Rubin Museum of Art
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 62 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 RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART IN CHELSEA, NEW YORK CITY, EXPLORES AND CELEBRATES HIMALAYAN ART, CULTURES, AND IDEAS ACROSS HISTORY AND INTO THE PRESENT. WITH ITS GLOBALLY RENOWNED COLLECTION, CENTERED LARGELY AROUND ART FROM THE TIBETAN PLATEAU, THE RUBIN FOSTERS UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF HIMALAYAN ART BY INTERPRETING AND RELATING IT TO OUR SHARED HUMAN EXPERIENCE TODAY. INSPIRED BY THE TENETS OF BUDDHISM, HINDUISM, AND INDIGENOUS RELIGIONS, AND ALIGNED WITH ONGOING RESEARCH INTO LEARNING, BEHAVIOR, AND THE BRAIN, THE RUBIN OFFERS INNOVATIVE EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS THAT EXAMINE PROVOCATIVE IDEAS ACROSS THE ARTS AND EXPLORE THE MIND. THROUGH THIS WORK, THE MUSEUM SERVES AS A SPACE FOR REFLECTION AND PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION, OPENING WINDOWS TO INNER WORLDS SO VISITORS CAN BETTER NAVIGATE OUTER ONES.
- Income
- $15.6 million
- Spending
- $17.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 67%
- Reserves
- 92.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- investment income, 75%
- Employees
- 67
- Volunteers
- 55
- Highest pay
- $387,557, chief financial & operating officer
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: 74 out of 100. Higher than 28% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 92.5 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 12% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 33% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1567% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 62 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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 37% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 15 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, 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)
- $6.5 million spent. COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS:IN 2024, IN ADDITION TO THE PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS, VISITORS ENCOUNTERED THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION REIMAGINE: HIMALAYAN ART NOW, WHICH PRESENTED THE WORK OF THIRTY-TWO CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS FROM THE HIMALAYAS, ASIA, AND DIASPORA IN DIALOGUE WITH OBJECTS FROM THE RUBIN'S COLLECTION. IN OCTOBER, THE EXHIBITION TRAVELED TO WRIGHTWOOD 659 IN CHICAGO WHERE IT INTRODUCED EVEN MORE PEOPLE TO NEW WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING HIMALAYAN ART. THE RUBIN CONTINUED THE NATIONAL TOUR OF THE COLLECTION EXHIBITION GATEWAY TO HIMALAYAN ART, STOPPING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AND THE OTTERBEIN UNIVERSITY IN OHIO, AND THE EUROPEAN TOUR OF THE MANDALA LAB INSTALLATION, WHICH TRAVELED TO MILAN AS PART OF A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BIBLIOTECA DEGLI ALBERI MILANO.
- $2.3 million spent. PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND VISITOR ENGAGEMENT:THE RUBIN'S PUBLIC PROGRAMS OFFER DIVERSE AUDIENCES MEANINGFUL WAYS TO ENGAGE WITH THE ART AND CULTURES OF THE HIMALAYAS. IN 2024, ADULT WORKSHOPS AND TALKS CENTERED ON THE UNIFYING THEME OF REFRAME, INSPIRED BY THE BUDDHIST CONCEPT OF NON-ATTACHMENT, SPARKING CONVERSATIONS ON HOW RELEASING ATTACHMENTS CAN CREATE SPACE FOR NEW WAYS OF SEEING, THINKING, AND BEING. HIMALAYAN HERITAGE PROGRAMS PROVIDED INSIGHTS INTO THE ART, CULTURES, AND SACRED TRADITIONS OF THE HIMALAYAN REGION, AND WEEKLY MINDFULNESS MEDITATION SESSIONS INVITED PARTICIPANTS TO FIND STILLNESS, INSPIRED BY AN ARTWORK FROM THE RUBIN'S COLLECTION. WE SERVED VISITORS WITH ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA AND THEIR CARE PARTNERS, AS WELL AS CLOSE TO 4,000 SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN AND ACCOMPANYING ADULTS, OFFERING THEM CUSTOM OFFERINGS INFORMED BY MINDFULNESS AND HIMALAYAN ART AND CULTURES. WE WORKED WITH 225 LOW-INCOME STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS AS PART OF OUR MATH AND MANDALAS PROGRAM, AND EDUCATORS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS, PROVIDING THEM WITH AN ENTRE TO THE RUBIN'S MANDALA LAB CURRICULUM. EXPANDING OUR GLOBAL INITIATIVES, WE LAUNCHED A GRANT PROGRAM AND THE RUBIN MUSEUM HIMALAYAN ART PRIZE WITH THE AIM OF SUPPORTING THE WORK OF ARTISTS AND RESEARCHERS INSPIRED BY HIMALAYAN ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL PRACTICES.
- $1.7 million spent. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING (DIGITAL AND ANALOG SHARING):IN 2024, THE RUBIN REACHED A GROWING AND CONNECTED GLOBAL AUDIENCE THROUGH OUR DIGITAL INITIATIVES. WE LAUNCHED A PARTNERSHIP WITH SMARTHISTORY, THE MOST-VISITED ART HISTORY RESOURCE IN THE WORLD, TO CREATE ACCESSIBLE VIDEOS ABOUT OBJECTS IN OUR COLLECTION; PUBLISHED VIDEOS THAT INTRODUCED AUDIENCES TO CONTEMPORARY HIMALAYAN ARTISTS; RECEIVED 376,500 DOWNLOADS OF OUR AWAKEN AND MINDFULNESS MEDITATION PODCASTS AROUND THE WORLD; AND PUBLISHED THE EIGHTH EDITION OF SPIRAL, OUR FREE ANNUAL PRINT AND ONLINE MAGAZINE. THE RUBIN'S IMPACT EXTENDED THROUGH VARIOUS DIGITAL PLATFORMS WITH CLOSE TO 300,000 FOLLOWERS, AND A DIGITAL REACH OF MORE THAN 8 MILLION.
- $1.2 million spent. PUBLICATIONS, AND SHOP, OTHER MISC.
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
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 December 2024.
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 August 1999.
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.