Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
EXPERIENCING HISTORY WITH YOU, BY, REMEMBERING, DISCOVERING, SAFEKEEPING, AND SHARING OUR STORIES; LEARNING AND EXPLORING TOGETHER; SPARKING EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL CONNECTIONS WITHIN OUR UNIQUE COMMUNITY.
- Income
- $2.6 million
- Spending
- $2.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 61%
- Reserves
- 5.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 35%
- Employees
- 37
- Volunteers
- 57
- Highest pay
- $109,103, executive director
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
Fair: 61 out of 100.
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 7% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 19% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1561% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 31 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 2520 of 20 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 (3)
- $627,181 spent. MUSEUM COLLECTIONS-CATALOGUE AND SAFEGUARD A VAST ARRAY OF TREASURES. MORE THAN 100,000 PHYSICAL OBJECTS AND OVER 450,000 ARCHIVAL ITEMS COMPRISE OUR COLLECTION AND SHAPE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WNY'S STORY. CUSTOMIZED ARTIFACT STORAGE UNITS AND CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE ARE FEATURES OF OUR OFF-SITE COLLECTIONS FACILITY. THREE FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBERS, TOGETHER WITH SPECIALLY TRAINED INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS, CARE FOR THE COLLECTIONS. THEY PROCESS NEW DONATIONS AND CONDUCT INVENTORY WORK IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT POLICY AND PROCESSING MANUAL. COLLECTIONS STAFF ALSO PRIORITIZE AND RECOMMEND ARTIFACTS FOR CONSERVATION TREATMENT. ANNUALLY, WE SPEND AT LEAST $20,000 ON ARTIFACT CONSERVATION FROM A FUND RESTRICTED FOR COLLECTIONS CARE-AUGMENTED BY SPECIAL GRANTS AND DESIGNATED GIFTS. ACCEPTED OVER NEARLY 156 THREE-DIMENSIONAL ITEMS TO BE ACCESSIONED, HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 23 ARTIFACTS RELATING TO ROUVILLE TONY LEBARRE'S SERVICE IN THE MILITARY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR; 2 BUFFALO BANDITS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS (1992, 1993); 12 OBJECTS OF ART DOCUMENTING THE OLD PINK AND MULLIGAN'S BRICK BARS THAT WERE RECENTLY DESTROYED BY FIRES; A FAN AND FLAG FROM BUFFALO'S PRIDE PARADE ON JUNE 1, 2025. COLLECTION OF ARTIFACTS RELATING TO THE OUTDOOR GAME KANJAM, ITS INVENTORS, AND PACKAGING INCLUDING THE METAL CAN PROTOTYPE, FULL KANJAM SET, ORIGINAL CARDBOARD PACKAGING, FLYING DISC IN ITS ORIGINAL PACKAGE, AND THE US PATENT.
- $856,939 spent. MUSEUM PROGRAM AND EXHIBITS- THE BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN BOTH PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF OUR REGION AND UNDERSTANDING THE UNIQUE CHARACTER AND CULTURAL IDENTITIES OF ITS PEOPLE. WE ARE DISTINCTIVELY LOCATED AT THE CROSSROADS OF PAST AND FUTURE A VIBRANT, HISTORIC DESTINATION SET AT THE HEART OF A RE-ENERGIZED CULTURAL CORRIDOR. SINCE 1862, WE HAVE SERVED AS THE COMMUNITY'S HISTORICAL AMBASSADOR, THE DEDICATED SAFEKEEPER AND STORYTELLER OF OUR COLLECTIVE MEMORY. THROUGH A COLLECTION OF OVER 550,000 OBJECTS AND AN EVER-CHANGING ARRAY OF EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS, WE SHARE THE STORIES OF OUR REGION'S TRIUMPHS AND STRUGGLES.OUR 2020-2030 MASTER PLAN BUILDS ON OUR GENERATIONS-LONG COMMITMENT TO WESTERN NEW YORK BY ESTABLISHING A NEW VISION AND BY REFOCUSING ON HOW WE ENGAGE WITH COMMUNITIES TO SHARE THEIR HISTORIES FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVES. OUR GOAL IS TO FOSTER AN ATMOSPHERE OF STORYTELLING, CONVERSATION, AND ENGAGEMENT THAT IS BUILT ON INPUT FROM OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY. WE