Grand Rapids Art Museum
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
CONNECTING PEOPLE THROUGH ART, CREATIVITY, AND DESIGN.
- Income
- $5.0 million
- Spending
- $7.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 55%
- Reserves
- -0.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 85%
- Employees
- 82
- Volunteers
- 98
- Highest pay
- $169,531, director and
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 43 out of 100. Higher than 13% 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 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 58% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1555% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, 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 2517 of 17 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 September 30, 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 (6)
- $108,681 spent. BORDER CANTOS / SONIC BORDER (2/3/2024 - 4/28/2024) - SEE DESCRIPTION IN SCHEDULE O.
- $145,223 spent. UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING: HUMILITY AND GRANDUER IN CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS (10/7/2023 - 1/14/2024) - SEE DESCRIPTION IN SCHEDULE O.
- $123,015 spent. THE OUTWIN: AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY ((6/1/2024 - 9/8/2024)) - SEE DESCRIPTION IN SCHEDULE O.
- $4.0 million spent. OTHER EXPENSES RELATED TO THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AND THE EXHIBITIONS SHOWN DURING THIS YEAR AND EXPENSES RELATED TO PREPARATION OF EXHIBITIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR. THIS INCLUDES CURATORIAL, CATALOGING AND RESEARCH, AS WELL AS THE PURCHASE OF ART FOR THE PERMANENT COLLECTION.
- FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A - 1ST PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENT BORDER CANTOS / SONIC BORDER (2/3/2024 - 4/28/2024) BORDER CANTOS | SONIC BORDER REVEALS THE OFTEN UNSEEN HUMAN REALITY OF THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN BORDERLANDS. CONCEIVED COLLABORATIVELY BY PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD MISRACH AND EXPERIMENTAL COMPOSER/ARTIST GUILLERMO GALINDO, THIS EXHIBITION INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPES AND A SOUND COMPOSITION COMBINED WITH MUSICAL SCULPTURES CREATED FROM OBJECTS FOUND ALONG THE BORDER. BOTH ARTISTS ADDRESS COMPLEX TOPICS THAT TOUCH ON POLITICS, ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS, AND HUMANITARIAN ISSUES. MISRACH IS WELL KNOWN FOREXPANSIVE IMAGES FOCUSING ON THE WAYS HUMANS INTERACT WITH AND IMPACT THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. GALINDO IS INSPIRED BY THE MESOAMERICAN BELIEF THAT ONE CAN BRING OUT THE SPIRITUAL ESSENCE OF AN OBJECT'S PAST. HIS COMPOSITION SONIC BORDER IS A 260-MINUTE PIECE USING EIGHT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HE CREATED FROM OBJECTS DISCARDED NEAR THE US-MEXICAN BORDER. TOGETHER, THE PHOTOGRAPHS, OBJECTS, AND SONIC COMPOSITION INTRODUCE DISTINCT YET INTERRELATED WAYS OF EXPERIENCING THE HUMAN CONSEQUENCES OF IMMIGRATION POLICIES. THE ARTISTS OFFER EVIDENCE OF THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE JOURNEYED THROUGH THE BORDERLANDS IN HOPES OF A BETTER LIFE AND, BY DOING SO, ENCOURAGE EMPATHY FOR THE PLIGHT OF MIGRANTS EVERYWHERE. FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A - 2ND PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENT UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING: HUMILITY AND GRANDUER IN CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS ((10/7/2023 - 1/14/2024)) DURING AN ARTIST LECTURE IN DECEMBER 2021, THEASTER GATES EVOKED A FASCINATING PARADOX IN CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS PRACTICE. CLAY IS THE HUMBLEST OF MATERIALS, OFTEN OVERLOOKED AND MORE READILY ASSOCIATED WITH A MORNING CUP OF COFFEE THAN WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ART WORLD. BUT IT IS UNDERNEATH EVERYTHING. THERE IS AN EXPANSIVENESS TO WORK MADE OR BASED IN THIS MEDIUM, AS ARTISTS PUSH THE LIMITATIONS OF CLAY, ATTACHING LAYERS OF CONCEPTUAL MEANING AND PLAYING WITH THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN CERAMICS AND OTHER MEDIA INCLUDING FILM, PHOTOGRAPHY, PAINTING, PERFORMANCE, AND INSTALLATION. THIS EXHIBITION FEATURES ARTWORKS THAT HONOR THE HUMILITY OF THE MEDIUM WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY EVOKING A SENSE OF GRANDEUR AND POSSIBILITY. FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4C - 3RD PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENT THE OUTWIN: AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY (6/1/2024 - 9/8/2024) THE OUTWIN: AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY DEMONSTRATES HOW BROAD AND EVER- CHANGING THE GENRE OF PORTRAITURE CAN BE AND HIGHLIGHTS THE POTENTIAL FOR ART TO RESPOND TO ADVERSITY AND PROMOTE POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE WORLD. EVERY THREE YEARS THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY INVITES ARTISTS WORKING THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES TO SUBMIT RECENT WORK TO THE OUTWIN BOOCHEVER PORTRAIT COMPETITION. OUT OF 2,700 ENTRIES RECEIVED IN 2022, FORTY-TWO FINALISTS WERE SELECTED FOR INCLUSION IN THE OUTWIN: AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY. THIS TOURING EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITURE ILLUMINATES THE GENRE'S POWER TO COMMUNICATE A MULTITUDE OF LIFE EXPERIENCES. THE ARTISTS RESPONDED WITH WORKS THAT ENGAGE AND REFLECT CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, MANY PROVIDING NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE UNPRECEDENTED REALITY WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THE TIME SURROUNDING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE SELECTED ARTISTS CREATE ARTWORKS IN A WIDE RANGE OF MEDIA, INCLUDING PAINTING, DRAWING, PHOTOGRAPHY, SCULPTURE, TEXTILES, VIDEO, AND PERFORMANCE. THEY DEMONSTRATE HOW BROAD AND EVER-CHANGING THE GENRE OF PORTRAITURE CAN BE AND HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL FOR ART TO RESPOND TO ADVERSITY AND PROMOTE POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE WORLD.
- OTHER EXPENSES RELATED TO THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AND THE EXHIBITIONS SHOWN DURING THIS YEAR AND EXPENSES RELATED TO PREPARATION OF EXHIBITIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR. THIS INCLUDES CURATORIAL, CATALOGING AND RESEARCH, AS WELL AS THE PURCHASE OF ART FOR THE PERMANENT COLLECTION.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 September 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 July 1944.
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.
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