Museum of Latin American Art
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported an excess benefit transaction with an insider.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF THIS CORPORATION IS TO: EXPAND KNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATION OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICAN TINE ART THAT HAS BEEN CREATED SINCE WORLD WAR II; TO OPERATE A MUSEUM; TO COLLECT AND DISPLAY LATIN AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY ART; TO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH SERVICES REGARDING MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICAN TINE ART.
- Income
- $3.6 million
- Spending
- $6.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 64%
- Reserves
- -22.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 45%
- Employees
- 65
- Volunteers
- 110
- Highest pay
- $341,250, ceo
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
Weak: 28 out of 100. Higher than 3% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 92% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 30% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1564% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 22 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: 90 out of 100. Higher than 49% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2514 of 14 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
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, 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)
- $2.6 million spent. EXHIBITIONS: IN 2024, THE MUSEUM OF LATIN AMERICAN ART (MOLAA) ORGANIZED FIVE MAJOR EXHIBITIONS, WELCOMING OVER 65,000 VISITORS. KEY EXHIBITIONS INCLUDED ARTENICA: ART, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY IN LATIN AMERICA TODAY, A GETTY-SUPPORTED SHOW HIGHLIGHTING PIONEERING AND CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICAN DIGITAL ARTISTS; AND THE ENDLESS SPIRAL BY BETSABE ROMERO, AN EXHIBITION PRESENTED AS A COLLATERAL EVENT AT THE 60TH VENICE BIENNALE EXPLORING THEMES OF MIGRATION AND DISPLACEMENT. CROSS-BORDER WOMEN BY ALEJANDRA PHELTS FOCUSES ON EVERYDAY EXPERIENCES THAT LINK INTIMACY, AFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS, AND ATTITUDES OF FEMALE EMPOWERMENT. ANOTHER MAJOR EXHIBITION, VERMILLION LIKE EMBERS BY INDIGENOUS BRAZILIAN ARTIST ANDREY GUAIAN ZIGNNATTO, EXPLORED MEMORY, ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE, AND RESISTANCE THROUGH SCULPTURAL INSTALLATIONS ROOTED IN NATIVE TRADITIONS AND URBAN EXPERIENCES. IMPORTANTLY, THE CURATORIAL TEAM WORKED TO CONTINUE THE GROWTH OF ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION OF OVER 1,600 WORKS.BY SHOWCASING BOTH HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY VOICES, MOLAA FOSTERS GREATER GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE REGION'S CULTURAL RICHNESS, COMPLEXITY, AND ONGOING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD OF ART.
- $1.3 million spent. EDUCATIONS: IN 2024, MOLAA SERVED OVER 15,000 K12 STUDENTS THROUGH ITS APRENDE TOUR AND WORKSHOP PROGRAM, OFFERING FREE AND LOW-COST IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES ALIGNED WITH CALIFORNIA VISUAL ARTS STANDARDS. USING VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES (VTS), APRENDE FOSTERS VISUAL LITERACY, CRITICAL THINKING, AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT WHILE INCREASING ACCESS TO LATIN AMERICAN AND LATINO ART FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.MOLAA EXPANDED ITS EDUCATIONAL IMPACT THROUGH INITIATIVES LIKE THE G.R.I.T. SERIES AND THE MOLAA ZOOM PROJECT, SUPPORTING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CREATIVE EXPRESSION, COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS, AND EXPLORATION OF ARTISTIC RESEARCH. ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING INCLUDED FIVE ANNUAL CULTURAL FESTIVALS, 30+ CORPORATE INCLUSION PROGRAMS, AND 20+ YOUTH INTERNSHIPS.RECOGNIZED AS A MODEL FOR MUSEUM EDUCATION, MOLAA RECEIVED THE 2024 SUPERINTENDENT AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MUSEUM EDUCATION FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS. MOLAA ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO NATIONAL ARTS EDUCATION BY PUBLISHING A CURRICULUM AND SERVING AS A PEER REVIEWER FOR SCHOLASTIC ARTS MAGAZINE.
- $514,944 spent. PUBLICATIONS: IN 2024, MOLAA CONTINUED TO EXPAND ITS PUBLICATIONS AND EXHIBITION CATALOG SERIES, SUPPORTING ARTISTS WHILE ENHANCING PUBLIC ACCESS TO AND UNDERSTANDING OF LATIN AMERICAN AND LATINO ART. THESE SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS SERVE AS LASTING RECORDS OF EXHIBITIONS AND INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS, SUPPORTING ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND INCREASING RECOGNITION AND VALUE OF THE ART AND ARTISTS REPRESENTED. RECENT AND UPCOMING TITLES INCLUDE VERMILLION LIKE EMBERS (ANDREY GUAIAN ZIGNATTO), MEMORIAS DE NUESTRA TIERRA (JUDY BACA), CROSS BORDER WOMEN (ALEJANDRA PHELTS). WORK ALSO PROGRESSED ON THE MOLAA COLLECTION BOOK, A COMPREHENSIVE VOLUME HIGHLIGHTING THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION.THROUGH THESE EFFORTS, MOLAA CONTRIBUTES TO GLOBAL ART DISCOURSE AND THE LONG-TERM VISIBILITY AND APPRECIATION OF LATIN AMERICAN AND LATINO ART.
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 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 December 2024.
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 February 1999.
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.
Could it be confused with another charity? Worth knowing.
A much larger organization has a similar name: Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY), EIN 13-1789318. If that is the one you meant, check the EIN before giving.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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.