AIM TO CREATE CONTENT AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE OF DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, SHARING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON HISTORY AND HOW IT CONNECTS WITH CONTEMPORARY ISSUES. WE BELIEVE SHARING IN LOCAL HISTORY BUILDS AND FOSTERS COMMUNITY- CREATING A STRONGER SENSE OF PLACE AND IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE. IN A RECENT SURVEY, ALMOST 60% OF OUR VISITORS SAID THAT THE MUSEUM CONTRIBUTES TO THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE.CREATING ACCESS FOR ALL TO EXPERIENCE HISTORY -DEVELOP PLAN FOR CENTRALIZING COLLECTIONS AT THE RESOURCE CENTER. -OFFER VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES PROVIDING LOCAL STUDENTS THE CHANCE TO DISCOVER THEIR HISTORY, SUPPORTING AND REINFORCING THE WORK OF LOCAL EDUCATORS.-AWARD-WINNING PODCAST REACHING AUDIENCES FAR BEYOND OUR WALLS WITH OVER 60,000 DOWNLOADS TO DATE AND LISTENERS IN EVERY STATE AND OVER 75 COUNTRIES.-CATALOG AND EXPAND DIGITAL ACCESS TO COLLECTIONS BY ADDING 1,000 OBJECTS TO THE PASTPERFECT ONLINE ARTIFACT DATABASE, BRINGING THE TOTAL TO 9,115 OBJECTS AND ENHANCING RECORDS WITH VIDEO AND AUDIO CONTENT WHERE POSSIBLE TO SUPPORT REMOTE ACCESS.- CONTINUE PAY-WHAT-YOU-WISH APPROACH TO ADMISSION FEESCOLLECT AND PRESERVE OUR COMMUNITY'S STORIES-CONTINUE DEVELOPING OUR NEW CONTEMPORARY COLLECTING INITIATIVES, INCLUDING: CELEBRATIONS & CULTURAL TRADITIONS AND RECIPES & HISTORIC MENUS-CONFRONT WHITE SUPREMACY AND SYSTEMIC RACISM WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE MAY 14TH BUFFALO MASSACRE COMMUNITY MEMORY COALITION-CREATE ACCESS TO RESOURCES DIGITALLY INCLUDING A PERSONAL NAME INDEX TO OUR COLLECTION OF ERIE COUNTY CLERK RECORDS-CONTINUE DIGITAL PRESERVATION INITITIATIVE WITH NEWPAPERS.COM CREATING ACCESS TO OUR VAST NEWSPAPER COLLECTION.-CONTINUE TO FOSTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, BUFFALO STATE UNIVERSITY AND OTHER HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS, CREATING INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR STUDENTS TO DEVELOP RESEARCH AND COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT SKILLS.-STEWARD THE ONLY STANDING STRUCTURE FROM THE 1901 PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION- A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK BUILDING OVERLOOKING MIRROR LAKE AND OLMSTED'S DELAWARE PARK. EXHIBITS, PROGRAMS ATTRACT DIVERSE AUDIENCES-"WATERWAY OF CHANGE," SPONSORED BY THE ERIE CANAL HARBOR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, DEBUTED AS A SIGNATURE ERIE CANAL BICENTENNIAL EXPERIENCE IN BUFFALO, WELCOMING OVER 25,000 VISITORS FREE OF CHARGE. THE EXHIBITION BEGINS WITH THE TRADITIONAL HOMELAND OF THE HAUDENOSAUNEE AND THE CANAL'S 1825 OPENING, TRACING BUFFALO'S RISE AS A MAJOR PORT AND SHIPPING HUB. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, BLACK INDIVIDUALS, WOMEN, AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, REVEALING THE CANAL'S COMPLEX CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL IMPACT. THROUGH AN INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCEINCLUDING SHORT FILMS, TOUCHSCREENS, AUDIO, ARTIFACTS, AND DRAMATIC LIGHTINGVISITORS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES ENGAGE WITH BUFFALO'S RAPID GROWTH, THE CANAL'S TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS, AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO SHAPED THE CITY. THE EXHIBIT PROVIDES A DYNAMIC LENS ON HISTORY, CONNECTING PAST ACHIEVEMENTS WITH ONGOING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, AND THE CANAL'S ENDURING LEGACY.