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Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County in

EIN 52-1086825 · Silver Spring, MD

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood81 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES COUNCIL OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY, CULTIVATES AND SUPPORTS EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES, EXPANDS ACCESS TO CULTURAL EXPRESSION, AND CONTRIBUTES TO ECONOMIC VITALITY IN THE REGION.

Income
$7.8 million
Spending
$7.5 million
Spent on programs
95%
Reserves
4.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 99%
Employees
14
Volunteers
12
Highest pay
$183,346, ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 63% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 4.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 25% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 8% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    95% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 25

    12 of 12 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 (3)
  1. $6.2 million spent. GRANTS PROGRAM: AHCMC IS A NON-PROFIT, LOCAL ARTS AGENCY DESIGNATED BY LAW TO DISBURSE MONTGOMERY COUNTY FUNDS IN SUPPORT OF THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES IN THE FORM OF COMPETITIVE GRANTS. AHCMC RELIES ON ADVISORY REVIEW PANELS TO EVALUATE GRANT APPLICATIONS. IN FY 2025, GRANTS TOTALING $5,871,737 WERE AWARDED TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY ARTISTS, SCHOLARS, ARTS AND HUMANITIES ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. AHCMC REQUIRES GRANTEES TO SERVE MONTGOMERY COUNTY'S DIVERSE POPULATION OF NEARLY 1.2 MILLION RESIDENTS. PROSPECTIVE GRANT APPLICANTS ARE INTRODUCED TO THE GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS IN FREE GRANT PREPARATION WORKSHOPS LED BY OUR GRANTS OFFICER. APPROXIMATELY 213 PROSPECTIVE APPLICANTS ATTENDED 14 GRANT PREPARATION WORKSHOPS BY WEBINAR. PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED ARTISTS, SCHOLARS, ARTS AND HUMANITIES ORGANIZATIONS, CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, AND SCHOOLS. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS MET WITH AHCMC'S GRANTS PROGRAM OFFICER TO LEARN ABOUT SUBMITTING A GRANT APPLICATION.
  2. $349,664 spent. MARKETING, COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH: AHCMC'S INTEGRATED MARKETING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICE, MARKET POWER, PROVIDES SUBSCRIBERS WITH PRINT AND DIGITAL ADS, COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, AND A COUNTY-WIDE CULTURAL CALENDAR (CULTURESPOTMC.COM) THAT AUTO-POPULATES 2 OTHER ONLINE CALENDARS. MARKET POWER CURRENTLY SERVES 25 NONPROFIT SUBSCRIBER ORGANIZATIONS WITH MORE THAN 52 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATING IN MARKET POWER PROGRAMS FROM THESE ORGANIZATIONS. COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING SAVED OUR COMMUNITY NEARLY $40,000 THROUGH DISCOUNTED PARTNERSHIPS WITH BETHESDA MAGAZINE AND THE WASHINGTON POST. ALONG WITH THESE SERVICES, AHCMC ENGAGES ARTS AND HUMANITIES CONSTITUENTS AND INDIVIDUAL ARTIST AND SCHOLARS THROUGH 5 DIFFERENT TARGETED NEWSLETTERS, OUR BLOG, SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, AND BOTH ORIGINAL AND REPUBLISHED EDITORIAL ARTICLES AND CONTENT ON CULTURESPOT.COM. ADDITIONALLY, WE CONDUCT ORIGINAL RESEARCH EACH YEAR IN OUR COMMUNITY INCLUDING ECONOMIC IMPACT, CULTURAL ASSET MAPPING, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CULTURAL PLANNING STUDIES AND INITIATIVES.
  3. $596,063 spent. PUBLIC ART: MONTGOMERY COUNTY'S PUBLIC ART PROGRAM, ADMINISTERED BY AHCMC, SEEKS TO BUILD AND INSPIRE COMMUNITY IDENTITY AND PLACEMAKING AND TO NURTURE ARTISTS ENGAGED IN PUBLIC ART. WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT PUBLIC ART ENHANCES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. RESIDENTS OF AND VISITORS TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH THE OVER 400 PIECES OF PUBLIC ART AND OVER 600 PIECES OF WORKS ON PAPER. WE CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH COUNTY AGENCIES, SUCH AS THE MARYLAND NATIONAL CAPITAL PARKS AND PLANNING COMMISSION, AS AN ADVISOR AND EXPERT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVE PLACEMAKING INITIATIVES. WE ALSO MANAGE THE BETTY MAE KRAMER GALLERY AND MUSIC ROOM, A 1,200 SQUARE FOOT GALLERY LOCATED IN THE SILVER SPRING CIVIC CENTER. THE BETTY MAE KRAMER GALLERY AND MUSIC ROOM IS THE FIRST AND ONLY ART GALLERY DEDICATED SPECIFICALLY TO SHOWCASING MONTGOMERY COUNTY'S PROFESSIONAL VISUAL ARTISTS. THE GALLERY SERVES VISUAL ARTISTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND COUNTY VISITORS AND RESIDENTS WISHING TO SEE VISUAL ARTS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since August 1977.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.