Asia Society Texas Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ACROSS THE FIELDS OF PERFORMING ARTS, VISUAL ARTS, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH, BUSINESS & POLICY, ASTC PROVIDES INSIGHT, GENERATES IDEAS, AND PROMOTES COLLABORATION TO ADDRESS PRESENT CHALLENGES AND CREATE A SHARED FUTURE. ASTC OPERATES AS A SEPARATE 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION AND HAS AN AFFILIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH ASIA SOCIETY, A GLOBAL NETWORK.
- Income
- $8.0 million
- Spending
- $6.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- 17.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- investment income, 46%
- Employees
- 47
- Volunteers
- 80
- Highest pay
- $352,922, president/ce
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 89% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 17.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 16% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 13% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1591% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2528 of 28 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (5)
- $1.8 million spent. THE PERFORMING ART AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT - THROUGH DANCE, FOOD, FILM, LITERATURE, MUSIC, AND THEATRE, ASTC'S PERFORMING ARTS AND CULTURE PROGRAMS CELEBRATE THE VIBRANCY OF ASIAN CULTURES THROUGH TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY ARTS TO ENGENDER CURIOSITY, EMPATHY, AND A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD. MANY OF THESE ANNUAL OFFERINGS ARE PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH SOME OF HOUSTON'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND DIVERSE CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE, HOUSTON BALLET, INPRINT, ANJALI CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS, HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS FESTIVAL, HOUSTON GRAND OPERA, AND MORE.
- $1.3 million spent. THE BUSINESS AND POLICY DEPARTMENT OF ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS FOSTERS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR INTERCONNECTED WORLD THROUGH PROGRAMMING THAT ELEVATES DIALOGUE AND IDEAS TO COMBAT BIAS AND CONNECTS HOUSTONIANS WITH GLOBAL BUSINESS AND THOUGHT LEADERS, AUTHORS, SCHOLARS, DIPLOMATS, AND POLICY EXPERTS. OUR PROGRAMS ARE PRIMARILY IN-PERSON AT ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS. IN FY24-25, WE HOSTED 24 IN-PERSON PROGRAMS AND WELCOMED 3,010 GUESTS. KEY B&P PROGRAMS INCLUDED DISCUSSIONS ON U.S. FOREIGN POLICY, INCLUDING PROGRAMS LOOKING AT BOTH US-KOREAN AND US-TURKISH RELATIONS, THE CAREERS OF DYNAMIC FEMALE DIPLOMATS, GLOBAL ARCHITECTURE, HEALTHCARE INNOVATIONS, ECONOMIC LINKAGES BETWEEN TEXAS AND JAPAN, AND DIPLOMATIC ROUNDTABLES WITH THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM AND TAIWAN'S REPRESENTATIVE TO THE U.S. THIS YEAR, WE ALSO INCORPORATED A GUIDED TASTING OF AUSTRALIAN WINE AND A US-JAPAN SISTER CITIES SAKE TASTING EVENT. THE ANNUAL HUFFINGTON AWARD DINNER HONORED COLE CHEMICAL PRESIDENT AND CEO AND LONGTIME HOUSTON COMMUNITY LEADER DONNA COLE. NOTABLE SPEAKERS INCLUDED MSNBC JOURNALIST ALI VELSHI, WORLD-RENOWNED ARCHITECT FARSHID MOUSSAVI, NBC NEWS ANCHOR VICKY NGUYEN, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ALKA JOSHI, FORMER AMBASSADOR DAVID SATTERFIELD, AND MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES CEO TAKAJIRO ISHIKAWA. THE BUSINESS AND POLICY DEPARTMENT OF ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS FOSTERS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR INTERCONNECTED WORLD THROUGH PROGRAMMING THAT ELEVATES DIALOGUE AND IDEAS TO COMBAT BIAS AND CONNECTS HOUSTONIANS WITH GLOBAL BUSINESS AND THOUGHT LEADERS, AUTHORS, SCHOLARS, DIPLOMATS, AND