Home › Arts, culture & humanities
Missouri Historical Society
Missouri Historical Society reported $23.6 million in revenue and $22.2 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $78.62 went to program services, $13.54 to management and general costs and $7.84 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 77.9% of the total. Government grants made up 57.8%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $338,158 (PRESIDENT AND CEO). 12 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 53% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $22MFor context, the median across 876 covered arts, culture & humanities charities: $79.98 programs, $13.89 management, $6.13 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 $24MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 78.6% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 13.5% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 7.8% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.09 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 77.9% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 57.8% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.6% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $338,158 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.52% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 12 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 88.9 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 41 of 41 | 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 expenseSoldiers memorial: the Missouri Historical Society (mhs) operates and manages the soldiers memorial military museum through an agreement with the city of st. Louis. Following a $30 million revitalization and renovation project, mhs reopened soldiers memorial and the court of honor in november 2018. The city of st. Louis selected mhs as its operating partner in recognition of the organization's experience in museum stewardship, public history, and institutional management. Mhs is accredited by the american alliance of museums. In 2025, soldiers memorial welcomed more than 24,000 visitors.…
Library and collections and digital initiatives: the Missouri Historical Society stewards one of the nation's premier regional history collections, preserving and sharing the stories of st. Louis, missouri, the mississippi and missouri valleys, the louisiana purchase territory, and the american west. These collections are preserved, documented, digitized, and made accessible for current and future generations through the work of dedicated staff. Mhs collections serve a broad audience of researchers, students, educators, community members, media professionals, artists, and visitors from around…
Exhibitions: the Missouri Historical Society presents several exhibits each year, both permanent and temporary. Temporary exhibits are primarily focused on sharing st. Louis history and created by in-house teams. On occasion, mhs also presents traveling exhibits that tell national and global stories developed by the country's leading museums. In the last few years, exhibits have included everything from the opening of mhs's first new 1904 world's fair exhibit in 20 years, to exhibits on the history of st. Louis's mill creek valley neighborhood, to an exhibit exploring the history of forest…
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 AND CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $308,423 | $0 | $29,735 | $338,158 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $191,309 | $0 | $22,463 | $213,772 |
| MANAGING DIRECTOR - PHILANTHROPY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $174,897 | $0 | $11,616 | $186,513 |
| MANAGING DIRECTOR - MUSEUM SERVICES Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $168,646 | $0 | $11,206 | $179,852 |
| MANAGING DIRECTOR - PUBLIC HISTORY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $155,630 | $0 | $19,978 | $175,608 |
| MANAGING DIRECTOR - DEIA Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $135,153 | $0 | $31,927 | $167,080 |
| MANAGING DIR OPERATIONS (THRU 5/25) Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $117,644 | $0 | $6,732 | $124,376 |
| DIRECTOR OF FACILTIES Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $106,634 | $0 | $16,297 | $122,931 |
12 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Missouri Historical Society (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $676K (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–1b41 · 41 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 4No
- 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 5234
- Volunteers Part I, line 6171
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| HUAROCO LANDSCAPING LLC Landscaping | $257,410 |
| ICON DESIGN LLC Exhibit fabrication | $172,945 |
| PROMASTER CLEANING & RESTORATION Cleaning services | $144,847 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 3 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
35 private foundations reported grants to Missouri Historical Society totaling $917K 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 Missouri Historical Society's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Missouri Historical Society, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Missouri Historical Society spent in 2025, $78.62 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Embed on your site
Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Princeton University PressPrinceton, NJ · revenue $24M · programs 74.8% · FY2025
- The Natural Science Center of Greensboro Inc. Dba Greensboro Science CenterGreensboro, NC · revenue $24M · programs 55.4% · FY2025
- School of American BalletNew York, NY · revenue $23M · programs 73.6% · FY2025
- The Newark Museum AssociationNewark, NJ · revenue $24M · programs 71.0% · 2024
- The Heard MuseumPhoenix, AZ · revenue $23M · programs 69.2% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Missouri
Questions people ask
How much of Missouri Historical Society's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Missouri Historical Society reported that 78.6% of its $22.2 million in expenses went to program services, 13.5% to management and general and 7.8% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Missouri Historical Society pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Missouri Historical Society reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $338,158, for the role of PRESIDENT AND CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Missouri Historical Society get its money?
Of $23.6 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 77.9% came from contributions and grants (including 57.8% from government grants) and 0.6% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Missouri Historical Society a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 43-0654866 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), 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 202642659349301679 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202512659349300831 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202432689349301548 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202312699349300706 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202222709349302017 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202132649349301703 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202022759349300342 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 43-0654866: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.