Proprietors of the Boston Athenaeum
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O.
- Income
- $9.0 million
- Spending
- $13.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- 30.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- investment income, 43%
- Employees
- 77
- Volunteers
- 100
- Highest pay
- $382,772, director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 63% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 30.9 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 13% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 45% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 30% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 40 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2518 of 18 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 September 30, 2024, 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 (4)
- $3.5 million spent. LIBRARY SERVICES - SEE SCHEDULE O.LIBRARY SERVICES - THE LIBRARY IS THE LARGEST PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITY OFTHE BOSTON ATHENAEUM, SERVING APPROXIMATELY 5,000 MEMBERS, THEIRFAMILIES, THE SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY, STUDENTS, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THEPUBLIC. IT IS COMPOSED OF TWO PRINCIPAL DEPARTMENTS: READER SERVICESAND TECHNICAL SERVICES. READER SERVICES AT THE BOSTON ATHENAEUMCOMPRISES THE PUBLIC DEPARTMENTS THAT OFFER LIBRARY SERVICES. THE HEADOF READER SERVICES AND THE ARCHIVIST/REFERENCE LIBRARIAN WORK AT THEREFERENCE DESK; THEY ANSWER HUNDREDS OF MEMBERS AND RESEARCHERS'QUESTIONS AND ASSIST IN THE USE OF CIRCULATING MATERIALS, SPECIALCOLLECTIONS, ELECTRONIC RESOURCES, AND ONLINE RESEARCH. THOUSANDS OFRARE MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED FOR THE 200-300 RESEARCHERS WHO USE THESPECIAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM EVERY YEAR. THE HEAD OF CIRCULATIONAND THE READER SERVICES ASSISTANT MANAGE ACTIVITY AT THE CIRCULATIONDESK, WHERE ROUGHLY 18,000 ITEMS CIRCULATE EACH YEAR. FIVE INTERNSASSIST AT CIRCULATION AND REFERENCE. THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARIAN HELPSYOUNGER MEMBERS USE THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARY, AND OFFERS PROGRAMSINCLUDING STORY HOURS AND READING GROUPS, DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FORCHILDREN. NINETEEN DISCUSSION GROUPS AND OVER 150 TOURS OF THE BUILDING ARE ARRANGED BY READER SERVICES EVERY YEAR. THE TECHNICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, MANAGED BY THE CHIEF TECHNICAL SERVICES LIBRARIAN, ENCOMPASSES THE FUNCTIONS OF ACQUISITIONS, CATALOGING, SERIALS, CONSERVATION, AND DIGITIZATION. THE UNITS OF ACQUISITIONS, CATALOGING, AND SERIALS INCLUDE, AN ACQUISITIONS LIBRARIAN, A SERIALS LIBRARIAN, THREE RARE MATERIALS CATALOG LIBRARIANS, TWO CATALOGING ASSISTANTS, AND THREE INTERNS. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SELECTING, ACQUIRING, ACCESSIONING, INVOICING, CATALOGING, AND PROCESSING APPROXIMATELY 2,700 ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY PER YEAR, INCLUDING BOTH NEW IMPRINTS AND RARE HISTORICAL VOLUMES. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO AUGMENTS APPROXIMATELY 3,000 LEGACY CATALOGING RECORDS PER YEAR.
- $4.5 million spent. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS - SEE SCHEDULE O.SPECIAL COLLECTIONS - THE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT IS COMPOSED OFTHE CURATORS WHO OVERSEE THE ACQUISITION, MAINTENANCE, AND EXHIBITIONOF RARE BOOKS, ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS, MANUSCRIPTS, MAPS, AND WORKS OF ART.DEPARTMENT STAFF MEMBERS INCLUDE THE CURATOR OF RARE BOOKS ANDMANUSCRIPTS, THE CURATOR OF PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE, THE ASSOCIATECURATOR OF PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE, THE ARCHIVIST,AND THE CURATOR OF PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. THE CURATORS RESEARCHOBJECTS IN THE COLLECTIONS AND DISSEMINATE INFORMATION ABOUT THEM TOTHE SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH LECTURES,PUBLICATIONS, AND (IN COOPERATION WITH LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES, AND MUSEUMSAROUND THE COUNTRY) AN ACTIVE LOAN PROGRAM. EACH YEAR, ON SITE, THECURATORS ASSIST HUNDREDS OF ATHENAEUM MEMBERS AND VISITING SCHOLARS INRESEARCHING THE ATHENAEUM'S COLLECTIONS. THE CURATORIAL STAFF MOUNTSTWO OR THREE EXHIBITIONS PER YEAR COVERING A RANGE OF HISTORICAL ANDCONTEMPORARY SUBJECTS. THESE EXHIBITIONS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY GALLERYTALKS, LECTURES, AND SYMPOSIA, ALL OF WHICH ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
- $1.9 million spent. LECTURES & CONCERTS - SEE SCHEDULE OLECTURES & CONCERTS - THE LECTURES AND CONCERTS PROGRAM INCLUDESAPPROXIMATELY 100 EVENTS EACH YEAR, SUCH AS AUTHOR TALKS, LECTURES,CONCERTS, CHILDREN'S EVENTS, EXHIBITION RECEPTIONS AND MOVIES. EVENTSTAKE PLACE BOTH IN THE EVENING AND DURING THE DAY AND INCLUDE EVENTSTHAT ARE OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS WELL AS EVENTS FOR ATHENAEUMMEMBERS.
- $611,086 spent. CONSERVATION - SINCE 1963, THE CONSERVATION LABRATORY HAS BEEN DEDICATED TO THE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF THE ATHENAEUM'S HOLDINGS WITH INHERENT HISTORIC ARTISTIC OR LITERARY VALUE. THE CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT INCLUDES THE CHIEF CONSERVATOR AND THE ASSOCIATE CONSERVATOR, AND SEVERAL INTERNS AND FELLOWS. ATHENAEUM CONSERVATORS PERFORM CONSERVATION TREATMENTS ON RARE AND CIRCULATING BOOKS, MAPS, MANUSCRIPTS, PRINTS, ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, BROADSIDES, AND PAMPHLETS, AND FOLLOW PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION PROTOCOLS. DIGITAL PROGRAMS - THE DIGITAL PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT IS DEDICATED TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF SCHOLARLY ACCESS TO THE COLLECTIONS THROUGH DIGITIZATION. THE HEAD OF DIGITAL PROGRAMS AND TWO INTERNS SCAN COLLECTION MATERIALS IN THE IMAGING STUDIO AND CREATE ONLINE RECORDS CONTAINING DIGITAL SURROGATES WITH THEIR CORRESPONDING METADATA. THESE EFFORTS ENSURE THAT ATHENAEUM COLLECTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FREELY ONLINE TO SCHOLARS, RESEARCHERS, STUDENTS, AND TO ANYONE IN THE WORLD WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, 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 September 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 1938.
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.