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Newport Art Museum and Art Association

EIN 05-0258803 · Newport, RI

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood70 out of 100GovernanceGood85 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Raising each dollar of donations cost 60 cents.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

THE NEWPORT ART MUSEUM'S MISSION IS TO SHARE A DIVERSITY OF ART AND EXPERIENCES THAT SPARK REFLECTION, INSPIRATION, AND CONNECTION WITHIN OUR NEWPORT COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. THE MUSEUM WAS FOUNDED IN 1912 ON THE BELIEF THAT ARTS AND CULTURE HAVE THE POWER TO BRING DIVERSE GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS TOGETHER, WHICH ULTIMATELY PROMOTES CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND STRENGTHENS THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITIES. THIS CORE BELIEF CONTINUES TO GUIDE THE MUSEUM'S DIRECTION TODAY. MUSEUM OFFERINGS RANGE FROM EXHIBITIONS AND LECTURES TO ART CLASSES IN ITS MUSEUM SCHOOL AND ART TRIPS TO OTHER CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS. LOCATED ON 3-ACRES ALONG BEAUTIFUL BELLEVUE AVENUE IN NEWPORT, RI, THE MUSEUM'S GALLERIES ARE HOUSED IN TWO HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS AND FEATURE NOTABLE SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS AS WELL AS SELECTIONS FROM ITS GROWING PERMANENT COLLECTION. THE COLLECTION CURRENTLY INCLUDES NEARLY 2,750 WORKS OF ART INCLUDING SCULPTURE, PAINTINGS, PRINTS, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, TEXTILES, AND GLASS ART DATING F

Income
$1.5 million
Spending
$2.2 million
Spent on programs
60%
Reserves
43.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 38%
Employees
28
Highest pay
$145,664, executive di

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 43.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 8% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 42% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 9% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    60% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 60 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 38% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    17 of 17 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