- DEBUTED "AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ERIE CANAL AND CONNECTED WATERWAYS" AS PART OF BUFFALO'S COMMEMORATION OF THE ERIE CANAL'S BICENTENNIAL, OFFERING A CONTEMPORARY LENS ON A HISTORIC WATERWAY THROUGH THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY. DEVELOPED BY WESTERN NEW YORK ARTISTS PAUL BARTOW, RICHARD METZGAR, AND DAVID WERBERIG, THE EXHIBITION CAPTURES PRESENT-DAY RELATIONSHIPS TO THE CANALWAY THROUGH INNOVATIVE "TREE DRAWINGS" SHAPED BY ATMOSPHERIC FORCES AND PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY MAPS CREATED THROUGH INTERVIEW-BASED DRAWING EXERCISES. TOGETHER, THESE WORKS TRANSLATE BOTH HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS INTO VISUAL FORM, REVEALING THE CANAL AS AN ACTIVE, LIVING SYSTEM SHAPED BY DIVERSE INTERACTIONS. THE EXHIBITION FEATURES 40 TREE DRAWINGS, 40 INTERVIEW MAPS, LARGE-FORMAT PRINTS, VIDEO ELEMENTS, AND SELECTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS TO SITUATE CONTEMPORARY NARRATIVES WITHIN A BROADER HISTORICAL CONTEXT. BY INCORPORATING VOICES FROM A WIDE CROSS-SECTION OF CANAL USERS AND STEWARDS, THE PROJECT UNDERSCORES THE CANAL'S ONGOING CULTURAL, ECOLOGICAL, AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE. THROUGH THIS APPROACH, THE EXHIBITION INVITES VISITORS TO REFLECT ON THE ERIE CANAL AS A SITE OF "HISTORY IN THE MAKING," CONNECTING PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES.-HISTORY OF BUFFALO'S 1901 PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION FEATURED AS ORIENTATION EXPERIENCE IN MUSEUM'S "STATE COURT." DURING THE EXPOSITION, THE MUSEUM SERVED AS THE NEW YORK STATE BUILDING AND IS THE ONLY REMAINING MAJOR STRUCTURE LEFT OVER FROM THE FAIR. THE EXHIBIT SHARES THE STORY OF THE EXPOSITION, ITS PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION, ALONG WITH THE IMPORTANT QUESTION OF WHY BUFFALO WAS CHOSEN AS THE HOST CITY FOR THE BENCHMARK EVENT. THE ORIENTATION EXPERIENCE INCLUDES ONE-OF-A-KIND IMAGES AND ARTIFACTS FROM THE FAIR, INCLUDING PAINTINGS BY JOHN ROSS KEY, SOUVENIRS AND MEMORABILIA, AND RARE EXPOSITION WORKERS PASSES. -CONCL
- $111,471 spent. LIBRARY-RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TWO-DIMENSIONAL ITEMS IN THE COLLECTION: BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, LETTERS, DIARIES, PERSONAL PAPERS, ORGANIZATIONAL & BUSINESS RECORDS, PERIODICALS, NEWSPAPERS, SCRAPBOOKS, PHOTOGRAPHS, POSTCARDS, PRINTS, DRAWINGS, POSTERS, MAPS, ATLASES, MICROFILMS, AND EVEN SOME DVDS.IN 2025, OVER 500 PATRONS USED OUR LIBRARY'S RESOURCES FOR ON-SITE RESEARCH, MANY OF THEM ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE DIRECTOR OF THE LIBRARY SERVICED THESE GUESTS AND TOURS; ANSWERED HUNDREDS TELEPHONE AND EMAIL QUERIES, AND SCANNED HUNDREDS OF ARTIFACTS TO FULFILL REQUESTS. DIGITAL PRESERVATION MAKES COLLECTIONS ACCESSIBLEMOST OF BUFFALO'S ENGLISH-LANGUAGE, PUBLIC DOMAIN NEWSPAPERS FROM 18111923 ARE NOW SEARCHABLE ONLINE THROUGH NEWSPAPERS.COM. THIS PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES USERS WITH OTHERWISE COST-PROHIBITIVE ACCESS TO THESE HISTORICAL RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.2025 ARCHIVAL ACQUISITIONSSTAFFING CAPACITY IN THE ARCHIVES REMAINED REDUCED AT TIMES DURING THE YEAR DUE TO THE RETIREMENT OF OUR LONG-TIME LIBRARY DIRECTOR AFTER 18 YEARS OF SERVICE AND OTHER TEAM TRANSITIONS. FROM THE GREG D. TRANTER COLLECTION, HUNDREDS OF PAPER MATERIALS WERE REHOUSED AND NUMBERED. THE ARCHIVES ADDED OVER 64 DONATIONS AND NUMEROUS PURCHASES, INCLUDING A COLLECTION OF 500 LETTERS DOCUMENTING THE AQUILA FAMILY AND A CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION OF BUFFALO SPANNING 19992003.
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 October 13, 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 June 1945.
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 October 21, 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.