Missouri Historical Society Jefferson Memorial Building
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY (MHS) IS A MISSOURI PRO FORMA DECREE, NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION WHOSE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS ARE EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS; COLLECTIONS AND CONSERVATION; LIBRARY AND RESEARCH; AND EXHIBITIONS. (CONTINUED IN SCHEDULE O) MHS'S MISSION IS TO SERVE AS THE CONFLUENCE OF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES TO INSPIRE AND ENGAGE OUR AUDIENCES.
- Income
- $35.1 million
- Spending
- $22.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- 20.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 39%
- Employees
- 253
- Volunteers
- 185
- Highest pay
- $322,948, president and 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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 86% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 20.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 35% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 57% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 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: 100 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2540 of 40 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, 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 (8)
- $1.6 million spent. SOLDIERS MEMORIAL: MHS OPERATES AND MANAGES THE SOLDIERS MEMORIAL MILITARY MUSEUM UNDER AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS. MHS OPENED THE SOLDIERS MEMORIAL AND THE COURT OF HONOR IN NOVEMBER OF 2018 AFTER AN EXTENSIVE $30 MILLION REVITALIZATION AND RENOVATION PROJECT. THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS PARTNERED WITH THE MHS AFTER CONSIDERATION OF OUR EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH MUSEUM OPERATIONS. THE MHS IS AN ACCREDITED MUSEUM BY THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS. IN 2024, SOLDIERS MEMORIAL WELCOMED NEARLY 22,000 VISITORS.OPERATIONS: SOLDIERS MEMORIAL MILITARY MUSEUM FULFILLS THREE PRIMARY ROLES FOR THE ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY. FIRST, IT SERVES AS A PUBLIC MEMORIAL TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE. THE MUSEUM BUILDING AND THE OUTDOOR COURT OF HONOR ARE HOME TO MEMORIALS TO WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR II, THE KOREAN WAR, THE VIETNAM WAR, AND SERVICE MEMBERS WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES WHILE IN SERVICE SINCE 1975. SECONDLY, WITH ITS MULTIPLE MEETING ROOMS, SOLDIERS MEMORIAL HOSTS A WIDE ARRAY OF PUBLIC PROGRAMS THAT EDUCATE ON ST. LOUIS' ROLE IN SERVICE SINCE ITS EARLIEST DAYS. IN COLLABORATION WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS, THE MEETING ROOMS ARE ALSO USED TO PROVIDE DIRECT SERVICES TO VETERANS. THE MEETING ROOMS ARE ALSO USED BY MANY VETERAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS FOR THEIR RECURRING MEETINGS. FINALLY, SOLDIERS MEMORIAL SERVES AS A MUSEUM THAT HOSTS A 4,000 SQUARE FOOT PERMANENT GALLERY THAT SHARES THE STORY OF "ST. LOUIS IN SERVICE" FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR THROUGH TODAY. THROUGHOUT 2024 AND 2025 THE MEMORIAL WAS ALSO HOME TO 4,600 SQUARE FOOT TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS INCLUDING: "GHOST ARMY: THE COMBAT CON ARTISTS OF WWII," "TUSKEGEE AIRMEN: AMERICA'S FREEDOM FLYERS, AND "TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF ARMAGEDDON".
