Intuit the Center for Intuitive and Outside Art
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Intuit champions the diverse voices of self-taught art, welcoming both new and familiar audiences. Intuit is a premier museum of self-taught artalso known as outsider art. These artists typically work outside the mainstream and may have faced societal, economic or geographic barriers to a traditional path of art making. The museums mission is grounded in the ethos that art can be found anywhere and made by anyone. The instinct to create is universal and the arts must embrace, represent and be accessible to all. Chicago is recognized as one of the first places in the nation to embrace self-taught art as a legitimate genre, ultimately leading to Intuit being formed in 1991 by a group of artists, collectors, art dealers and art enthusiasts devoted to outsider art. Today, Intuit is renovating and expanding its facility into a modern, welcoming museumscheduled to reopen in 2025in service of its vision to be the leading museum advocate for self-taught art. The renovation will: triple exhibit
- Income
- $4.9 million
- Spending
- $2.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 74%
- Reserves
- -5.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 54%
- Employees
- 25
- Volunteers
- 50
- Highest pay
- $104,988, president & ceo
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. Higher than 34% 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
16 of 20It owes 21% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 54% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 13% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1574% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 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. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2527 of 27 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 (9)
- $645,855 spent. Capital Campaign - A fundraising campaign intended to renovate the entire museum - basement through second floor - to make it fully accessible and upgrade its aging systems to better care for the art and improve the guest experience. Once completed, Intuit will triple its exhibitions space and add a permanent education center, a welcoming faade, curatorial planning and staging space, improved office spaces, accessible restrooms and elevator, and access to its Darger Archives and Robert A. Roth Study Center.
- $450,438 spent. Exhibitions - Intuit produces 3-6 special exhibitions each year and maintains a permanent collection of 1,400 artworks and the Henry Darger Room Collection and archives.
- $169,081 spent. Education - Programs are built around each year's exhibitions, typically 3-5 significant exhibits featuring work by outsider and self-taught artists. Intuit's key public programs include: A) Teacher Fellowship Program: 20-24 Chicago Public School teachers attend professional development sessions at Intuit and create interdisciplinary curricula meeting common core standards. The program culminates in a month-long student exhibition at the museum at the end of the school year. B) IntuiTeens Youth Program: 12 teens participate in a summer internship program in which they develop and teach peer-to-peer art workshops at teen and public-facing spaces such as Blind Services Association. The program is intended to sustain long-term arts and civic engagement of teenagers, particularly those in under-served communities. C) Public Art-Making Workshops: Intuit offers a creative space for individuals to transform personal found materials into works of art and express themselves. D) Art After Work: A monthly, Thursday evening do-it-yourself workshop series, targeted at Millennials, which typically attracts 30-50 guests from diverse backgrounds. E) Events: Intuit hosts multi-sensory, inter-disciplinary events for the public, including artist, curator and expert talks; film screenings; and field trips and travel tours. F) The Outsider: Intuit's annual publication features articles related to Intuit's current exhibitions and happenings in the genre of outsider art.
- $143,032 spent. Permanent Collections - Comprises of approximately more than 1,400 collections that are included in the Organization's exhibitions.
- $134,948 spent. Museum Store - Features unique items, including publications related to outsider and selftaught art and artists and merchandise highlighting the Organization's permanent collection. The store is open during regular business hours and online.
- $95,829 spent. Marketing - Highlights exhibitions and programming at the museum. This includes press releases, paid advertising, emails to museum members and mailing list, and a social media presence, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- $53,624 spent. Memberships - The Organization's members receive access that allows them to experience the Organization's programs like no other visitor, including free admission, discounts in the Vision Store and exclusive member events.
- $3,535 spent. Robert A. Roth Study Center - Provides a non-circulating collection with a primary focus in the fields of outsider and contemporary self-taught art. The Organization's holdings contain an extensive and growing library of books, catalogs, periodicals, slides, photographs, videotapes, and archive materials. As a public resource that complements the Organization's educational mission, the Organization's study center is open to students and scholars interested in pursuing further research into intuitive, self-taught, and outsider art and artists.
- $1,789 spent. Outsider Magazine - With both physical and online distribution across the country and beyond, includes artist and exhibit features written by outsider art scholars.
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 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 2025.
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 June 1992.
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.