Computer History Museum
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
CHM DECODES TECHNOLOGY - ITS COMPUTING PAST, DIGITAL PRESENT, AND FUTURE IMPACT ON HUMANITY.
- Income
- $17.9 million
- Spending
- $20.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- 5.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 71%
- Employees
- 77
- Volunteers
- 84
- Highest pay
- $533,706, ceo & president (thru 04/25)
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: 65 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.9 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 18% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 14% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 16 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 2534 of 34 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 (3)
- $3.7 million spent. COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH:CHM STEWARDS THE WORLD'S FOREMOST COLLECTION OF COMPUTING ARTIFACTS AND ORAL HISTORIES TO GENERATE PROFOUND INSIGHTS GROUNDED IN HISTORY. WE ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE AND THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS THROUGH FOCUSED RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP.SEE SCHEDULE OCHM'S COLLECTING SCOPE SPANS CALCULATORS TO ROBOTS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND PROVIDES UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES INTO THE ONLINE WORLD, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND SOFTWARE. CHM'S COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF OVER A MILLION ARTIFACTS, DOCUMENTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, MOVING IMAGES, DIGITAL OBJECTS, AND ORAL HISTORIES LIES AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO. THE COLLECTION COVERS A VAST ARRAY OF ICONIC COMPUTERS AND COMPANIES, FROM AN APPLE 1 COMPUTER TO THE LATEST TRILLION-TRANSISTOR AI COMPUTER-ON-A-CHIP. THE MUSEUM'S EVER-EXPANDING COLLECTION OF 1,399 ORAL HISTORIES WITH 1,849 PARTICIPANTS AND ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS BRING CRITICAL HISTORIES AND PERSONAL STORIES TO LIGHT. IN FY2025, 31 NEW INTERVIEWS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WERE RECORDED.AT THE CORE OF CHM'S PRESERVATION AND EFFORTS IS THE SHUSTEK RESEARCH ARCHIVES, THE MUSEUM'S 25,000-SQUARE-FOOT RESEARCH AND STORAGE FACILITY. ESTABLISHED IN 2015 AND NAMED FOR MUSEUM FOUNDER LEN SHUSTEK, THE SHUSTEK RESEARCH ARCHIVES HOUSES THE MUSEUM'S ACQUISITIONS, ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS, SOFTWARE PRESERVATION, AND RESEARCH OPERATIONS. THE FACILITY PROMOTES ACCESS TO AND PRESERVATION OF CHM'S WORLD-CLASS COLLECTIONS WITH ACQUISITIONS RECEIVING, DIGITIZATION WORKSTATIONS, AND STUDY SPACE FOR VISITING SCHOLARS. IN FY2025, ARCHIVAL STAFF FULFILLED 349 RESEARCH QUERIES, 109 OF WHICH ORIGINATED FROM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, AND 41 OF WHICH INVOLVED A RESEARCHER VISITING THE SHUSTEK ARCHIVES IN PERSON. CHM'S CENTERS OF EXPERTISE ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF TECHNOLOGY THROUGH RESEARCH, PUBLISHING, AND PROGRAMMING EFFORTS THAT BUILD COMMUNITY, DISSEMINATE KNOWLEDGE, AND OFFER UNIQUE INSIGHTS. CHM'S CENTERS AMPLIFY EXISTING WORK AND PROVIDE NEW LENSES INTO TECHNOLOGY THAT CONNECT THE PAST WITH A VISION OF THE FUTURE. THE SOFTWARE HISTORY CENTER, ESTABLISHED IN 2016 COLLECTS AND PRESERVES HISTORICAL SOFTWARE, ARCHIVES, AND ORAL HISTORIES. THE CENTER EXPLORES PEOPLE-CENTERED STORIES, DOCUMENTS SOFTWARE-IN-ACTION, AND LEVERAGES THE MUSEUM'S RICH COLLECTIONS TO TELL THE STORY OF SOFTWARE. A POPULAR INITIATIVE WORKS TO RESTORE THE ORIGINAL SOURCE CODE OF HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTS AND MAKE THEM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
