American Museum of Natural History
83% goes to programs $7 to raise $100 Strong reserves Growing revenue
American Museum of Natural History is a 501(c)(3) organization based in New York, New York, registered in 1943, with $237,074,999 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 83% of spending to programs.
Central Park West At 79th St, New York, NY, 10024 EIN 13-6162659 Since 1943
Revenue (FY2023)
$237.1M
▲ 3.7% vs prior year
Arts & Culture median: $159K
Expenses (FY2023)
$258.2M
Net assets
$1.1B
Employees
1,483
CharityIndex rating
One independent A+ to F grade from four published criteria, each scored separately from IRS filings and combined by weight.
A
AProgram efficiency40% of the rating83% to programs · $7 to raise $100
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For American Museum of Natural History: 83% to programs · $7 to raise $100 earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
B+Financial health25% of the rating52 mo reserves · -9% margin
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For American Museum of Natural History: 52 mo reserves · -9% margin earns a B+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Governance25% of the rating6 of 6 checks met
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For American Museum of Natural History: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Transparency10% of the rating5 of 5 disclosure signals
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For American Museum of Natural History: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Mission
Nat history museum, planetarium, collections, library, scientific research, graduate school (ph.d./ comp biology & mat/education), education & exhibitions (sch o).
What they do
Education and public programs - the museum welcomed over 283,000 field trip participants in fy24. high school and college students participate in programs that provide exploration of science and museum careers. educator professional learning programs served thousands of teachers onsite and online. urban advantage, a science education program reached 92,900 students from 311 schools across nyc. the museum's mat program helps train earth science teachers for placement in high needs schools. lectures and public events provide opportunities for public engagement with science topics.
Exhibition - the museum is open to the public 363 days a year with more than 40 permanent exhibition halls. the museum has a robust schedule of special exhibitions and planetarium shows it designs and produces, which also travel to venues around the u.s. and internationally, supplemented with educational content, and other web-based resources for learning.
Contact & location
- Address
- Central Park West At 79th St, New York, NY, 10024
- City
- New York
- State
- New York
- Category
- Arts, Culture & Humanities
- Subcategory
- Museums
- Phone
- …
- Website
- …
Financial trends
Revenue grew from $180.3M (FY2013) to $237.1M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Financial health & position (FY2023)
Liabilities $507.6MNet assets $1.1B
Operating margin
-8.9%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$1.6B
Total liabilities
$507.6M
Net assets
$1.1B
Salaries & benefits
$135.9M
53% of expenses
Board members
46
45 independent
Financials by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $237,074,999▲3.7% | $258,168,058▲13.4% | $1,109,896,360▲0.3% | $1,617,532,604▼1.6% | 990 |
| 2022 | $228,656,406▲0.2% | $227,654,071▲12.8% | $1,106,589,549▲4.7% | $1,643,728,765▲1.5% | 990 |
| 2021 | $228,285,796▲14.4% | $201,740,478▲6.6% | $1,057,339,773▼12.0% | $1,619,084,148▼9.9% | 990 |
| 2020 | $199,552,593▲0.8% | $189,164,480▼10.1% | $1,201,620,543▲20.1% | $1,796,362,085▲17.3% | 990 |
| 2019 | $198,055,556▼9.6% | $210,518,219▼2.1% | $1,000,453,407▼4.5% | $1,531,677,996▲4.6% | 990 |
| 2018 | $219,056,859▲6.7% | $214,965,835▼0.1% | $1,047,062,429▼2.2% | $1,463,861,838 | 990 |
| 2017 | $205,386,527▼33.8% | $215,136,437▲0.5% | $1,070,661,810▲3.1% | $1,463,348,689▲1.7% | 990 |
| 2016 | $310,330,693▲21.6% | $214,025,292▲5.0% | $1,038,373,057▲15.7% | $1,438,414,963▲10.2% | 990 |
| 2015 | $255,274,888▼10.1% | $203,830,474▲1.3% | $897,323,454▼0.6% | $1,305,758,088▲0.1% | 990 |
| 2014 | $283,975,170▲57.5% | $201,198,180▲1.3% | $902,625,342▲7.7% | $1,304,049,203▲4.0% | 990 |
| 2013 | $180,335,007 | $198,534,225▲4.9% | $838,436,839▲6.2% | $1,253,291,976▲5.7% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $189,294,280▲0.6% | $789,477,391▲15.6% | $1,186,142,115▲4.7% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $188,087,953▲1.8% | $682,816,528▼8.7% | $1,132,976,753▼2.1% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $184,851,535▲0.9% | $747,993,344▲12.0% | $1,156,882,013▲7.0% | 990 |
| 2009 | — | $183,122,409 | $667,744,524 | $1,080,940,030 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Leadership & compensation (FY2023)
Highest-paid: Lisa Gugenheim — $1,037,861 (0.40% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Gugenheim | Director of the Museum | 45 | $1,037,861 |
| Ellen V Futter | President-end 03/15/23 | 55 | $936,813 |
| Michael Novacek | Sr Adv To the Pres. & Curator | 45 | $765,546 |
| Sean M Decatur | President | 55 | $719,033 |
| Anne Canty | Sr Vp Communications,marketing | 45 | $667,151 |
| Ann Siegel | Sr Vp Ops & Cap-end 6/30/23 | 45 | $542,364 |
