILLIAM LAWRENCECEO · 40 hrs/week $217,855Base $203,416 · Other $14,439

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 (23)

WILLIAM LAWRENCECEO

JOHN MORRELLIMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

THOMPSON FETTERCHAIR EMERITUS

THOMAS SAYER JRVICE-CHAIR

SHAKA JOHNSONTRUSTEE

SANDRA MAASTRUSTEE

ROBERT WATKINSCHAIR

ROBERT ADELIZZICHAIR EMERITUS

PAUL SAUNDERSTRUSTEE

JULIE NOVAKTRUSTEE

JULIE CONNOLLYTRUSTEE

JOHNNY ELLIOTTTRUSTEE

ANDREA DE ROSATRUSTEE

JAMES JESSOPTRUSTEE

HELGA WARNERTRUSTEE

HELEN KINNAIRDTRUSTEE

ELLIS SMITHTREASURER

DEBRA CUSHMAN-PARISHTRUSTEE

CHARLES KAMINSKISECRETARY

CAROLINE WOHLTRUSTEE

BRUCE MAYBERRYTRUSTEE

BRIAN MOONEYTRUSTEE

BONNIE FLETCHERTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1952
Location: 1649 EL PRADO STE 3, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-1664
County: San Diego
In care of: % WILLIAM LAWRENCE
Primary officer: WILLIAM LAWRENCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailmedia@sandiegohistory.org Phone(619) 232-6203

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: MILLER CPA GROUP PC
NTEE classification: Visual Arts (A40)
IRS tax category: Visual Arts