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Kennebec Historical Society

EIN 23-7134457 · Augusta, ME

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood85 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Only 42% of its spending went to programs.

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

What it says it does

THE SOCIETY PROMOTES THE STUDY OF THE HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY BY FORMING AND PRESERVING HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF APPROPRIATE MATERIALS MAKING THESE COLLECTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, PROVIDING RESEARCH ASSISTANCE TO THE PUBLIC, AND PRESENTING PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.

Income
$148,696
Spending
$132,042
Spent on programs
42%
Reserves
42.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 84%
Employees
1

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

Good: 85 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 42.1 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 11% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 34% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    42% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 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: 90 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    18 of 18 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no 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.

  • 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, 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 (2)
  1. $56,032 spent. COLLECTION, CATALOGING AND PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL MATERIALS RELATED TO THE HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY; THE SOCIETY ACCEPTS MANY ITEMS DONATED BY THE PUBLIC. THE SOCIETYS VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE RESEARCH ASSISTANCE TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC INTERESTED IN LOCAL GENEALOGY, THE HISTORY OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN THE AREA, MAJOR HISTORICAL EVENTS, AND OTHER LOCAL HISTORY TOPICS. THE SOCIETY PROVIDES THE PUBLIC WITH A SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF ITS COLLECTIONS, AVAILABLE DURING THE SOCIETYS HOURS OR BY APPOINTMENT.
  2. THE SOCIETY PRESENTS VARIOUS PROGRAM EVENTS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY ON A WIDE RANGE OF HISTORY TOPICS. THE SOCIETY PUBLISHES A BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF ADDITIONS TO THE HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS, PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND EXHIBITS AS WELL AS NEWS ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF OTHER LOCAL HISTORICAL SOCIETIES AND LIBRARIES IN THE COUNTY. THE NEWSLETTER IS FREE TO VISITORS AT THE SOCIETYS HEADQUARTERS AND IS ALSO MAILED OR E-MAILED TO APPROXIMATELY 400 MEMBERS. THE SOCIETYS WEBSITE ALSO PROVIDES FREE ACCESS TO A KENNEBEC COUNTY SURNAME DATABASE FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SEARCHING FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE RESIDED IN KENNEBEC COUNTY.

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

  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 2025.

    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 April 1981.

    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.