Archaeology Southwest
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
We practice Preservation Archaeology, a holistic and conservation-based approach to exploring and protecting heritage places while honoring their diverse values. We compile archaeological information, make it accessible and understandable, share it with the public and decision-makers, advocate for landscape-scale protection, and steward heritage properties and conservation easements. We are committed to real and ongoing collaboration with Indigenous communities.
- Income
- $4.1 million
- Spending
- $3.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 3.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 47%
- Employees
- 37
- Volunteers
- 20
- Highest pay
- $156,094, president & 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
Good: 85 out of 100.
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 8% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 13% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 18% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% 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.
Independent board
25 of 259 of 10 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 (4)
- $1.5 million spent. Landscape and Site ProtectionSave History: The Save History campaign expanded prevention and outreach in 2024, distributing 2,000+ children's activity books, launching an oral history video project, and presenting at conferences, including the Society for American Archaeology, National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and the Southwest Symposium. Media outreach included NPR's Here and Now, podcasts, and Tribal youth events. Through SaveHistory.org, 12 crime tips were relayed to law enforcement.Archaeological Resource Crime Response and Prevention: The Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) Assistance Program, funded through a contract with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), strengthened detection and response by completing fieldwork for seven Tribe-requested damage assessments, installing 75+ trail cameras, and distributing 500+ no-trespassing signs. We built national capacity for protecting cultural heritage through three 5-day ARPA trainings with over 100 total participants from 18 Tribal Nations and multiple agencies, plus custom seminars and regional sessions.Respect Great Bend 2024: Archaeology Southwest remains a lead organization in the Respect Great Bend Coalition. House of Representatives Bill (H.R.) 9257, the "Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Establishment Act," introduced by the late Congressman Raul Grijalva in late 2024, includes provisions for Tribal Commission co-stewardship of the proposed National Monument in southwestern AZ. This act was the subject of a well-received Congressional Hearing and multiple events organized by the Coalition to raise awareness for the proposed monument, including: EcoFlights with journalists and Tribal leaders, podcasts, trivia nights in Tucson and Phoenix, a Great Bend of the Gila beer from AZ Wilderness Brewing, and a fly-in to Washington DC for the "Monumental Day of Action" in April 2024. These events received favorable press coverage from KJZZ, Arizona Republic, Environment America, AZ Highways, AZPM news, Tucson Sentinel, and Channel 12 News. Engagement with the San Lucy District of the Tohono O'odham Nation resulted in a resolution of support.Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA, 1990): Archaeology Southwest contracted with the BIA to expand our collaboration to encompass assistance with consultations, repatriations, and compliance pursuant to NAGPRA. This contractual agreement follows on updated 2024 NAGPRA regulations, which provide clearer frameworks for institutions and prioritize Indigenous knowledge. Program Coordinator Amy Gillaspie joined our staff as lead, with Skylar Begay and others receiving training and assisting Gillaspie in working with museums, universities, and institutions across the US to facilitate the return of Indigenous Ancestors and their belongings to their descendants.Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape: In 2024, we continued to work hard to keep the Greater Chaco Landscape fully protected. The 2023-approved 20-year mineral withdrawal of federal lands and minerals within a 10-mile protection zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park is in place. Our advocacy work continued to focus on interactions with Tribal and NGO partners to ensure future protection of Chaco's fragile landscape.
- $503,912 spent. ResearchCultural Uses of Plants and Animals in the Southern Southwest: We have a National Science Foundation grant to study how people used animals and plants before, during, and after migrants from what is now northeastern Arizona moved south to join existing communities in southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. We have compiled substantial quantities of previously analyzed paleobotanical (plant) and osteofaunal (animal bone) data from published and unpublished sources, much of which is now in cyberSW (see below). We partnered with Desert Archaeology, Inc., to train an undergraduate research assistant who processed numerous 50-year-old flotation samples that are now being analyzed, and we continue to analyze additional zooarchaeological assemblages. Documenting Indigenous and Historical Trails: 2023 and 2024 grants from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)put us on the ground documenting trails in the Sonoran Desert National Monument and expanding that methodology to other BLM units in Arizona. The objective is to evaluate the relationship, if any, between the Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail and existing Indigenous trails on public lands across the state.
