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Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society

EIN 94-2989004 · San Francisco, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood75 out of 100GovernanceGood85 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

The GLBT Historical Society collects, preserves, exhibits and makes available to the public materials and knowledge to support and promote understanding of LGBTQ history, culture and arts in all their diversity.

Income
$3.2 million
Spending
$1.9 million
Spent on programs
74%
Reserves
3.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 73%
Employees
16
Volunteers
50
Highest pay
$166,689, executive dir.

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: 75 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 45% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 42% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 114% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    74% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 12 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

Good: 85 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    15 of 15 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

    10 of 10

    Gave 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

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 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 (3)
  1. $601,891 spent. Archives - The GLBT Historical Society Archives had an extremely successful 2024. We received several important grants, digitized new material, and enriched our holdings with newly accessioned collections. We also continued implementation of our digital asset management system, which provides robust digital infrastructure and helps us better preserve and share digitized and born-digital content. We welcomed over 380 onsite researchers working on many different kinds of projects. We continued to expand our online offerings, making 11 new digital archival collections available. In addition, the archives accessioned 66 new collections in 2024.
  2. $418,971 spent. Public Exhibitions - The GLBT Historical Society Museum in San Francisco remains a key setting for the GLBT Historical Society to share our past with LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ publics and to advocate for the preservation of queer history and culture. In 2024, we maintained our COVID-19 safety precautions, continuing to require masks for all guests and staff in the space but no longer requiring proof of vaccination. We presented 3 new exhibitions in the museum space and continued re-building our in-person public programs calendar, hosting 15 in-person public programs and exhibition 4 opening receptions, as well as 1 online workshop. We welcomed nearly 60 schools and community organizations for group tours and nearly 8,000 individual guests visiting the museum. We continue to be specifically guided by the areas of strategic focus as outlined in the society's five-year strategic plan: Women, bisexual people, transgender people, people with disabilities, Black people, Native/Indigenous people, Asian Americans, Latinx people.
  3. $344,224 spent. Public Education Program - In 2024, we continued rebuilding our capacity for in-person public programs at our museum site, hosting thirteen in-person public programs (film screenings, panel discussions, performances, and more) and one online workshop. We presented ten talks on LGBTQ history to employee resource groups, nonprofits, and governmental agencies. Our monthly electronic newsletter highlighted work to bring critical lost histories to light and had over 100,000 imprints. We maade 17 grants through our Ten:Tacles Initiative. We also continued our sponsorship of 4 LGBTQ historical projects: an archive, a book, a script, and a historic site.

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

  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 October 13, 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 December 2024.

    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 October 1986.

    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 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.