Federation of State Humanities Councils
Federation of State Humanities Councils reported $17.9 million in revenue and $15.4 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $95.72 went to program services, $3.63 to management and general costs and $0.65 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $196,514 (PRESIDENT). 3 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 470% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $15MFor context, the median across 2,451 covered unclassified charities: $88.23 programs, $11.72 management, $0.05 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $18MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 95.7% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 3.6% | 11.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.6% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.01 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 99.4% | 29.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.5% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.1% | 58.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $196,514 | $302,069 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.27% | 1.38% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 2.7 | 6.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 15 of 15 | 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
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseInformation exchange - the federation hosts several internal listservs for its membership. Additionally, the federation sends weekly advocacy updates via a member as well as a non-member listserv. Monthly dedicated e-newsletters with information about council and federation activities, ongoing advocacy efforts, as well as partner activities in the wider humanities community go to 1) members and 2) the general public.humanities on the hill (hoh) - the federation's annual advocacy event, which brings humanities council advocates together from across the country to demonstrate the importance of…
National humanities conference - established in 1978 by the federation, the national humanities conference (nhc) was originally designed as a resource to bring together the nationwide network of the state and jurisdictional Humanities Councils and those interested in advancing the work of the public humanities. In 2015, the federation and the national humanities alliance (nha) partnered to make the conference available to both public and academic humanities practitioners to address local and national challenges through the lens of the humanities and to spark innovative collaborations…
Special projects and other programs - these programs promote working with other organizations to support the public humanities and relate to discrete projects, which are carried out within a specified time. In 2025, the federation conducted by the people: conversations beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by 51 state and jurisdictional Humanities Councils in collaboration with local partners. Together, these programs explore 250 years of the nation's cultural life and imagine its shared future. The initiative was developed by the federation and the smithsonian center for…
Highest reported compensation
2025 · 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 Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $175,000 | $0 | $21,514 | $196,514 |
| DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT AND IMPACT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $111,185 | $0 | $0 | $111,185 |
| DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $111,185 | $0 | $0 | $111,185 |
3 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Federation of State Humanities Councils (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $175K (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · 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–1b15 · 15 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 2No
- 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 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 57
- Volunteers Part I, line 617
Private foundation grants it received
2 private foundations reported grants to Federation of State Humanities Councils totaling $2,554 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 Federation of State Humanities Councils's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Federation of State Humanities Councils, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Federation of State Humanities Councils spent in 2025, $95.72 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
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Questions people ask
How much of Federation of State Humanities Councils's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Federation of State Humanities Councils reported that 95.7% of its $15.4 million in expenses went to program services, 3.6% to management and general and 0.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Federation of State Humanities Councils pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Federation of State Humanities Councils reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $196,514, for the role of PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Federation of State Humanities Councils get its money?
Of $17.9 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 99.4% came from contributions and grants and 0.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Federation of State Humanities Councils a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 35-1409894 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, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202632199349303563 · read the filing · XML
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202523039349300622 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202432059349300428 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202342159349301409 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202202039349300040 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202122039349300002 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202022029349300232 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 35-1409894: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.