Hancock Shaker Village Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
HSV brings the Shaker story to life and preserves it for future generations. Annually 50,000+ visitors from all over the world are served onsite and 100,000 unique individuals use the website. Open from mid-April into December, HSV helps children and adults learn about the important influence the Shakers.
- Income
- $5.0 million
- Spending
- $2.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 68%
- Reserves
- 15.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 54%
- Employees
- 57
- Volunteers
- 149
- Highest pay
- $153,484, director & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 90 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 15.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 46% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 22% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1568% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 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 2517 of 19 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 December 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 (5)
- $845,493 spent. On-site interpretive programs are provided by education staff for all visiting children, adults, and groups. Topics showcase how the Shakers relate to 21st century hot button issues, e.g. green environment, sustainable agriculture, and equality, and also delve into the history of Shaker life, beliefs and practices. Among daily offerings are guided tours, an acapella music performance, water powered operation of machines and tools, craft and trade demonstrations (oval box construction, blacksmithing, bee keeping, etc.), and hands-on farm and craft making experiences. Special topic tours, demonstrations, and lectures change daily with a schedule posted in the Visitors Center. Periodic large scale events include Themed Workshop Weekends, Baby Animals on the Shaker Farm, Spirit Houses and Woodland Wonders, Free Fun Friday, and Country Fair. Daily self-guided experiences include an orientation film/site map/ and audio curators tour, provided in four languages; woodland walks with interpretive signs; hand crank interpretive devices in various locations; text panels in historic buildings and special exhibitions. Staff members (paid and unpaid) are posted in key locations, e.g. Brick Dwelling, Round Stone Barn, and farm animal pastures and barns, to facilitate visitor experiences and answer questions. The HSV website includes a timeline of the Shakers, an interactive map of the historic site, a database of the permanent collection, school curriculum materials, interactive games, a genealogy of the Shakers who lived at Hancock, and more. HSV partners with other museums and organizations on special exhibitions, programs, workshops (e.g. timber frame construction), teacher training, marketing, and more. For five years, the University of Massachusetts and HSV have collaborated on a historic preservation graduate program, with some classes and field experiences offered at the Village. HSV provides free admission to children 12 and under on family visits, to handicapped individuals, for library pass holders, and to members; and admission discounts for seniors, military, teachers, AAA members, etc. Many programs are held offsite, e.g. Shaker Seminar, a five day lecture and study program that presents new scholarship, takes place at significant Shaker sites and communities and serves 45 to 75 individuals. HSV is an employer of 6- 10 learning disabled and special needs individuals, via community agencies such as Berkshire County ARC, Soldier On and Elder Services; and the museum sponsors interns and graduate fellows from various colleges and universities.
- $353,303 spent. An accredited museum, National Historic Landmark, and three-star Michelin destination, HSV stewards a world renowned 750 acre Shaker site with 20 Shaker buildings, and 22,000 permanent collection objects, many derived from the Shakers who inhabited the site from 1790s to 1960. Artifacts include 25 gift drawings, 6,600 tools, oval boxes, and household objects, 1,000 pieces of furniture, 1,200 textiles, 1,300 commercial graphic labels, seed packs and containers, and 10,000 photographs. Scholars (50 a year) perform research using our archives; we publish exhibition catalogues and other books; these titles and many Shaker-related products are sold in the Village Store. Building preservation and repairs, conservation supplies, and theft and fire detection systems are all necessary for proper stewardship. At HSV, children and adults learn how the Shakers were ahead of their time in regards to faith, community, innovation, sustainability, gender equality, land stewardship, architecture and furniture design, marketing and business practices.
- $299,527 spent. The HSV mission and budget also support and staff a working farm and extensive gardens. The farm is home to cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, with heritage breeds chosen according to Shaker tradition, and we maintain goats as well, which are not a Shaker tradition. Animals are displayed according to best practices in pens and pastures to the delight of visitors. HSV gardens are famous and cultivate heritage seeds common to the Shakers for food and medicinal uses. Gardens grow and showcase in an open air exhibition a wide range of herbs, flowers, and vegetables. The HSV Shaker Farm Share program (Community Supported Agriculture) has 50-80 household subscribers and also school kitchen and food pantry users. Our chemical-free garden products are wholesaled to restaurants and chefs in an effort to spread the brand and excellence of HSV.
- $235,250 spent. Shop operations and visitor center
- $96,423 spent. Weddings and other functions
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 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 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 November 6, 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 December 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 January 1963.
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 November 4, 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.