- $7.7 million spent. EXHIBITIONS:THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE AND TIMELY EXHIBITS, INTERACTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES, DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING PUBLICATIONS, AND ORIGINAL MEDIA PRODUCTIONS, CHM FACILITATES LEARNING AND ENCOURAGES PERSONAL CONNECTIONS WITH THE HISTORY OF COMPUTING AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF TECHNOLOGY.SEE SCHEDULE OTHE MUSEUM HAS MORE THAN 40,000 SQUARE FEET OF EXHIBIT HALLS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE, EDUCATE, AND ENTERTAIN THE GENERAL PUBLIC. SIGNATURE EXHIBITS INCLUDE REVOLUTION: THE FIRST 2000 YEARS OF COMPUTING AND MAKE SOFTWARE: CHANGE THE WORLD. IN FY2025, A NEW EXHIBIT, CHATBOTS DECODED: EXPLORING AI, OPENED. WITH MULTIMEDIA, ARTIFACT DISPLAYS, AND INTERACTIVES, THE EXHIBIT REFLECTS MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CHATBOTS AND ANSWERS QUESTIONS LIKE: WHAT ARE CHATBOTS? WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? WHY DO THEY MATTER? THE EXHIBIT RECEIVED POSITIVE COVERAGE IN A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE IN APRIL 2025. VISITORS TO THE MUSEUM COULD SEE SPECIAL DISPLAYS FEATURING ITEMS FROM THE COLLECTION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING A PORTABLE SPEECH PROCESSOR IN A BRIEFCASE THAT WAS A MAJOR INNOVATION FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED AND DOZENS OF COMPUTER MICE SPANNING FIVE DECADES.. VISITORS ALSO ENJOYED THE RESTORATIONS OF HISTORIC MACHINES IN ACTION IN THE IBM 1401 AND PDP-1 DEMO LABS.IN 2025, ABOUT 94,170 VISITORS CAME TO THE MUSEUM TO SEE THE EXHIBITS, AND AN ADDITIONAL 64,633 PEOPLE ATTENDED EVENTS FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT RENTED THE MUSEUM AS A VENUE . THE MUSEUM HOSTED 443 GROUP TOURS WITH 12,787 ATTENDEES AND 223 SCHOOL GROUPS. SINCE 2011, CHM HAS WELCOMED NEARLY 2 MILLION VISITORS, INCLUDING THOSE WHO CAME FOR VENUE RENTAL EVENTS, FROM 120 COUNTRIES.CHM'S ONGOING GOAL OF ENGAGING WITH AUDIENCES BEYOND ITS WALLS WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH A RICH SERIES OF EDITORIAL AND PUBLISHING ENDEAVORS THAT REACHED GLOBAL AUDIENCES. THE CHM WEBSITETHE DIGITAL PORTAL TO ITS COLLECTION, EXHIBITS, BLOGS, TIMELINES, EVENTS, AND MORERECEIVED 3.7 MILLION PAGE VIEWS IN FISCAL 2025. THE SITE HAS HAD MORE THAN 123 MILLION VIEWS AND NEARLY 30 MILLION USERS SINCE ITS INCEPTION. CHM'S DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION AND SOCIAL CHANNELS INCLUDED OVER 399,000 FOLLOWERS FROM FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, LINKEDIN, AND YOUTUBE. THE CHANNELS RECEIVED OVER 11.5 MILLION VIDEO VIEWS. THE CHM YOUTUBE CHANNEL HAS 2,000 PUBLISHED VIDEOS, HAS NOW GROWN TO APPROXIMATELY 162,000 SUBSCRIBERS AND OVER 24 MILLION VIEWS SINCE IT DEBUTED IN 2007. THE INSTITUTION'S DIGITAL PUBLISHING PLATFORMS INCLUDE THE CHM BLOG, WHICH HAD MORE THAN 119,000 VIEWS IN FISCAL 2025, AND MEDIUM CORE+. SINCE BEING INTRODUCED IN 2017, THESE FORUMS HAVE PUBLISHED 200+ STORIES AND HAVE 5,000 REGULAR FOLLOWERS. THEY PUBLISH THOUGHT PIECES, RESEARCH ESSAYS, AND ARTICLES ON COMPUTING HISTORY BY CHM'S COMMUNITY OF CURATORS, ACADEMICS, JOURNALISTS, AND OTHERS. EARLIER ISSUES OF CHM'S CORE MAGAZINE ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE.