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

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 (3)
  1. $396,334 spent. EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: "GEORGIA O'KEEFFE: 'THINGS I HAD NO WORDS FOR'" (JULY 16 - OCTOBER 16, 2022), WHICH FEATURED OIL PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, AND WATERCOLORS THAT CELEBRATED O'KEEFFE'S EXPLORATION OF ABSTRACTION, WHICH ESTABLISHED HER AS ONE OF THE FOUNDATIONAL AMERICAN MODERNISTS. POWERFUL, BOLD, COLORFUL, AND EVOCATIVE, O'KEEFFE'S ABSTRACTIONS REPRESENT HER UNIQUE STYLE AND APPROACH TO NATURE AND LANDSCAPE. THIS EXHIBITION MARKED THE SECOND SHOW OF GEORGIA O'KEEFFE'S WORK AT THE NEWPORT ART MUSEUM. O'KEEFFE FIRST EXHIBITED HER WORK, WITH OTHER AMERICAN MODERN ARTISTS, IN 1938 AND ALONGSIDE AN EXHIBITION OF GERTRUDE VANDERBILT WHITNEY'S SCULPTURE. ON VIEW AT THE SAME TIME, "DONNA MARIA BRUTON: 'FROM SENSE TO SOUL'" SHOWCASED THE WORK OF ARTIST AND EDUCATOR, DONNA MARIA BRUTON WHO CREATED MANY EVOCATIVE WORKS OF ART FROM HER MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES. COMBINING AND COLLAGING CANVAS, BOARD, PAPER, AND PAINT, BRUTON CREATED COLORFUL AND TEXTURED DREAMSCAPES WHERE RECOGNIZABLE OBJECTS AND ABSTRACT FORMS COALESCE AND INTERMINGLE. FOCUSING ON A SELECTION OF BRUTON'S WORK FROM THE 1990S-2000S, WHICH INCLUDES OBJECTS FROM THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION AND LOANS, THIS EXHIBITION CELEBRATES BRUTON'S CAREER AND HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICAN ART. EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: "GEORGIA O'KEEFFE: 'THINGS I HAD NO WORDS FOR'" (JULY 16 - OCTOBER 16, 2022), WHICH FEATURED OIL PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, AND WATERCOLORS THAT CELEBRATED O'KEEFFE'S EXPLORATION OF ABSTRACTION, WHICH ESTABLISHED HER AS ONE OF THE FOUNDATIONAL AMERICAN MODERNISTS. POWERFUL, BOLD, COLORFUL, AND EVOCATIVE, O'KEEFFE'S ABSTRACTIONS REPRESENT HER UNIQUE STYLE AND APPROACH TO NATURE AND LANDSCAPE. THIS EXHIBITION MARKED THE SECOND SHOW OF GEORGIA O'KEEFFE'S WORK AT THE NEWPORT ART MUSEUM. O'KEEFFE FIRST EXHIBITED HER WORK, WITH OTHER AMERICAN MODERN ARTISTS, IN 1938 AND ALONGSIDE AN EXHIBITION OF GERTRUDE VANDERBILT WHITNEY'S SCULPTURE. ON VIEW AT THE SAME TIME, "DONNA MARIA BRUTON: 'FROM SENSE TO SOUL'" SHOWCASED THE WORK OF ARTIST AND EDUCATOR, DONNA MARIA BRUTON WHO CREATED MANY EVOCATIVE WORKS OF ART FROM HER MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCES. COMBINING AND COLLAGING CANVAS, BOARD, PAPER, AND PAINT, BRUTON CREATED COLORFUL AND TEXTURED DREAMSCAPES WHERE RECOGNIZABLE OBJECTS AND ABSTRACT FORMS COALESCE AND INTERMINGLE. FOCUSING ON A SELECTION OF BRUTON'S WORK FROM THE 1990S-2000S, WHICH INCLUDES OBJECTS FROM THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION AND LOANS, THIS EXHIBITION CELEBRATES BRUTON'S CAREER AND HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICAN ART.
  2. $658,174 spent. THE NEWPORT ART MUSEUM OFFERS YEAR-ROUND ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMMING FOR ALL AGES AND EXPERIENCE LEVELS AT ITS MUSEUM SCHOOL. ADDITIONALLY, THE MUSEUM SCHOOL'S TEACHING ARTISTS PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR A VARIETY OF PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS, BOTH ON AND OFF SITE. THESE INCLUDE AFTER SCHOOL ARTS PROGRAMS AT PELL AND AQUIDNECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, A FULL TIME ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM AT LIFESPAN HOSPITAL'S BRADLEY SCHOOLS, AND PROGRAMS IN THE SCHOOL'S CERAMICS STUDIO WITH FABNEWPORT AND THE EAST BAY MET SCHOOL. THE MUSEUM SCHOOL RENTS STUDIO SPACE TO A DEDICATED GROUP OF CERAMICS ARTISTS AND THE RI OPEN DRAWING GROUP, AND HOSTS COMMUNITY EXHIBITIONS IN ITS HALLWAY WHICH HIGHLIGHT WORK BY STUDENTS AND ARTISTS WITH DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS.
  3. $249,399 spent. NEWPORT ART MUSEUM HAS ENRICHED THE COMMUNITY, STATE AND REGION WITH VIBRANT AND DIVERSE ARTS PROGRAMMING FOR 110 YEARS. IN ADDITION TO EXHIBITIONS FEATURING LOCAL ARTISTS, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO EXHIBIT INTERNATIONALLY, THE MUSEUM OFFERED A WIDE ARRAY OF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING, WHICH INCLUDED ARTISTS' TALKS, SCHOLARLY LECTURES, DISCUSSIONS, FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS, STORYTELLING, DOCENT-LED TOURS, A MUSEUM READS BOOK GROUP, AND A VARIETY OF OFFERINGS WITH PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING LIFESPAN HOSPITALS BRADLEY SCHOOLS, NEWPORT COMMUNITY SCHOOL, THE PUBLIC'S RADIO, RHODE ISLAND BLACK STORYTELLERS, THE WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER, AND MANY OTHERS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.

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

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since September 1941.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.