American Musicological Society Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Founded in 1942, the American Musicological Society (AMS) exists to expand understanding of music and sound through research, teaching, learning, and advocacy.
- Income
- $1.9 million
- Spending
- $1.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- 14.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 27%
- Employees
- 9
- Volunteers
- 300
- Highest pay
- $184,429, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 89% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 14.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 6% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 25% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
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 June 30, 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 (1)
- $1.4 million spent. Founded in 1942, the American Musicological Society (AMS) exists to expand understanding of music and sound through research, teaching, learning, and advocacy. About 2,700 individuals and 500 library subscribers from over forty nations participate in the Society.The primary program activities of the society are: the publication of its Journal publications grantmaking (support for published musicological research) an annual meeting where music research is presented and discussed fellowships for graduate study in musicology evaluation and presentation of awards for outstanding publications travel and research grants for all aspects of musicology support for public lecture series on musicological topics for a wider publicThe programs are supported and managed by the Board of Directors, the governing body with wide representation (AMS Council), and paid administrative staff. In-kind support for activities is provided through the Society's host institution, New York University. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Society for American Music (SAM), and the University of Michigan also support the Society's effort to publish a series of critical editions focused on American music and titled Music of in the United States of America (MUSA). Over three hundred members of the Society serve voluntarily on committees and boards to assist in accomplishing its goals. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the following programs/publications were new or revised.a.Supplemental Grants for Students - In 2025, the AMS offered additional travel support to current undergraduate and terminal masters degree students interested pursuing careers in music studies to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting. There were a total of 13 grants awarded.b.AMS Institute: Musics of the United States - In 2025, the AMS held a residential summer institute for higher education faculty entitled Musics of the United States: Telling Our Stories. The institute was held between 27 July and 9 August 2025 at the University of Maryland: College Park near Washington, D.C. Over the course of the institute, thirty participants and eight faculty members explored ways of reshaping the narratives and content of college-level instruction about American music.c.Coalition of Music Organizations - In summer 2025, the AMS launched the Coalition of Music Organizations, a voluntary association of small to medium-sized music organizations, publishers, programs, and cultural institutions designed to provide access to small-grant funding, outreach support, and opportunities for cooperation and conversation.d.AMS Career Center - In 2025, the AMS launched the AMS Career Center, a hub for community announcements, calls, jobs, and other resources designed to help you advance your career in music studies, teaching and performance. The Career Center replaces the AMS-Announce Listserv, long the Societys hub for announcements, opportunities and job postings. The Career Center can be found here: https://careers.amsmusicology.org/.e.AMS Community Site - In 2025, the AMS launched the AMS Community Site, a networking and social sharing site for AMS members to use when communicating with each other and organizing as part of the Societys 22 study groups and 15 chapters. The Community Site can be found here: https://community.amsmusicology.org/.f.AMS Website - In early 2025, the AMS launched a new website designed to better support its activities and outreach. The new AMS website is built on an open-source CiviCRM installation that provides robust communications and data management capacity. The site is also more attractive than the old, featuring over 1000 images and videos as well as an improved user interface and data architecture. The new AMS website may be accessed here: https://www.amsmusicology.org/.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 June 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 September 2015.
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.