| Ward C Wheeler | Curator | 35 | $496,340 |
| Richard A Madonna | Sr Vp & Cfo | 45 | $493,488 |
| Cheryl Hayashi | Sr Vp & Provost | 45 | $484,938 |
| Daniel Stoddard | Vp & Chief Investment Officer | 35 | $463,619 |
| John Flynn | Dean of Grad School & Curator | 35 | $440,950 |
| Sheree Carter-galvan | Sr Vp & Gen Counsel-end 3/3/23 | 45 | $430,499 |
| Juan Montes | Chief Information Officer | 35 | $422,877 |
| Kala Harinarayanan | Sr Vp & Chief People Officer | 45 | $418,567 |
| Rhea Gordon | Sr Vp & Gen Counsel | 45 | $374,863 |
| Milton Yuen | Controller-end 10/13/23 | 35 | $364,566 |
| Michael Shara | Curator | 35 | $360,988 |
| Lauri Halderman | Sr Vp For Exhibiiton | 45 | $316,066 |
| Jacqueline Powers | Assistant Secretary | 45 | $232,978 |
| Alexandra Mondre | Trustee | 1 | — |
Top vendors & contractors (FY2023)
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tishman Interiors Corporation | Construction Service | $58,858,611 |
| Restaurant Associates | Restaurant Mgmt | $6,982,177 |
| Zubatkin Owner Representation LLC | Construction Service | $2,526,776 |
| Design and Production Incorporated | Exhibit Consultant | $2,356,816 |
| The Whalens Berez Group LLC | Construction Service | $2,079,500 |
Grants received · $74.6M total
168 grants to American Museum of Natural History totaling $74.6M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc | Arts and culture | 2024 | $558,500 |
| Jewish Communal Fund | In furtherance of grantee's tax-exempt purpose | 2024 | $465,228 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc | Unrestricted general support | 2024 | $200,000 |
| The New York Community Trust | For general support. | 2024 | $172,250 |
| Ayco Charitable Foundation | Arts and culture | 2024 | $55,180 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $17,719 |
| American Endowment Foundation | Arts, culture | 2024 | $16,750 |
| Donor Advised Charitable Giving | Arts, culture & humanities | 2023 | $653,422 |
| Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc | Arts and culture | 2023 | $520,500 |
| The James Family Charitable Trust | Culture & arts | 2023 | $500,000 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2023 | $476,045 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc | Unrestricted general support | 2023 | $200,000 |
| The New York Community Trust | For general support. | 2023 | $176,260 |
| Association of Universities For | Scientific research on data from hubble space telescope | 2023 | $173,487 |
| National Philanthropic Tr | Culture & arts | 2023 | $157,500 |
Grants made · $2.4M in FY2023
23 grants totaling $2.4M in FY2023 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by American Museum of Natural History →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife Conservation Society | Urban advantage | $433,906 |
| University of Utah | Collab research | $370,704 |
| New York University | Collab research | $343,064 |
| American Museum of Natural History Planetarium Authority | Maintain planetarium | $202,172 |
| New York Hall of Science | Urban advantage | $142,626 |
| Temple University-of the Commonwealth System of Higher Educ | Collab research | $129,464 |
| Sri International | Collab research | $119,991 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Collab research | $106,694 |
| Staten Island Zoological Society Inc | Urban advantage | $84,255 |
| Research Foundation For the State University of New York | Collab research | $62,112 |
| Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation | Urban advantage | $49,613 |
| Cornell University | Collab research | $47,802 |
| New York Botanical Garden | Urban advantage | $39,711 |
| Adler Planetarium | Collab research | $35,042 |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Collab research | $31,060 |
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Compare American Museum of Natural History
Frequently asked questions
- Is American Museum of Natural History a legitimate nonprofit?
- Yes. American Museum of Natural History is a 501(c)(3) organization registered with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service under EIN 13-6162659, based in New York, New York. Donations are tax-deductible.
- What is American Museum of Natural History's EIN?
- American Museum of Natural History's Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 13-6162659.
- How much revenue does American Museum of Natural History report?
- American Museum of Natural History reported $237,074,999 in total revenue on its fiscal year 2023 IRS Form 990 filing.
- How much of American Museum of Natural History's spending goes to programs?
- American Museum of Natural History spends about 83% of its total expenses on programs, based on its latest IRS Form 990.
- What financial grade does American Museum of Natural History have?
- CharityIndex grades American Museum of Natural History A, based on program efficiency and fundraising cost.
- How much does American Museum of Natural History's highest-paid employee make?
- The highest reported compensation on American Museum of Natural History's latest Form 990 is $1,037,861, paid to Lisa Gugenheim (Director of the Museum).
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Data for American Museum of Natural History (EIN 13-6162659) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.