POLICY EXPERTS. OUR PROGRAMS ARE PRIMARILY IN-PERSON AT ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS. IN FY24-25, WE HOSTED 24 IN-PERSON PROGRAMS AND WELCOMED 3,010 GUESTS. KEY B&P PROGRAMS INCLUDED DISCUSSIONS ON U.S. FOREIGN POLICY, INCLUDING PROGRAMS LOOKING AT BOTH US-KOREAN AND US-TURKISH RELATIONS, THE CAREERS OF DYNAMIC FEMALE DIPLOMATS, GLOBAL ARCHITECTURE, HEALTHCARE INNOVATIONS, ECONOMIC LINKAGES BETWEEN TEXAS AND JAPAN, AND DIPLOMATIC ROUNDTABLES WITH THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM AND TAIWAN'S REPRESENTATIVE TO THE U.S. THIS YEAR, WE ALSO INCORPORATED A GUIDED TASTING OF AUSTRALIAN WINE AND A US-JAPAN SISTER CITIES SAKE TASTING EVENT. THE ANNUAL HUFFINGTON AWARD DINNER HONORED COLE CHEMICAL PRESIDENT AND CEO AND LONGTIME HOUSTON COMMUNITY LEADER DONNA COLE. NOTABLE SPEAKERS INCLUDED MSNBC JOURNALIST ALI VELSHI, WORLD-RENOWNED ARCHITECT FARSHID MOUSSAVI, NBC NEWS ANCHOR VICKY NGUYEN, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ALKA JOSHI, FORMER AMBASSADOR DAVID SATTERFIELD, AND MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES CEO TAKAJIRO ISHIKAWA.
- $1.7 million spent. THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT LIES AT THE HEART OF THE ASIA SOCIETY'S MISSION, FOCUSING ON A VARIETY OF AUDIENCES, INCLUDING STUDENTS, ADULTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES. THROUGH A BALANCED PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE THAT INCLUDES SCHOOL TOURS, ART & ARCHITECTURE TOURS, FAMILY PROGRAMS, LANGUAGE CLASSES, AND SUMMER CAMPS, EDUCATION AT THE TEXAS CENTER SPARKS CURIOSITY, BUILDS CROSS-CULTURAL EMPATHY, AND DEVELOPS GLOBAL COMPETENCY. ADDITIONALLY, THE PERMANENT EDUCATION EXHIBIT, EXPLORE ASIA, PROVIDES AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE THAT IMMERSES GUESTS IN ASIAN CULTURE. OUR DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORM OFFERS ENGAGING WEB COMICS FOR STUDENTS, COMPREHENSIVE LESSON GUIDES FOR EDUCATORS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
- $1.4 million spent. THE EXHIBITIONS DEPARTMENT AT ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS SHARES THE BEST VISUAL ARTS FROM AND ABOUT ASIA WITH THE HOUSTON-AREA COMMUNITY. THROUGH EXHIBITIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS IN FY24-25, WE FEATURED THE WORK OF MORE THAN 35 CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS THROUGH 5 EXHIBITIONS, BOTH FROM THE UNITED STATES AND ASIA. OUR DEPARTMENT'S PROGRAMMING DEEPENS APPRECIATION FOR THE ARTS IN TEXAS. IN FY24-25, THE ORGANIZATION ALSO CREATED MORE THAN 15 UNIQUE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING SCHOLARLY TALKS ON THE LEGACY OF MODERN INK PAINTER HUNG HSIEN, AS WELL AS PROGRAMS ABOUT THE ASIAN DIASPORA. FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDED HUNG HSIEN, XIN LIU, JAMES CLAR, AND UMICO NIWA.
- THE EXHIBITIONS DEPARTMENT AT ASIA SOCIETY TEXAS SHARES THE BEST VISUAL ARTS FROM AND ABOUT ASIA WITH THE HOUSTON-AREA COMMUNITY. THROUGH EXHIBITIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS IN FY24-25, WE FEATURED THE WORK OF MORE THAN 35 CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS THROUGH 5 EXHIBITIONS, BOTH FROM THE UNITED STATES AND ASIA. OUR DEPARTMENT'S PROGRAMMING DEEPENS APPRECIATION FOR THE ARTS IN TEXAS. IN FY24-25, THE ORGANIZATION ALSO CREATED MORE THAN 15 UNIQUE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING SCHOLARLY TALKS ON THE LEGACY OF MODERN INK PAINTER HUNG HSIEN, AS WELL AS PROGRAMS ABOUT THE ASIAN DIASPORA. FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDED HUNG HSIEN, XIN LIU, JAMES CLAR, AND UMICO NIWA.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 2002.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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