- $441,292 spent. cyberSWcyberSW: With the support of three National Science Foundation grants, the cyberSW team (Joshua Watts, Manager; Andre Takagi, Senior Systems Analyst/Developer; Caitlynn Mayhew [Din], Native American Fellow; Sarah Oas, Preservation Archaeologist; and Jeff Clark, Vice President for Research, serving in an advisory capacity) continued standardizing and adding information about pottery, plant & animal remains, and stone tools & artifacts recovered from ancient Indigenous settlements in AZ's Tonto, Phoenix, & Tucson Basins, southwestern NM, and southwestern CO. By the end of 2024, they had added data from more than 200 settlements. In late 2024, we were awarded a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for Humanities' prestigious Digital Humanities Advancement Grant program. Funding will help us develop a digital field guide to O'Odham keystone plant & animal species, and help us improve the web platform in general. Work will build upon Mayhew's pilot project on Indigenous Knowledge & use of bird species.
- $354,860 spent. Outreach and EducationPreservation Archaeology Position Papers: : John Welch, Paul Reed, Ashleigh Thompson, and Skylar Begay published a position paper: "Tribal Co-Management: What Works, Where and How." The paper complements attendance by Thompson and Begay at two "Bears Ears Gatherings," where members of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and the Bears Ears Commission planned co-management with the BLM and the US Forest Service. The paper blends the deliberations over Bears Ears with the results of international academic research and considerations of opportunities to structure co-management for the Great Bend of the Gila. Plans are in place for a new position paper on how Archaeology Southwest might uphold Indigenous data sovereignty principles.Archaeology Cafe: We concluded the 2023-2024 season of Archaeology Cafe, Nourishing Body, Soul, & Earth: Traditional Foods & Foodways, with a mix of in-person and virtual meetups. Later in 2024, we launched our 16th season with a fully in-person format at Catalyst, a community-creative space run by the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance. Dogs! Exploring Canine Cultural Histories in North America proved to be vibrant and well-received, including by the very good dogs in attendance.Archaeology Southwest Magazine: In 2024, we published "Better for It: Archaeology Conceived in Collaboration with Community" (Archaeology Southwest Magazine Vol. 36, Nos. 3 & 4), a companion to our 2022-2023 season of Archaeology Caf. Contributors explored the challenges, scope, and rewards of collaborative archaeology. We completed a redesign that debuted early in 2025 with the 64-page Vol. 37, No. 1, "Continuity and Connections: The Living Landscapes of Mesa Verde," which was six years in development.Hands-On Archaeology: Preservation Archaeologist and Ancient Technologies Expert Allen Denoyer, Director of Outreach Sara Anderson, and volunteer Rocky Hettinger were busy in 2024: The Hands-On Archaeology program delivered 30 experiential learning events & workshops that directly engaged community members of all ages through recurring programs at metro Tucson's Steam Pump Ranch and Mission Garden. Additional appearances at the Tucson Festival of Books, Native Nations Day, Camp Cooper 60th anniversary, and World Atlatl Day at Catalina State Park helped broaden our community of supporters and advocates. Volunteers: In 2024, 107 individuals contributed a total of 5,034 hours of service across a wide range of projects. Two major collections-care projects were completed: the Robinson Project wrapped up after years of dedicated artifact analysis, and the Roadrunner Vista Project came to a close with the successful delivery of its materials to the Amerind Foundation. Volunteers also played vital roles in fieldwork. They logged nearly 1,800 hours on the Desert Trails Survey and Sabino Canyon Survey, and assisted with archaeological and conservation work in the San Pedro Valley.
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 2024.
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 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.
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