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San Diego Historical Society

EIN 95-1728991 · San Diego, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood89 out of 100GovernanceGood85 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE MISSION OF THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER IS TO PRESERVE OUR REGION'S HISTORY - TELL THE DIVERSE STORY OF OUR REGION'S PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE; EDUCATE AND ENRICH OUR COMMUNITY; AND FOSTER CIVIC PRIDE.

Income
$9.3 million
Spending
$4.1 million
Spent on programs
60%
Reserves
14.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 88%
Employees
31
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$217,855, ceo

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

Good: 89 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 14.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 24% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 56% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 278% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    60% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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

Good: 85 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    23 of 23 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 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)
  1. $906,745 spent. DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER PRESENTED EXHIBITIONS THAT SEEK TO ENGAGE, EDUCATE AND MAKE OUR REGION'S HISTORY RELEVANT TO TODAY: ALOHA VAQUEROS EXPLORED THE UNIQUE CULTURAL BLENDING OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND MEXICAN VAQUERO (COWBOY) TRADITIONS IN THE AMERICAN WEST. THE EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS THE OFTEN-OVERLOOKED STORIES OF PANIOLO (HAWAIIAN COWBOYS) AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO RANCHING, HORSEMANSHIP, AND CROSS-CULTURAL IDENTITY IN MEXICO, SAN DIEGO AND HAWAII. TASTE SAN DIEGO: FILIPINO CULINARY JOURNEYS CELEBRATES THE RICH CULINARY HERITAGE OF SAN DIEGO'S FILIPINO COMMUNITY THROUGH FAMILY RECIPES, PERSONAL STORIES, AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT. TASTE SAN DIEGO INVITES VISITORS TO EXPLORE HOW FOOD SERVES AS A VITAL THREAD IN PRESERVING CULTURAL IDENTITY AND FOSTERING COMMUNITY ACROSS GENERATIONS. LA NEIGHBOR: COLLOQUIALLY KNOWN AS LA NEIGHBOR, THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE WAS THE NEXUS OF RELATIONS IN LOGAN HEIGHTS AND OFFERED INTEGRAL SERVICES LIKE HEALTH CARE, FOOD DISTRIBUTION, ENGLISH-LANGUAGE CLASSES, A COMMUNITY OVEN, CITIZENSHIP CLASSES, AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES. THIS NEW EXHIBITION BRINGS TOGETHER THE WRITTEN HISTORY OF THE HOUSE, ALONG WITH NEARLY TWENTY NEW ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS FROM FORMER LOGAN HEIGHTS RESIDENTS AND NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE IMPACTED BY ITS SERVICES. ART PRIZE SAN DIEGO IS AN ANNUAL AWARD HONORING ARTISTIC EXPRESSION WITH A CASH PRIZE, EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES, AND SPOTLIGHTS ARTISTS IN THE SAN DIEGO TO ENSENADA, MEXICO REGION WHOSE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF VISUAL ARTS MERIT RECOGNITION. THE EXHIBIT OFFERS A PLATFORM FOR EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED ARTISTS TO ENGAGE WITH HISTORICAL THEMES AND CURRENT ISSUES, BRIDGING ART AND PUBLIC HISTORY. SAN DIEGO STEM WOMEN HONORS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN IN SAN DIEGO'S STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS) FIELDS, BOTH PAST AND PRESENT. FEATURING PROFILES, ARTIFACTS, AND INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS, STEM WOMEN SAN DIEGO HIGHLIGHTS THE GROUNDBREAKING WORK AND CHALLENGES FACED BY LOCAL TRAILBLAZERS. FASHION REDUX: GRAND OCCASIONS IS AN ANNUAL COLLABORATION WITH MESA COLLEGE'S FASHION PROGRAM, AND SPOTLIGHTS HISTORICAL