Seattle Art Museum

Seattle, WA · EIN 91-0640788 · 501(c)(3) · Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))
Latest filing: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 (tax year 2024) · View the filing · Correct or respond

Seattle Art Museum reported $38.3 million in revenue and $44.4 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $74.55 went to program services, $17.69 to management and general costs and $7.76 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 46.3% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $288,354 (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER). 31 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 8% 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 $44M

Program services$74.55 $33M
Management & general$17.69 $7.9M
Fundraising$7.76 $3.4M

For 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

The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $38M

Contributions & grants (non-government)$42.48 $16M
Government grants$3.77 $1.4M
Program service revenue$14.05 $5.4M
Investment income$30.17 $12M
Other revenue$9.53 $3.7M

The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades

FY2025 filing. Median across 876 covered charities in this category, from their latest filings.
Measure	FY2025	Median
Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A)	74.6%	78.5%
Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A)	17.7%	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	$0.19	$0.10
Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12	46.3%	57.5%
Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12	3.8%	1.7%
Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12	14.1%	20.8%
Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F	$288,354	$385,706
Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A)	0.65%	2.03%
People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2	31	8
Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses	102.3	36.6
Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b	62 of 62	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 expense

$33M expenses · 100.0% of program spending · revenue $6.0M

Museum services: providing a public Art Museum including the accession of art objects as well as public art exhibitions and art education for the general public. Museum patrons visited this year at three different seattle locations - the Seattle Art Museum, the olympic sculpture park and the asian Art Museum

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
CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Key employee, 30.00 hrs/week	$271,575	$0	$16,779	$288,354
ILL BALL NORDSTROM DIR. THRU 08/24 Officer, 30.00 hrs/week	$272,092	$0	$9,011	$281,103
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ART Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week	$245,217	$0	$15,743	$260,960
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week	$234,458	$0	$15,809	$250,267
ILLSLEY BALL NORDSTROM DIRECTOR Officer, 30.00 hrs/week	$217,916	$0	$234	$218,150
ILL BALL NORDSTROM DIR. THRU 08/24 Officer, 30.00 hrs/week	$203,731	$0	$6,275	$210,006
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week	$200,692	$0	$386	$201,078
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week	$185,556	$0	$13,784	$199,340

31 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Seattle Art Museum (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.5M (Part IX, line 5).

6 years of filings

Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linked

RevenueExpenses

Filing	Revenue	Expenses	Programs	Net assets	Top pay
FY2025 ⓘ	$38M	$44M	74.6%	$379M	$288,354
FY2024 ⓘ	$39M	$42M	73.3%	$374M	$402,902
FY2023 ⓘ	$30M	$37M	73.7%	$374M	$491,352
FY2022 ⓘ	$67M	$56M	83.7%	$370M	$456,416
FY2021 ⓘ	$34M	$26M	70.4%	$383M	$414,584
FY2020 ⓘ	$42M	$37M	78.6%	$333M	$424,786

Governance 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–1b62 · 62 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 11aNo
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 4Yes
Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
Employees Part I, line 5487
Volunteers Part I, line 6297

Largest outside contractors

FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only

IRON & OAK LLC Security services	$1,096,169
SHOOBY DOO CATERING LLC Catering	$480,878
INFINITE MASS Advertising	$465,563
WESTERN SPECIALITY CONTRACTORS Professional contractors	$465,563

Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 18 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.

Private foundation grants it received

67 private foundations reported grants to Seattle Art Museum totaling $5.4M 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 Seattle Art Museum's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Seattle Art Museum, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.

Report a correction Respond as Seattle Art Museum How this works

Similar-sized charities in this cause

American Journalism Project
Washington, DC · revenue $38M · programs 91.1% · 2024
Jorge M Perez Art Museum of Miami-Dade County
Miami, FL · revenue $38M · programs 59.3% · 2024
Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Seattle, WA · revenue $38M · programs 78.7% · FY2025
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Detroit, MI · revenue $39M · programs 72.9% · FY2025
The Toledo Museum of Art
Toledo, OH · revenue $38M · programs 79.7% · FY2025

All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Washington

Questions people ask

How much of Seattle Art Museum's spending goes to programs?

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Seattle Art Museum reported that 74.6% of its $44.4 million in expenses went to program services, 17.7% to management and general and 7.8% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).

How much does Seattle Art Museum pay its top executive?

The largest total compensation Seattle Art Museum reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $288,354, for the role of CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).

Where does Seattle Art Museum get its money?

Of $38.3 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 46.3% came from contributions and grants (including 3.8% from government grants) and 14.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).

Is Seattle Art Museum a registered charity?

The IRS lists EIN 91-0640788 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 202611359349311001 · read the filing · XML
FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202511329349306076 · read the filing
FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202431309349304378 · read the filing
FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202331329349307628 · read the filing
FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202211339349303406 · read the filing
FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202131349349303628 · read the filing

All filings for EIN 91-0640788: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.