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American Association of Museums
Also known as American Alliance of Museums
American Association of Museums reported $10.9 million in revenue and $10.7 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $66.74 went to program services, $29.13 to management and general costs and $4.13 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 71.5% of the total. Government grants made up 12.5%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $341,971 (PRESIDENT & CEO FROM 4/22/24). 16 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 11% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $11MFor 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 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $11MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 66.7% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 29.1% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.1% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.16 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 25.1% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 12.5% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 71.5% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $341,971 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 3.19% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 16 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 7.8 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 21 of 21 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseLearning, meetings and professional education: captures the alliance's commitment to the advancement, professional development, and networking of the museum community. The alliance's annual meeting is the largest cultural meeting that brings together all disciplines of museum management, and represents the broad spectrum of alliance members, from aquariums and art museums to science centers and zoos. The meeting is also the largest exposition of its kind featuring companies and products serving the museum industry. The future of museums summit is a virtual conference devoted to current…
Field-wide services: include those services which directly address the alliance's commitment to championing equitable and impactful museums. Programs included the continuum of excellence (accreditation, museum assessment program, and core documents verification), inclusion, social impact, and grant funded initiatives
Publications and business enterprises - includes titles developed and sold through the aam bookstore, in partnership with aam's co-publisher, museum magazine, the alliance's job board, and advertising opportunities for museum industry partners
Highest reported compensation
2024 · 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 FROM 4/22/24 Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $301,001 | $0 | $40,970 | $341,971 |
| VP, ADVANCEMENT Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $160,745 | $0 | $8,542 | $169,287 |
| SR DIR.FINANCE & ADMIN THRU 10/31/24 Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $130,248 | $0 | $28,680 | $158,928 |
| INTERIM CEO THRU 4/22/24 Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $137,981 | $0 | $16,012 | $153,993 |
| SR.DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $116,438 | $0 | $29,867 | $146,305 |
| SR.DIRECTOR OF EXCELLENCE Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $116,488 | $0 | $22,310 | $138,798 |
| SR DIR. MEM & REV THRU 12/31/24 Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $122,833 | $0 | $6,854 | $129,687 |
| SR. WEB DEVELOPER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $118,199 | $0 | $6,000 | $124,199 |
16 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from American Association of Museums (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $946K (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
2024 · 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–1b21 · 21 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 544
- Volunteers Part I, line 6450
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| PROJECTION PRESENTATION TECHNOLOGY INC A/v rental services | $480,410 |
| VOLUME SERVICES INC DBA CENTERPLATE Catering services | $277,509 |
| WILKENING CONSULTING LLC Consulting | $199,056 |
| RED RIVER MANAGED SERVICES LLC Consulting | $184,245 |
| CREATIVE EVENT EXPERIENCE Consulting | $183,999 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 8 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
11 private foundations reported grants to American Association of Museums totaling $210K 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 American Association of Museums's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for American Association of Museums, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 American Association of Museums spent in 2024, $66.74 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- The Perlman Music ProgramNew York, NY · revenue $11M · programs 71.6% · FY2025
- Kentucky Educational Television FoundationLexington, KY · revenue $11M · programs 85.6% · FY2025
- Georgia O'Keeffe MuseumSanta Fe, NM · revenue $11M · programs 75.5% · 2024
- The Lake Placid Association for Music Drama and ArtLake Placid, NY · revenue $11M · programs 47.2% · 2024
- Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of CaliforniaGlendale, CA · revenue $11M · programs 28.1% · 2024
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Virginia
Questions people ask
How much of American Association of Museums's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, American Association of Museums reported that 66.7% of its $10.7 million in expenses went to program services, 29.1% to management and general and 4.1% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does American Association of Museums pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation American Association of Museums reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $341,971, for the role of PRESIDENT & CEO FROM 4/22/24 (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does American Association of Museums get its money?
Of $10.9 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 25.1% came from contributions and grants (including 12.5% from government grants) and 71.5% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is American Association of Museums a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 53-0205889 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
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202532329349300128 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202411519349300431 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202331459349301003 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202202069349301155 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202121369349302172 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202032379349300703 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 53-0205889: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.