Wisconsin Humanities Council
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
WISCONSIN HUMANITIES STRENGTHENS OUR DEMOCRACY THROUGH EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS THAT BUILD CONNECTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS AND BELIEFS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
- Income
- $1.4 million
- Spending
- $1.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 56%
- Reserves
- 5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 70%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 25
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 58% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 26% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1556% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 48% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2518 of 18 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
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
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 October 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 (5)
- $241,575 spent. GRANT PROGRAM - THE WHC'S GRANT PROGRAM PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC HUMANITIES PROGRAMS THAT STRENGTHEN OUR DEMOCRACY THROUGH EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS THAT BUILD CONNECTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS AND BELIEFS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. GRANTS ARE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO SUPPORT LOCALLY INITIATED PUBLIC HUMANITIES PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE REFLECTION, DIALOGUE, AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION. FOR THIS TAX YEAR, 14 NEW GRANTS WERE AWARDED. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 140 GRANT-RELATED EVENTS FUNDED, WITH A TOTAL AUDIENCE REPORTED OF MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE THIS PAST YEAR.
- $124,969 spent. COMMUNITY POWERED PROJECT PROGRAM- THE COMMUNITY POWERED PROGRAM, LAUNCHED AS A PILOT IN FALL OF 2021, BUILDS RESILIENCE AMONG WISCONSIN COMMUNITIES BY HELPING THEM RECOGNIZE, COMMUNICATE, AND ACT UPON THEIR STRENGTHS, CHALLENGES, AND HISTORIES TO ENVISION A VIBRANT FUTURE.AS THE PROJECT CONTINUED IN ITS FOURTH YEAR OF PROGRAMMING, 8 FELLOWS WERE HIRED FROM AROUND THE STATE WHO PARTICIPATED IN SIX MONTHS OF TRAINING WORKSHOPS TEACHING THEM SKILLS IN DOCUMENTING LOCAL HISTORY, TELLING COMMUNITY STORIES, AND ACTIVATING COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN LOCAL PROJECTS. THIS TRAINING WAS FOLLOWED BY SIX MONTHS OF MENTORSHIP AS THE WISCONSIN HUMANITIES FELLOWS PUT THEIR TRAINING TO WORK IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, SHARING WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED AND HELPING RESIDENTS WORK TOWARD A MORE VIBRANT FUTURE. AN ADDITIONAL SET OF EIGHT FELLOWS PARTICIPATED IN TRAINING IN THE SPRING OF 2025. DOZENS OF TRAINING WORKSHOPS WERE HELD IN TAX YEAR 2024. ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING UNDER THE COMMUNITY POWERED PROGRAM UMBRELLA INCLUDED THE CONTINUATION OF THE "STAND UP TO HATE" CURRICULUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND A TEACHER GUIDE FOR TEACHERS. 3 SCHOOL EVENTS WERE HELD DURING THIS TAX YEAR, WITH OVER 500 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ATTENDING.
- $95,204 spent. LOVE WISCONSIN PROJECT - THE LOVE WISCONSIN PROJECT "CELEBRATES OUR STATE, OUR LIVES AND OUR SHARED FUTURE" VIA A DIGITAL STORYTELLING PROJECT FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON FACEBOOK, USING THE FACEBOOK GROUPS PLATFORM. THIS PLATFORM HAS CREATED AN ONLINE COMMUNITY THAT STRIVES TO BRING ABOUT A MORE CONNECTED, COMPASSIONATE, AND ENGAGED WISCONSIN. THIS PAST YEAR, MANY STORIES HAVE BEEN RE-SHARED, ALONG WITH DOZENS OF INSTAGRAM POSTS, WITH A MONTHLY REACH OF THOUSANDS, RESULTING IN NUMEROUS DIGITAL CONVERSATIONS INVOLVING THOUSANDS OF PARTICIPANTS.
- $43,402 spent. PODCAST PROJECT - "HUMAN POWERED" IS A PODCAST SERIES ABOUT HOW PEOPLE MAKE PLACES BETTER. IT'S ABOUT WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN PASSIONATE, CREATIVE PEOPLE ENGAGE DEEPLY WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS AND FIND WAYS TO STRENGTHEN THE ROOTS OF COMMUNITY LIVES. THE THIRD SEASON OF THE PODCAST DEBUTED THIS PAST SUMMER, WITH POSTING OF TWO NEW PODCASTS PER MONTH, HIGHLIGHTING RELEVANT AND PERSONAL CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE USING THEIR PASSIONS, SKILLS, AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS TO CREATE HEALTHY CIVIC SPACES FOR ALL TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND MAKE CONNECTIONS. OVER 3,500 PEOPLE LISTENED TO THE WISCONSIN HUMANITIES COUNCIL PODCASTS ON WHC PLATFORMS THIS YEAR, AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE VISITED THE PODCAST WEBSITE.
- $73,859 spent. PROGRAM PARTNERSHIP - IN ADDITION TO ITS OWN PROGRAMMING, THE WHC PROVIDES FINANCIAL SUPPORT OUTSIDE OF THE GRANT PROGRAM FOR HUMANITIES PROGRAMING BY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. THIS YEAR THE WHC CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO AND "WISCONSIN LIFE" RADIO PROGRAMMING, AIRING RADIO ESSAYS THAT CELEBRATE WHAT MAKES WISCONSIN UNIQUE THROUGH THE DIVERSE STORIES OF ITS PEOPLE, WITH APPROXIMATELY 70,000 RADIO LISTENERS PER WEEK THROUGH THE SPRING OF 2025. THE WHC ALSO CONTINUED ITS SUPPORT OF THE WISCONSIN POET LAUREATE COMMISSION AND THE WISCONSIN POET LAUREATE, THE STATE'S AMBASSADOR FOR POETRY. THE WHC IS ONE OF SIX MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND REPRESENTATIVES TO SERVE ON THE POET LAUREATE COMMISSION. FINALLY, AT THE END OF THIS TAX YEAR, THE WHC BEGAN CONDUCTING VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON LISTENING SESSIONS AROUND THE STATE OF WISCONSIN TO HEAR FROM WISCONSINITES ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES, THE STRENGTHS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND THE CHALLENGES THEY ARE FACING.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 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 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 October 13, 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 October 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 1976.
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 October 21, 2026.
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