- $5.2 million spent. LIBRARY AND COLLECTIONS AND DIGITAL INITIATIVES: THE MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOLDS THE PREMIER REGIONAL HISTORY COLLECTION DOCUMENTING ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, THE MISSISSIPPI AND MISSOURI VALLEYS, THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE TERRITORY, AND THE AMERICAN WEST. AN INTEGRATED AND MULTI-FORMAT COLLECTION, IT SERVES AN AUDIENCE OF DIVERSE LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL READERS AND RESEARCHERS. LIBRARY AND COLLECTIONS AND DIGITAL INITIATIVES INCLUDES THE EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH STEWARDSHIP OF THE COLLECTION OVERALL COVERING SALARIES AND SUPPLIES ASSOCIATED WITH CONSERVING, CATALOGING, PROCESSING, HOUSING, DIGITIZING AND MAKING ACCESSIBLE THE COLLECTIONS. MHS COLLECTIONS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE LIBRARY AND RESEARCH CENTER, EXHIBITIONS AT THE MUSEUM AND SOLDIERS MEMORIAL, THROUGH LOANS TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS, OUR ONLINE WEBSITE INCLUDING THE ONLINE COLLECTIONS SEARCH, AND VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. IN 2024, IN-PERSON VISITATION TO THE LIBRARY AND RESEARCH CENTER WAS 5,012. ARCHIVES, LIBRARY, AND P&P STAFF PROVIDED REMOTE REFERENCE SERVICES TO 4,612 RESEARCHERS IN 2024, THAT IS A 39.2% INCREASE OVER 2023. THERE WERE 273,024 USERS TO OUR ONLINE COLLECTIONS SEARCH IN 2024 AND 2,458,700 VIEWED PAGES TO OUR MOHISTORY.ORG WEBSITE. THE COLLECTIONS CURRENTLY CONSIST OF MORE THAN 179,000 ARTIFACTS IN A VARIETY OF FORMATS THAT DOCUMENT THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE DIVERSE INHABITANTS OF OUR REGION. THE LIBRARY CONTAINS MORE THAN 100,000 VOLUMES. THE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS COMPRISE MORE THAN 7,900 LINEAR FEET OF ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT RECORDS. THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND PRINTS COLLECTIONS CONTAIN MORE THAN 1 MILLION IMAGES. THE SOUND AND MOVING IMAGES COLLECTION INCLUDES MORE THAN 74,000 ITEMS. IN 2024, THERE WERE 207 DONATIONS MADE BY DONORS TO THE MHS COLLECTIONS ALONG WITH 10 PURCHASES OF ITEMS USING MHS ACQUISITIONS FUNDS.
- $5.2 million spent. EXHIBITIONS: THE MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESENTS SEVERAL EXHIBITS EACH YEAR, BOTH PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY. THE TEMPORARY EXHIBITS ARE A COMBINATION OF EXHIBITS THAT FOCUS ON THE ST. LOUIS STORY CREATED BY IN-HOUSE TEAMS AND TRAVELING EXHIBITS THAT TELL NATIONAL AND GLOBAL STORIES DEVELOPED BY THE COUNTRY'S LEADING MUSEUMS. IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, EXHIBITS HAVE INCLUDED EVERYTHING FROM THE OPENING OF MHS'S FIRST NEW 1904 WORLD'S FAIR EXHIBIT IN 20 YEARS TO EXHIBITS ON ST. LOUIS'S RICH ARCHITECTURAL AND LGBTQIA+ HISTORY - WITH VISITORS DIVING INTO THE HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF QUEER ST. LOUISANS AND EVEN BEING INVITED TO COLOR ON THE WALLS OF THE MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM. PAST EXHIBITS HAVE SHOWCASED EVERYTHING FROM A MAJOR EXPLORATION OF ST. LOUIS'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICAN MUSIC, TO THE EXPERIENCES OF ST. LOUISANS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, BOTH AT WAR AND AT HOME; HAVE SHARED STORIES OF WHY ST. LOUIS IS CALLED THE GATEWAY TO THE WEST AND HOW ST. LOUIS WOMEN FOUGHT FOR A VOICE EVEN BEFORE THEY HAD THE VOTE AND HOW THEY PLAYED AN INSTRUMENTAL PART IN THE PASSAGE OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT. IN 2024, MHS SAW STEADY ATTENDANCE GAINS, WELCOMING APPROXIMATELY 320,000 VISITORS TO ITS THREE LOCATIONS.
- $3.1 million spent. EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (ECE): THE MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S EDUCATION TEAMS ARE COMMITTED TO SERVING ST. LOUISANS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES. MEMBERS OF THE ECE TEAM CREATE PUBLIC PROGRAMS THAT APPEAL TO A WIDE AUDIENCE, DEVELOP FIELD TRIPS AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS GEARED TO K-12 STUDENTS, AND COORDINATE PROGRAMS AIMED AT ST. LOUIS'S YOUNGEST LEARNERS. 2024 SAW CONTINUED GROWTH IN MHS'S PROGRAMMING PORTFOLIO, INCLUDING THE MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM'S POPULAR FREE TWILIGHT THURSDAYS CONCERT SERIES, WHICH WELCOMED 29,000 ST. LOUISANS TO SEVEN CONCERTS ON THE MUSEUM'S NORTH LAWN. THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE YEAR, THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE MUSEUM WELCOMED MORE THAN 7,000 ATTENDEES TO 40 FREE PROGRAMS RANGING FROM PERFORMANCES, TO LECTURES, AND FILM SCREENINGS. DURING THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR, MHS EDUCATORS SERVED MORE THAN 21,000 STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS THROUGH ONSITE FIELD TRIPS, IN-CLASSROOM OUTREACHES, VIRTUAL PROGRAMS, AND TEACHER TRAININGS - ALL AT NO COST TO STUDENTS OR DISTRICTS.