GARMENTS FROM THE SDHC COLLECTION ALONGSIDE STUDENT-DESIGNED CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATIONS. THE 2025 THEME EXPLORES FASHION WORN DURING SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES SUCH AS WEDDINGS, GALAS, AND FORMAL CEREMONIES. LGBTQ+ SAN DIEGO: STORIES OF STRUGGLES + TRIUMPHS FEATURES STORIES AND PERSONAL HISTORIES THAT CELEBRATE SAN DIEGO'S LGBTQ+ COMMUNITIES. DESIGNED AS A REPRISE OF THE HISTORY CENTER'S GROUND-BREAKING EXHIBITION OF 2018 IN COLLABORATION WITH LAMBDA ARCHIVES OF SAN DIEGO. DESIGNED FOR FLEXIBILITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THIS EXHIBIT APPEARS AT SDHC AND VARIOUS PUBLIC SPACES TO INCREASE ACCESS AND VISIBILITY OF LGBTQ+ HISTORY THROUGHOUT THE REGION.
  2. $892,642 spent. THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER'S LIFE-LONG LEARNING PROGRAM, CONSISTING OF BOTH K-12 AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS, EXPANDED SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT'S LEVEL UP PROGRAM THAT ARE IN ADDITION TO THE HISTORY CENTER'S ONGOING PARTNERSHIP WITH PRICE PHILANTHROPIES SCHOOL IN THE PARK AND ON-SITE FIELD TRIPS THAT ARE FUNDED BY THE PATRONS OF THE PRADO BUCKS 4 BUSSES PROGRAM. STUDENT PROGRAMMING INCLUDES SEE YOURSELF HERE AN IMMERSIVE PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS HIGHLIGHTING HISTORY MAKERS AND COMMUNITY HEROES.
  3. $695,085 spent. A SIGNIFICANT ADDITION TO THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER'S COLLECTIONS HAS BEEN THE ACQUISITION OF THE ARCHIVE OF THE BORREGO SUN NEWSPAPER, THAT WAS FOR MANY YEARS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE SANDIEGO BASED COPLEY PRESS. A GENEROUS DONOR, WHO WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, ALONG WITH THE NEWSPAPERS OWNER, PROVIDED THE FUNDING NECESSARY FOR THEARCHIVE THAT DOCUMENTS MORE THAN 70 YEARS OF THE HISTORY OF BORREGO SPRINGS, SAN DIEGO'S MID-CENTURY MODERN DESERT RESORT COMMUNITY. ALSO, OF SIGNIFICANCE IS THE COMMUNITY ORAL HISTORIES AND ACQUISITIONS OF THE ALL-IN COMMUNITY ARCHIVING PROGRAM. AS PART OF ITS CORE COLLECTIONS MISSION, THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER CONTINUES TO ADVANCE "DIGITAL FIRST" BY MAKING ITS COLLECTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. THE COMPLETE CATALOGUE OF THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER'S DOCUMENT, PHOTO, FINE ART, ORAL HISTORY AND 3D OBJECTS COLLECTION IS AVAILABLE ON LINE (HTTPS://SANDIEGOHISTORY.PASTPERFECTONLINE.COM/). IN ADDITION, THE HISTORY CENTER CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS DIGITAL HOLDINGS - MAKING MORE IMAGES, PHOTOS AND ART ACCESSIBLE THROUGH ITS ON-LINE COLLECTION PORTAL (HTTPS://COLLECTIONS.SANDIEGOHISTORY.ORG/). ACCESS TO THE ARCHIVE IS THROUGH APPOINTMENTS (FEE BASED DEPENDENT UPON RESEARCH USE) OR THROUGH LOW OR NO-COST "COMMUNITY RESEARCH ACCESS DAYS". A LONG-TERM INSTITUTIONAL GOAL IS TO REDUCE AND/OR REMOVE ENTIRELY ACCESS AND LICENSING FEES FOR PERSONAL RESEARCH AND TO HIRE ADDITIONAL STAFFING NEEDED TO OPEN THE ARCHIVE FOR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH HOURS. COLLECTION STAFF HAVE ALSO WORKED ON THE BACKLOG OF MORE THAN 500 PREVIOUSLY UNPROCESSED COLLECTIONS AND THE EVALUATION OF EXISTING HOLDINGS AGAINST THE HISTORY CENTER'S MISSION. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF COLLECTION SPECIALISTS ARE NOT JUST TO ASSIST THE PUBLIC WITH RESEARCH INQUIRIES AS THEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE COLLECTIONS PROCESSING, CREATING FINDING AIDS, COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION, DIGITIZATION AND EVALUATION OF COLLECTIONS ITEMS IN LIGHT OF THE INSTITUTIONS' MISSION.

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

  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 June 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 October 1952.

    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.