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Utah Humanities Council

EIN 87-0307076 · Salt Lake Cty, UT

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong93 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Utah Humanities collaborates with libraries, museums, historical societies, schools, colleges, and cultural and civic groups; provides capacity-building opportunities for volunteers and professionals in the cultural sector; presents special events including an annual state-wide book festival; and offers modest grants to nonprofit organizations for public humanities projects.

Income
$2.3 million
Spending
$1.7 million
Spent on programs
70%
Reserves
11.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 65%
Employees
14
Volunteers
161
Highest pay
$144,672, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 80% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 11.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 7% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 26% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 41% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    70% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 49% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    16 of 16 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

    0 of 10

    Did not give 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 October 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 (4)
  1. $915,421 spent. The mission of Utah Humanities (UH) revolves around offering first-hand, engaging humanities experiences. Our free public events are direct, personal opportunities to identify with literature, understand local and national heritage, and share viewpoints in civil conversations, all of which serve to strengthen the fabric of our personal and community relationships. We offer connection, context, and courage. We work with partners to extend our reach and deepen our work. In fact, everything we do at Utah Humanities is in collaboration with other organizations. Aligning with cultural, educational, professional, and service organizations is essential to fulfilling our mission, and partnering with us can result in measurable community improvement. Our statewide work at UH is divided into thematic Centers, each of which has a specific humanities focus and associated programs. It is through our Centers that we partner with Utah organizations to improve communities through the humanities. The Centers are the Center for the Book, the Center for Community Heritage, the Center for Educational Access, the Center for Local Initiatives, and Special Projects. We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2025, marking five decades of improving Utah communities through the humanities.
  2. $96,736 spent. Since 1994, Utah Humanities has partnered with the Smithsonian Institution's Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) to bring Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibitions to communities throughout Utah. Together with local host partners, we have collaborated on ten exhibition tours through more than 50 communities and reached more than a million people in Utah with this programming. In 2025, UH completed the tour of the MoMS exhibition Crossroads: Change in Rural America and began preparation for the next exhibit, Voices and Votes: Democracy in America. Crossroads traveled to eight communities in Utah: North Summit Unite in partnership with Summit County History Department (Coalville); Wasatch County Library (Heber); Utah State University - Eastern (Price); Silver Reef Museum (Leeds); Brigham City Museum of Art & History (Brigham City); John Wesley Powell River History Museum (Green River); Mt Hurst Foundation in partnership with Utah State University - Blanding (Blanding); Granary Arts in partnership with Snow College Library (Ephraim). Voices and Votes will launch in 2026, as part of the national America250 celebration. It will travel to the Utah Cultural Celebration Center (West Valley City), Moab Arts Center (Moab), Museum of Uintah County (Vernal), Museums at Union Station (Ogden), and Frontier Homestead State Park Museum (Cedar City).
  3. $91,831 spent. The Utah Center for the Book fosters a love of reading while encouraging the exploration of contemporary issues through literature. As Utah's affiliate of the National Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, it promotes reading, authorship, and library engagement throughout the state. The Utah Humanities Book Festival celebrated its 28th anniversary in 2025. As Utah Humanities' flagship literary program and the state's only statewide literary festival, it brings writers, readers, and communities together each October during National Book Month to celebrate literature and the power of ideas. For nearly three decades, we have partnered with organizations across Utah to present this dynamic festival. In 2025, the Festival featured 121 events across seven regional hubs, engaging 148 literary artists and scholars and reaching more than 11,000 participants statewide through partnerships with 38 community organizations. The lineup included New York Times bestselling authors, Stoker Award winners, Reese's Book Club selections, Whitney Award recipients, and Utah Book Award honorees. New this year was the inaugural Utah Horror Day at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, further expanding opportunities for readers and writers to connect through shared literary experiences.
  4. $104,620 spent. The Center for Educational Access expands opportunities for individuals seeking new pathways to learning, confidence, and personal growth through the humanities. Through discussion-based courses offered in partnership with universities and high schools, participants engage with literature, philosophy, and history in supportive learning environments. These programs foster critical thinking, communication skills, self-reflection, and a renewed sense of possibility. Serving learners from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences, the programs encourage participants to build skills, pursue further educational goals, and connect their own experiences to broader human stories. In 2025, we offered the Clemente Course in the Humanities in Salt Lake City and Ogden and the Venture Course in the Humanities in Ogden and as part of the Prison Education Program in Salt Lake City.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending October 31, 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 November 6, 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 October 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 1988.

    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 November 4, 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.