Holocaust Museum Houston
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON IS DEDICATED TO EDUCATING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST, REMEMBERING THE 6 MILLION JEWS AND OTHER INNOCENT VICTIMS AND HONORING THE SURVIVORS' LEGACY. USING LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST AND OTHER GENOCIDES, WE TEACH THE DANGERS OF HATRED, PREJUDICE AND APATHY.
- Income
- $12.7 million
- Spending
- $7.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 63%
- Reserves
- -2.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Employees
- 51
- Volunteers
- 100
- Highest pay
- $190,473, chief financial officer
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
Fair: 58 out of 100. Higher than 26% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 8% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 42% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 131% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1563% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 12 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 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2530 of 30 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 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 (4)
- $2.4 million spent. EXHIBITIONS - HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON'S PERMANENT EXHIBIT, "BEARING WITNESS: A COMMUNITY REMEMBERS" IS PERSONALIZED WITH TESTIMONY OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS WHO LATER SETTLED IN THE HOUSTON AREA. THE GALLERY FEATURES ARTIFACTS DONATED BY HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS, THEIR DESCENDANTS, LIBERATORS, AND OTHER COLLECTORS AND WAS EXPANDED TO INCORPORATE TWO OF THE MUSEUM'S MOST IMPORTANT ARTIFACTS, THE WORLD WAR II-ERA RAILCAR AND THE 1940'S DANISH RESCUE BOAT. THE MUSEUM HAS THREE ADDITIONAL PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS: THE LESTER AND SUE SMITH HUMAN RIGHTS GALLERY, THE RHONA AND BRUCE CARESS GALLERY AND STILL I WRITE: YOUNG DIARISTS ON WAR AND GENOCIDE, AND "THE SAMUEL BAK GALLERY & LEARNING CENTER" IN MEMORY OF HOPE SILBER KAPLAN. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2025, THE MUSEUM HOSTED EIGHT TEMPORARY EXHIBITS (CONT'D ON SCH O) INCLUDING "ILAN RAMON: A LIFE AND LEGACY" HONORING HIS LEGACY FROM HIS FAMILY'S EXPERIENCE IN AUSCHWITZ TO HIS SOARING ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE ISRAELI AIR FORCE AND NASA AND "FACING SURVIVAL" FEATURING THE MASTERFUL PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS OF ACCLAIMED ARTIST DAVID KASSAN, CAPTURING THE POIGNANT STORIES AND PORTRAITS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS.
- $1.1 million spent. EDUCATION HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON REACHED OVER 22,900 STUDENTS AND 750 TEACHERS USING A VARIETY OF BILINGUAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT HOLOCAUST INSTRUCTION IN K-12 CLASSROOMS. THE MUSEUM DEVELOPED A CORPS OF EDUCATORS TO EFFECTIVELY TEACH ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST AND OTHER GENOCIDES BY HOSTING VARIOUS FELLOWSHIPS WHERE EMINENT SCHOLARS PROVIDE HISTORICAL AND ACADEMIC CONTENT WHILE UNIVERSITY FACULTY, AS WELL AS MUSEUM STAFF, PROVIDE PEDAGOGICAL CONTEXT. THROUGH THE EDUCATOR IN MOTION (EIM) PROGRAM, MUSEUM STAFF TRAVEL TO SCHOOLS OR CONDUCT LONG-DISTANCE VIDEO LEARNING SESSIONS TO DELIVER INTERACTIVE LESSONS THAT INCORPORATE SOCIAL STUDIES, LANGUAGE ARTS AND FINE ARTS CONCEPTS TO SUPPORT STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, ENHANCE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND COMPREHENSION, AND PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF (CONT'D ON SCH O) INDIVIDUAL AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY. EIM WAS DELIVERED IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH THROUGH 442 SESSIONS IN 28 SCHOOL DISTRICTS INCLUDING 64 SCHOOLS. THE ENGINES OF CHANGE (EOC) STUDENT AMBASSADOR PROGRAM INTRODUCES HOUSTON-AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO HOLOCAUST HISTORY AND ENABLES THEM TO BETTER UNDERSTAND CURRENT ISSUES AND TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN INFORMED OPINIONS AND VOICES ABOUT THE PERILS OF HATRED, PREJUDICE AND APATHY. THE 2024-2025 EOC COHORT INCLUDED 51 STUDENTS FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS FROM ACROSS THE GREATER HOUSTON REGION.
- $1.1 million spent. PUBLIC PROGRAMMING HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON REACHED NEARLY 8,000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING SUCH AS LECTURES, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, FILM VIEWINGS, WORKSHOPS, AND PROFESSIONAL TRAININGS. PROGRAMS INCLUDED A LECTURE BY AMIR TIBON SHARING HIS STORY OF HOW HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE RESCUED ON OCTOBER 7, 2023; HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR TALKS; AND FILM SCREENING OF "BLACK RAVEN" ABOUT THE GENOCIDAL CAMPAIGN IN EARLY 1930'S SOVIET UKRAINE. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON ALSO OFFERS PROGRAMMING TO EDUCATE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON THE HOLOCAUST AND ITS RELEVANCY IN THE WORLD TODAY. THESE SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS INCLUDE A FULL-DAY TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND WORKSHOPS FOR GIRL SCOUT TROOPS.
- HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON LIBRARY SERVICES PROVIDES BILINGUAL RESEARCH MATERIALS SERVING THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS OF ALL AGES. THE COLLECTION HOUSES OVER 10,000 ITEMS RELATING TO THE HOLOCAUST, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND GENOCIDE. THE LIBRARY ALSO PROVIDES ACCESS TO NEARLY 300 ORAL TESTIMONIES. THESE PRIMARY-SOURCE VIDEO INTERVIEW TELL THE STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED THE HOLOCAUST, INCLUDING SURVIVORS, LIBERATORS, AND WITNESSES.HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON VISITOR AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES TRAINS VOLUNTEERS AND DOCENTS TO ENHANCE THE VISITOR'S EXPERIENCE USING THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE GALLERIES AND EXHIBITION CONTENT. THEY STAND AS MUSEUM AMBASSADORS TEACHING HOW EACH OF US CAN EMULATE UPSTANDER BEHAVIOR.
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
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 June 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 October 1991.
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.