New England Historic Genealogical Society Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O...
- Income
- $24.7 million
- Spending
- $16.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 58%
- Reserves
- 0.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 46%
- Employees
- 112
- Volunteers
- 224
- Highest pay
- $337,296, president and ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 58 out of 100.
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.3 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 27% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 35% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 54% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1558% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 21 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2524 of 24 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 August 31, 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 (6)
- $326,345 spent. MEMBER SERVICES: AMERICAN ANCESTORS IS A MEMBER-BASED ORGANIZATION WITH MORE THAN 400,000 INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE MEMBERSHIPS AND 2.5 MILLION ONLINE VISITS. MEMBERSHIP HAS NUMEROUS BENEFITS INCLUDING ACCESS TO OVER 1.6 BILLION SEARCHABLE NAMES ON AMERICANANCESTORS.ORG; QUARTERLY DELIVERY OF THE MAGAZINE AMERICAN ANCESTORS AND THE FLAGSHIP JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GENEALOGY, THE REGISTER; DISCOUNTS ON RESEARCH-FOR-HIRE AND CONSULTATION; DISCOUNTS ON BOOKS PUBLISHED BY AMERICAN ANCESTORS; FREE ADMISSION TO THE BRIM-DEFOREST LIBRARY AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, NEWSLETTERS AND ITS ASK-A-GENEALOGIST SERVICE; DISCOUNTS ON HOTELS THROUGH HISTORICHOTELS.ORG AND HISTORICHOTELSWORLDWIDE.COM; AND ACCESS TO AMERICAN ANCESTREES, AN ONLINE FAMILY TREE PROGRAM.
- $2.0 million spent. TOURS, SEMINARS & EVENTS: AMERICAN ANCESTORS HOSTS ONLINE SEMINARS, GUIDED TOURS, CONFERENCES AND EVENTS TO FURTHER KNOWLEDGE OF FAMILY HISTORY. GUIDED RESEARCH TOURS TO LOCATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AND EUROPE, AS WELL AS RESEARCH PROGRAMS AT THE BRIM-DEFOREST LIBRARY IN BOSTON. EACH PROGRAM INCLUDES INTENSIVE DAYS DEVOTED TO RESEARCH, ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTATIONS, PRESENTATIONS BY AMERICAN ANCESTORS GENEALOGISTS AND LOCAL EXPERTS, AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES. WE PROVIDE EXCLUSIVE, IN-DEPTH LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ONLINE AND IN PERSON, INCLUDING MORE THAN 250 ANNUAL LECTURES, SEMINARS, INTENSIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS, CULTURAL PROGRAMS, AMERICAN INSPIRATION BOOK TALKS, AND SPECIAL EVENTS DESIGNED TO BENEFIT FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCHERS OF ALL LEVELS AND HERITAGE AND CULTURAL ENTHUSIASTS.
- $2.7 million spent. RESEARCH LIBRARY: THE BRIM-DEFOREST LIBRARY HAS BEEN NAMED BY USA TODAY AS A TOP 10 WORLD DESTINATION FOR FAMILY HISTORY. THE PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND VISITORS MAY VISIT THEIR EIGHT-STORY LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE WHERE IT OFFERS THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH MATERIALS IN THE COUNTRY. THE COLLECTION, WHICH CONTINUES TO GROW THROUGH ACQUISITION AND PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES, DATES FROM THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT AND SPANS NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, AND BEYOND. IT INCLUDES MORE THAN 28 MILLION DIARIES, LETTERS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MANUSCRIPTS, AND MORE THAN 250,000 BOOKS AND MICROFORMS.
- $2.0 million spent. WEBSITE: AMERICAN ANCESTORSOFFERS FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCHERS THE MOST-USED GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY WEBSITE IN THE WORLD. AMERICANANCESTORS.ORG PROVIDES ACCESS TO MORE THAN 1.6 BILLION RECORDS SPANNING OVER 25 COUNTRIES COVERING EARLY AMERICAN, NEW ENGLAND, NEW YORK, IRISH, ENGLISH, ITALIAN, SCOTTISH, ATLANTIC AND FRENCH CANADIAN, AFRICAN AMERICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN, CHINESE, JEWISH GENEALOGY, AND MORE, INCLUDING ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVE ONLINE COLLECTIONS OF EARLY AMERICAN GENEALOGICAL RECORDS, THE LARGEST SEARCHABLE COLLECTION OF PUBLISHED GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES, AND THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF U.S CATHOLIC RECORDS ONLINE. IN 2018, FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE NOTED AMERICANANCESTORS.ORG AS A BEST GENEALOGY RECORDS WEBSITE, AND AS ONE OF THE BEST GENEALOGY WEBSITES IN THE WORLD.
- $2.2 million spent. PUBLICATIONS: AMERICAN ANCESTORS IS THE NATION'S LEADING PUBLISHER OF FAMILY HISTORY BOOKS AND PERIODICALS SINCE 1847. THROUGH ITS NEWBURY STREET PRESS AND OTHER PUBLICATION ARMS, THEY PRODUCE THE NEW ENGLAND HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL REGISTER, ITS FLAGSHIP JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GENEALOGY AND THE OLDEST IN THE FIELD, FOCUSING ON AUTHORITATIVE COMPILED GENEALOGIES, AND AMERICAN ANCESTORS MAGAZINE, PUBLISHED QUARTERLY.
- $226,414 spent. RETAIL STORE: AMERICAN ANCESTORS SELLS ORIGINAL AND THIRD PARTY BOOKS, CHARTS, AND GIFTS WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ON LINE THROUGH SHOP.AMERICANANCESTORS.ORG AND IN STORE AT ITS 97 NEWBURY STREET HEADQUARTERS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending August 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 1922.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.