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Nonprofiteer
← AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Form 990 for tax year 2022

Filed by AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Totals

Total revenue
$1,813,185
Total expenses
$2,030,854
Contributions and grants received
$1,553,213
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$212,486
Other revenue
$47,486
Total assets, end of year
$5,947,205
Total liabilities, end of year
$158,312
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$5,788,893
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$1,018,294
Management and general expenses
$791,523
Fundraising expenses
$221,037
Program service expenses (Part III)
$1,018,294

Program services were 50.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $565,685

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $987,528

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $239,144

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $233,568 · excluded $233,568

  • 5 · Royalties

    total $32,155 · excluded $32,155

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $883,717

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $904,799

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities -$21,082

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total -$21,082 · excluded -$21,082

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $98,200

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $565,685

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $98,200

  • 8c · Net income from fundraising events

    total $0

  • 11a · Other revenue: MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE

    total $15,331 · excluded $15,331

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $15,331

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $216,587 · management and general $216,587

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $610,391 · program services $448,759 · management and general $140,482 · fundraising $21,150

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $23,693 · program services $11,518 · management and general $10,813 · fundraising $1,362

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $116,472 · program services $56,620 · management and general $53,155 · fundraising $6,697

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $64,269 · program services $31,243 · management and general $29,331 · fundraising $3,695

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $46,824 · management and general $46,824

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $104,944 · management and general $104,944

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $20,253 · program services $11,575 · fundraising $8,678

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $34,539 · program services $23,258 · management and general $6,455 · fundraising $4,826

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $123,335 · program services $60,832 · management and general $33,475 · fundraising $29,028

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $271,795 · program services $143,443 · management and general $119,741 · fundraising $8,611

  • 17 · Travel

    total $142,251 · program services $65,906 · management and general $729 · fundraising $75,616

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $4,382 · program services $2,313 · management and general $1,931 · fundraising $138

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $38,534 · program services $20,337 · management and general $16,976 · fundraising $1,221

  • 24a · Other expenses: SOLICITATION EXPENSE

    total $81,145 · program services $13,030 · management and general $9,260 · fundraising $58,855

  • 24b · Other expenses: DIGITIZATION & STORAGE

    total $63,957 · program services $63,267 · management and general $690

  • 24c · Other expenses: PRINTING

    total $48,611 · program services $47,538 · fundraising $1,073

  • 24d · Other expenses: INSTALLATION AND PHOTOG

    total $17,561 · program services $17,561

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $1,311 · program services $1,094 · management and general $130 · fundraising $87

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $57,300 · end of year $17,839

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $30,393 · end of year $400

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $2,442 · end of year $62,300

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $14,217 · end of year $16,135

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $402,230

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $393,100

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $13,512 · end of year $9,130

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $7,173,050 · end of year $5,841,401

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $93,043 · end of year $130,689

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $87,537 · end of year $27,623

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $6,665,582 · end of year $5,456,989

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $444,752 · end of year $331,904

Mission and programs · 2022

Mission

SEE SCHEDULE OTHE AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY (THE "SOCIETY") IS THE OLDEST ETHNIC, CULTURAL ARCHIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SOCIETY PROVIDES ACCESS TO MORE THAN 30 MILLION DOCUMENTS AND 50,000 BOOKS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART AND ARTIFACTS THAT REFLECT THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH PRESENCE IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 1654 TO THE PRESENT. AT OUR HOME ON WEST 16TH STREET IN DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN, THE SOCIETY ILLUMINATES AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY THROUGH OUR MANY ARCHIVAL TREASURES, SCHOLARSHIP, EXHIBITIONS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS. AMONG THE TREASURES OF THIS HERITAGE ARE THE HANDWRITTEN ORIGINALS OF EMMA LAZARUS' THE NEW COLOSSUS, WHICH GRACES THE STATUE OF LIBERTY; RECORDS OF THE NATION'S LEADING JEWISH COMMUNAL ORGANIZATIONS; AND IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS IN THE FIELDS OF EDUCATION, PHILANTHROPY, SCIENCE, SPORTS, BUSINESS AND THE ARTS. THE SOCIETY IS THE FUTURE OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH PAST.

Activities or mission (Part I)

ACCESS TO MILLIONS OF ARTIFACTS REFLECTING THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH PRESENCE IN THE U.S.

  • LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE - SEE SCHEDULE OTHE SOCIETY WELCOMES ALL RESEARCHERS WHO WISH TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ON AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE FROM FIRST ARRIVAL IN THE AMERICAS TO THE PRESENT DAY. THE LIBRARY CONSISTS OF APPROXIMATELY 50,000 VOLUMES, INCLUDING BOTH BOOKS AND SERIALS (JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS). THE SOCIETY HOUSES APPROXIMATELY 2000 ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS AND HAS DEVELOPED FINDING AIDS FOR ITS PERSONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL HOLDINGS, AND THEY ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE. ACCESS TO THE PHYSICAL MATERIALS RESUMED IN 2021 WHEN THE READING ROOM REOPENED, AND SCHOLARS HAVE BEEN USING THE MATERIALS AT HIGH LEVELS SINCE THE REOPENING. THE SOCIETY ALSO HAS EXPANDED OUR DIGITAL HOLDINGS AND DIGITIZATION PROGRAM, IN ORDER TO CONTINUALLY PROVIDE ACCESS TO OUR MATERIALS, REGARDLESS OF READING ROOM STATUS. IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 2021, STATISTICS ON DIGITAL USE FOUND THAT IN A THREE MONTH SPAN THE TOP THREE COLLECTIONS SEARCHED WERE; THE NATIONAL JEWISH WELFARE BOARD BUREAU OF WAR RECORDS - ACCESSED 355 TIMES, THE HEBREW ORPHAN ASYLUM RECORDS- ACCESSED 338 TIMES, AND THE HEBREW IMMIGRANT AID SOCIETY - ACCESSED 317 TIMES. THESE ARE COLLECTIONS THAT HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF DIGITIZED CONTENT, DEMONSTRATING THE OVERALL VALUE OF THE SOCIETY DIGITIZATION PROGRAM AND THE ONGOING NEED TO CONTINUALLY EXPAND OUR DIGITAL OFFERINGS.

