The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History reported $11.7 million in revenue and $11.9 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $79.58 went to program services, $12.89 to management and general costs and $7.53 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 46.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $269,746 (PRESIDENT & CEO). 11 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 26% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $12MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $12MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.6% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 12.9% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 7.5% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.16 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 46.4% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 23.5% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $269,746 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.27% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 11 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 79.7 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 38 of 39 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseTeacher programs in american history:in 2025 over 100,000 k-12 teachers utilized the institute's teaching resources and primary source documents. Teacher professional development programs served 25,000 teachers. Over the summer, the institute offered distinct professional development opportunities, ranging from intensive in-person seminars at partner institutions to accessible online professional development, for which we received nearly 4,000 registrations and applications. The gettysburg college Gilder Lehrman ma in american history, an affordable, fully online master's degree program, led…
Museum collections, exhibitions and primary source document educational resources:the Gilder Lehrman collection is central to our mission of integrating primary sources into the educational process. It includes over 87,000 items relating to american history from 1493 to twentieth century. The digital collection currently has over 70,000 items allowing online access to the documents. Pop-up panel exhibitions on major topics in american history are in circulation and visited schools and libraries across the country. A new exhibition was released this year titled declaration 1776: the big bang…
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT & CEO Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $259,944 | $0 | $9,802 | $269,746 |
| COO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $237,733 | $0 | $17,891 | $255,624 |
| DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $198,790 | $0 | $16,789 | $215,579 |
| DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND INSTRUCTION Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $153,030 | $0 | $22,878 | $175,908 |
| CURATOR AND DIRECTOR, GILDER LEHRMAN COLLECTION Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $126,749 | $0 | $28,665 | $155,414 |
| CFO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $135,465 | $0 | $15,003 | $150,468 |
| DIRECTOR OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND THE HAMILTON Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $111,354 | $0 | $28,098 | $139,452 |
| DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC STRATEGY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $117,598 | $0 | $4,978 | $122,576 |
11 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $700K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b39 · 38 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2Yes
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5194
- Volunteers Part I, line 638
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| KANOPI STUDIOS Computer support | $351,705 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 1 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
37 private foundations reported grants to The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History totaling $1.9M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History spent in FY2025, $79.58 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History reported that 79.6% of its $11.9 million in expenses went to program services, 12.9% to management and general and 7.5% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $269,746, for the role of PRESIDENT & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History get its money?
Of $11.7 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 46.4% came from contributions and grants and 23.5% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 13-3795391 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202631339349307478 · read the filing
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202541349349306354 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202401149349302355 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202331359349302658 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202201369349305735 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202101379349303275 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 13-3795391: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.