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Wayland Historical Society Incorporated

EIN 04-6112780 · Wayland, MA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong90 out of 100GovernanceWeak47 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Study, collect and preserve the history of Wayland, Massachusetts and its people: to preserve the building and the artifacts owned by the Society, and to disseminate information to promote the traditions and history or Wayland.

Income
$148,300
Spending
$98,500
Spent on programs
90%
Reserves
113.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
investment income, 86%
Employees
2
Volunteers
33
Highest pay
$40,100, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2026, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 90 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 113.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 34% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 21% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    90% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2026, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Weak: 47 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    10 of 10 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2026, 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 (3)
  1. $40,300 spent. Part-time professional curator responsible for: collections management - recording and cataloguing all itmes in the collection; researching and responding to inquires from the public; identifying long-term projects relvant to the collection. Also responsible for the Grout Heard House Museum; giving tours to the public and training volunteers.
  2. $47,500 spent. Maintain the Grout-Heard House Museum, a circa 1740 two and one half story colonial house. Collections are housed in the nine room former dwelling. Exhibition rooms are open to the public for tours and are furnished with artifacts from the 18th & 19th centuries, during which time the house was occupied by the Grout and Heard families. Artifacts include furniture, art work, china, glass and other items. The Museum also maintains collections of photgraphs, maps, books, audio recordings and other types of documents that are available to researchers who visit the museum as well as online through Digital Commonwealth, a Massachusetts-wide consortium.
  3. $500 spent. Maintain the waylandmuseum.org website, which is a source of information for both members of the Society and the community-at-large. Information is provided about the Grout-Heard House and about current and upcoming programs provided or sponsored by the Society. Electronic newsletter sent to members and other subscribers with articles of interest about local Wayland history. Newsletters are available on the website.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2026, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending April 2026.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since April 1958.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.