- $3.9 million spent. PUBLIC PROGRAMMING:CHM CONVENES DIALOGUE AND STIMULATES DEBATE THROUGH PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING TO ENCOURAGE CIVIC DISCOURSE ABOUT CRITICAL ISSUES AND TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION OF CREATORS AND INNOVATORS.SEE SCHEDULE OLIVE PROGRAMMING AND PUBLIC EVENTS CONVENE TODAY'S THOUGHT LEADERS, ENTREPRENEURS, HISTORIANS, SCHOLARS, AUTHORS, COMPANY FOUNDERS, AND JOURNALISTS FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF FIELDS AND DISCIPLINES. CHM'S LIVE PROGRAMMING SERIES CONNECTS ITS COMMUNITY WITH DIVERSE VIEWPOINTS AND UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY. IN FISCAL 2025, CHM PRODUCED 10 HYBRID EVENTS WITH 5,881 IN-PERSON AND ONLINE ATTENDEES. NOTABLE PROGRAMS INCLUDED WE HOSTED EDUCATION INNOVATOR SAL KHAN, BILL GATES, AND MANY MORE THOUGHTFUL TRAILBLAZERS AND EXPERTS IN AREAS AS DIVERSE AS VIDEO GAMES AND USING AI TO DECODE ANCIENT SCROLLS.THE 2025 PROGRAMMING CALENDAR ALSO HONORED CHM FELLOW AWARD RECIPIENTS ALLAN ALCORN, NOLAN BUSHNELL, ELIZABETH "JAKE" FEINLER, JENSEN HUANG, AND STEVEN MAYER,. THE CHM FELLOW AWARDS PROGRAM HONORS THE DISTINGUISHED TECHNOLOGY PIONEERSUNSUNG HEROES AND LEGENDSFOR THEIR OUTSTANDING MERITS AND SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF COMPUTING AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE DIGITAL AGE. THE PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED WITH COLLECTING, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND MEDIA ACTIVITIES THAT REFLECT THE SEMINAL WORK OF EACH FELLOW AND PRESERVES THEIR STORIES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.IN FY2025, CHM CONTINUED ALL-DAY TECHFEST EVENTS THAT OFFER SPECIAL FAMILY-ORIENTED EXPERIENCES INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF MUSEUM ADMISSION. VISITORS ENJOY TECH-THEMED DEMOS, PERFORMANCES, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES, AND MORE. THE THEMES FOR THE FOUR EVENTS IN FY2025 WERE "COMPUTERS AND CREATIVITY," "SCI-FI AND SCI-FACTS," "ROBOTS AND AI IN ACTION, AND "GAMEPLAY."CHM ALSO LAUNCHED A PODCAST CALLED DECODING TECH IN FY2025 TO SHARE NEW AND ARCHIVED CHM LIVES PROGRAMS WITH A AUDIENCES ON POPULAR PODCASTING PLATFORMS, LIKE SPOTIFY, APPLE PODCASTS, AND AMAZON MUSIC. FOURTEEN EPISODES GARNERED OVER 1,000 LISTENERS FROM 52 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND 41 STATES, ADDING MORE THAN 80 NEW LISTENERS WITH EVERY EPISODE. CHM SUPPORTS A SUITE OF VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF LEARNERS OF ALL AGES. EXHIBIT GUIDES DESIGNED FOR FAMILIES FACILITATE THEME-BASED EXPLORATION IN THE MUSEUM'S SIGNATURE REVOLUTION EXHIBIT. THE #MYCHMEXHIBIT CHALLENGE ALLOWS YOUTH PARTICIPANTS TO CREATE THEIR VERY OWN EXHIBIT AT HOME; INSTRUCTION, ADVICE, AND RESOURCES ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO LET PARTICIPANTS LEARN