Howard County Historical Society Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To collect, preserve, and share the diverse history of all the peoples of Howard County Maryland.
- Income
- $258,266
- Spending
- $237,360
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- 42.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 58%
- Employees
- 8
- Volunteers
- 35
- Highest pay
- $61,828, executive director
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
Strong: 95 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 42.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 8% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 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
Fair: 61 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 16 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (3)
- $109,821 spent. The Executive Director, 2 museum staff, 3 office/archives staff provide wages that directly support all mission-related activities. Staff responsibilities include conducting and supporting research services for internal projects as well as outside patrons, designing and maintaining exhibits, compiling and editing the Legacy publication delivering outreach presentations, serving on commissions and community stakeholder groups, preparing grant submissions and reports, managing social media and marketing, and facilitating public programs and events. Staff also manage open hours, rentals, and events, including set-up, visitor check-in, and project coordination across all 4 facilities.
- $73,023 spent. Operation and maintenance of the Archives and three museum facilities: the Museum of Howard County History, the Ellicott Mills Childrens Museum, and the Pue-Fulton Farm. Expenses include building maintenance and repairs, landscaping, utilities, security systems and monitoring, and general upkeep necessary to maintain these historic facilities and ensure they remain safe, accessible, and mission-ready for staff, volunteers, and the public.
- $11,760 spent. Database tools, collections materials, and operational supplies necessary to carry out the organizations mission. Costs include annual license fees for research databases such as Ancestry.com, collections management software, and the Marriage License database, among others. Also included are office and museum supplies required to support daily operations, as well as proper collections care and archival supplies - including acid-free folders, boxes, tissue, and other archival-grade materials - to ensure the long-term preservation of the Societys holdings in accordance with professional museum and archival standards.
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 March 1960.
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.