- $1.4 million spent. MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AND GRAPHICS DEPARTMENTS: THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT PROVIDES MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIES FOR THE MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM, THE LIBRARY AND RESEARCH CENTER, AND SOLDIERS MEMORIAL MILITARY MUSEUM. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE MEDIA RELATIONS, MARKETING, ADVERTISING, SOCIAL MEDIA, GRAPHIC DESIGN, PROMOTIONS, CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS, ETC. THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT PREPARES AND DISTRIBUTES MEDIA MATERIAL TO PRINT, ELECTRONIC, AND ONLINE MEDIA TO PROMOTE INSTITUTIONAL EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS, PROGRAMS, AND GENERAL AWARENESS. DEPARTMENTAL PERSONNEL COORDINATE ALL INTERVIEWS RELATED TO THE INSTITUTION. THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT STAFF OVERSEES ALL ADVERTISING AND MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES AND PROMOTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS, INCLUDING DEVELOPING MARKETING PLANS, PLACING ALL PAID ADVERTISING RELATED TO THE INSTITUTION; AND ESTABLISHING STRATEGIC MARKETING COLLABORATIONS. THE GRAPHICS TEAM MEMBERS DESIGN AND PRODUCE INSTITUTIONAL COLLATERAL MATERIAL; QUARTERLY MEMBER MAGAZINE; BANNERS; BROCHURES; DIRECT MAIL PIECES; POSTERS; WEB-BASED ELECTRONIC PROMOTIONAL AND MARKETING MATERIAL; AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT COORDINATES THE INSTITUTIONAL PRESENCE ACROSS ALL SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, INCLUDING FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, AND YOUTUBE.
- $321,300 spent. PUBLICATIONS: THE PUBLICATIONS DEPARTMENT PROVIDES SEVERAL SERVICES FOR THE MUSEUM. IN ADDITION TO PUBLISHING BOOKS EACH YEAR (NEW TITLES OR REPRINTS OF BOOKS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED BY THE MUSEUM), THEY ALSO PUBLISH AN ANNUAL MEMBERS MAGAZINE AND MAINTAIN AN ONLINE MAGAZINE WITH CONTINUOUSLY CHANGING ARTICLES. THEY PROVIDE EDITING SERVICES FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE MUSEUM. IN 2024, THIS DEPARTMENT PUBLISHED "THE WONDER AND COMPLEXITY OF THE 1904 WORLD'S FAIR".
- $790,156 spent. MUSEUM SERVICES, PUBLIC HISTORY AND EVALUATION: THE MUSEUM SERVICES, PUBLIC HISTORY, AND EVALUATIONS DIVISIONS PROVIDE ADMINISTRATIVE/SUPERVISORY SUPPORT TO LIBRARY AND COLLECTIONS, DIGITAL INITIATIVES, EXHIBITION AND RESEARCH, THE PUBLICATIONS DIVISION, AND MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS INCLUDING PARTICIPATION IN STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORTS, BUDGET OVERSIGHT, BOARD COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES, AND VARIOUS INITIATIVES.
- $104,771 spent. AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY INITIATIVE: THROUGH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY INITIATIVE (AAHI), MHS HAS COMMITTED TO COLLECTING MORE BLACK HISTORY, SHARING MORE BLACK HISTORY, AND TAKING A LEADING ROLE IN DIVERSIFYING THE MUSEUM FIELD. IN 2023, MHS HIRED AN AAHI DIRECTOR, ADDING TO A TEAM THAT INCLUDES A PUBLIC HISTORIAN, A COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING SPECIALIST, A CURATOR OF URBAN LANDSCAPE AND COMMUNITY IDENTITY, A DEIA MANAGING DIRECTOR, AND OTHERS WHO ARE DEDICATED TO EXPLORING ST. LOUIS'S RICH BLACK HISTORY. THESE POSITIONS REACH ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, ENSURING THE WORK OF AAHI PERMEATES ALL OF THE INSTITUTION'S EFFORTS. MHS HAS A PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR BLACK COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO FURTHER DIVERSITY THE TEAMS AT THE MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND TRAIN MUSEUM LEADERS OF THE FUTURE. IN 2024, WE LAUNCHED THE ANNUAL BLACK WRITERS PROGRAM AND COLLABORATED WITH THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE ON THEIR COMMUNITY CURATION PROJECT. WE WELCOMED OVER 10,000 VISITORS TO OVER 60 AAHI PROGRAMS.
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 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 December 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 1943.
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.
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.