TO BE CURATORS, REGISTRARS, EXPERIENCE DESIGNERS, AND FILMMAKERS. REVOLUTION: VIRTUAL SCAVENGER HUNT ENGAGES A TARGET AUDIENCE OF STUDENTS IN GRADES 6 THROUGH 12 ON A VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE MUSEUM'S REVOLUTION EXHIBIT. RESOURCES ON INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SERVE COLLEGE AND ADULT AUDIENCES WITH UNIQUE CURRICULA ON TOPICS SUCH AS INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND THE SILICON VALLEY ECOSYSTEM MODEL. LESSONS ARE PROVIDED FOR EDUCATORS ON WOMEN IN COMPUTING, THE HISTORY OF SILICON VALLEY, AND THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS, WHILE DISCUSSION GUIDES ON WOMEN IN TECH AND A SELECT GROUP OF EVENTS PROVIDE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENRICHMENT. CHM ALSO HOSTS SCHOOL GROUPS FOR EDUCATIONAL TOURS. IN FY25, 61 SCHOOL GROUPS WITH 2,407 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS VISITED THE MUSEUM. IN CHM'S TWO DIGITAL GAMES, STUDENTS AROUND THE WORLD ARE EXPLORING MUSEUM ARTIFACTS, MEETING HISTORICAL FIGURES, SEEING HOW TECH CAN SOLVE IMPORTANT GLOBAL CHALLENGES, AND APPLYING WHAT THEY LEARN ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, BUILDING THEIR CAPACITY AS ACTIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS, DIGITAL CITIZENS, AND FUTURE INNOVATORS. THE GREAT TECH STORY, CHM'S WORLD IN MINECRAFT: EDUCATION EDITION, IMMERSES STUDENTS AGES 818 IN A VIRTUAL EXHIBIT AND TELEPORTS THEM TO LEARN HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE CONCEPTS, MEET A STARTUP TEAM, DEBATE ETHICS IN TECH, AND REFLECT ON HOW TECHNOLOGY IS USED IN DAILY LIFE. TECHQUEST, CHM'S GAME ON ROBLOX, TEACHES KIDS 814 HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN SOLVE REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES. IN CONSERVATION WORLD AND AUTOMATION WORLD, STUDENTS TRACK ANIMALS TO MONITOR BIODIVERSITY, MEASURE THE HEALTH OF CORAL REEFS, SEE HOW AUTOMATION CAN MAKE LIFE EASIER AND SAFER, AND MUCH MORE. THE ROBLOX GAME HAS BEEN EXTREMELY POPULAR, AVERAGING ALMOST 12 THOUSAND PLAYERS EVERY DAY, AND THE RETENTION RATE IS IN THE 96% PERCENTILE FOR 1-DAY AND 91% FOR 7-DAY. ROBLOX NOTES THAT IT IS THE BEST RETENTION RATE OF ANY GAME THEY HAVE EVER LAUNCHED.CHM HAS AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, WITH 130 ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS WORKING TO DIGITIZE COLLECTIONS AND SERVE AS DOCENTS WHO CONDUCT DAILY TOURS AND DEMONSTRATIONS. IN FY2025, VOLUNTEERS WORKED 2,869 HOURS AND CONDUCTED 836 TOURS AND DEMONSTRATIONS FOR 23,123 MUSEUM VISITORS. A NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS WERE ALSO TRAINED TO CONDUCT VISITOR SURVEYS FOR THE NEW CHATBOTS DECODED EXHIBIT, PROVIDING IMPORTANT DATA FOR FUTURE DECISION-MAKING.
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 July 1999.
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.