    Expenses $787,766

  • PUBLIC PROGRAMS - SEE SCHEDULE OIN 2022, THE SOCIETY RETURNED TO HOSTING A NUMBER OF ONSITE PUBLIC PROGRAMS AS WELL AS THE CONTINUED HOSTING ONLINE BOOK TALKS AND OTHER SCHOLARLY PROGRAMS, REACHING AUDIENCES BOTH LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY THROUGH THIS PUBLIC HISTORY INITIATIVE. THE SOCIETY HOSTED MONTHLY EVENTS INCLUDING A DAY-LONG SYMPOSIUM, PANEL DISCUSSIONS IN COORDINATION WITH OUR EXHIBITION "FROM SITTING ROOM TO SOAPBOX: EMMA LAZARUS, UNION SQUARE, AND AMERICAN IDENTITY, AND AUTHOR TALKS CELEBRATING NEW RELEASES. THE SOCIETY ALSO CONDUCTED ITS FIRST IN-PERSON BIENNIAL SCHOLARS CONFERENCE SINCE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GRANT CENTER AT TULANE UNIVERSITY TO WELCOME MORE THAN 100 SCHOLARS TO NEW ORLEANS. THE CONFERENCE WAS CONDUCTED IN A HYBRID FORMAT, ALLOWING SCHOLARS UNABLE TO TRAVEL TO PARTICIPATE. ONLINE, THE SOCIETY CONTINUED ITS POPULAR "AT LUNCH" SERIES WITH JULIE SALAMON, WELCOMING GUESTS FROM THE FIELDS OF HISTORY, ENTERTAINMENT, JOURNALISM, AND MORE. ADDITIONALLY, THE SOCIETY LAUNCHED A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY TO TRAIN K-12 TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS ABOUT HOW TO BEST USE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS RELATED TO JEWISH AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE PROGRAM TRAINED 50 EDUCATORS AND REACHED ROUGHLY 5,000 STUDENTS NATIONWIDE.

    Expenses $119,396

  • PUBLICATIONS - SEE SCHEDULE OAMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL JOURNAL - SCHOLARLY JOURNAL OF PUBLISHED ARTICLES ON AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY THEMES. THE JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD PUBLISHED 4 VOLUMES IN 2021, RESUMING ITS FULL PUBLISHING SCHEDULE DESPITE DIFFICULTIES IN THE PANDEMIC. ADDITIONALLY, THE SOCIETY COMPETED WORK TO REDESIGN ITS WEBSITE TO BE MOBILE-FRIENDLY AND CONTAIN A DYNAMIC PUBLISHING PLATFORM TO CROSS-POST JOURNAL ARTICLES, AS WELL AS OTHER DIGITAL MEDIA AND CONTENT RELATED TO AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY. THE WEBSITE SERVES AS A DIGITAL PORTAL TO THE SOCIETY'S CONTENT, FEATURING ARTICLES, VIDEOS, PAST PROGRAMS, AND FEATURED COLLECTIONS.

    Expenses $88,971

  • EXHIBITS

    Expenses $22,161

As filed on the 2022 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Sidney Lapidus

    CHAIR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Charles Knapp

    VICE CHAIR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Felicia Herman

    PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Shari Levy Thru 4252022

    VICE PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Scott Einhorn

    VICE PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Joshua H Landes

    VICE PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Samuel R Karetsky

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Lila Corwin Berman

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Deborah Dash-Moore

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Jonathan Lewis

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Nancy T Polevoy

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Dana Raucher

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Julie Salamon

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Bruce Slovin

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Morton Steinberg

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Justin Wyner

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Laurence Zuckerman

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Gemma Birnbaum

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $231,187
    From this org
    $216,587
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $14,600
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $216,587
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $6,547
    Nontaxable benefits
    $8,053
    Filer's total
    $231,187

  • Patricia Cotten

    DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

    Total calculated
    $128,745
    From this org
    $117,587
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $11,158
    Hours/week
    40

  • Melanie Meyers McCarty

    DIRECTOR OF COLLECTIONS

    Total calculated
    $139,921
    From this org
    $114,971
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $24,950
    Hours/week
    40

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Compensation committee
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

The filer's explanations (Part III)

PART I, LINE 3
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION IS DETERMINED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2022
Filed
2 October 2023
IRS schema version
2022v5.0
Source object
202322759349300722

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