ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM INC

As filed

Subsection

03

NTEE code

A510

Classification

1000

Street

25 EVANS WAY

These codes are the IRS's own and are shown exactly as filed. What each one means is in the Business Master File documentation (opens in a new tab).

Mission and programs · 2023

• COLLECTION AND CONSERVATION - DISTINGUISHED AMONG OTHER GREAT MUSEUMS FOR PRESERVING THE CURATORIAL VISION OF ITS FOUNDER, THE GARDNER MUSEUM IS A WORK OF ART IN TOTALITY. IT ENCOMPASSES A COLLECTION OF APPROXIMATELY 20,000 OBJECTS, INCLUDING ARCHIVAL ITEMS AND WORKS OF ART SPANNING 30 CENTURIES. ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER BEQUEATHED THIS REMARKABLE COLLECTION AND HISTORIC BUILDING AS A RESOURCE "FOR THE EDUCATION AND ENJOYMENT OF THE PUBLIC FOREVER." ON CONTINUAL DISPLAY, THE ONGOING CONSERVATION OF THE COLLECTION EMPLOYS CUTTING EDGE SCIENTIFIC METHODS AND NEW PRACTICES TO PRESERVE, PROTECT, AND SAFEGUARD THESE WORKS FOR POSTERITY. SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS, PUBLICATIONS, AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS FEATURE NEW RESEARCH ON THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION AND CATALYZE DIALOGUES THAT ADDRESS QUESTIONS OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL RELEVANCE.

  Expenses $15,976,662 · Revenue $6,407,940

• THE GARDNER'S EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS CREATE WELCOMING AND ENJOYABLE LEARNING EXPERIENCES. KNOWN FOR A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AS WELL AS COLLABORATING WITH LOCAL ARTISTS AND COMMUNITIES, THE GARDNER OFFERS A RICH VARIETY OF PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS THAT SPARK IN-DEPTH EXPERIENCES WITH WORKS OF ART AND PRESENT OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH SOME OF TODAY'S MOST CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS. IN ADDITION TO HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS AND DOCENTS, THE MUSEUM CONDUCTS THOUGHTFUL RESEARCH THAT BRINGS NEW KNOWLEDGE TO THE MUSEUM EDUCATION FIELD. THE THINKING THROUGH ART K-12 PROGRAM, KNOWN FOR ITS EMPHASIS ON CLOSE LOOKING AND INTERPRETATION, HAS PRODUCED RESEARCH ON HOW IN-DEPTH EXPERIENCES WITH ART HELPED BOSTON STUDENTS DEVELOP SIGNIFICANTLY MORE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THAN STUDENTS IN CONTROL SCHOOLS WITHOUT THE PROGRAM. WORKING WITH LOCAL ARTISTS, PERFORMERS, CULTURAL LEADERS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, THE MUSEUM WORKS TO BUILD MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS. FIRST FREE THURSDAYS, A SUCCESSFUL EVENING PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ADULTS, HAS BECOME A MODEL FOR MUSEUMS AROUND THE COUNTRY IN ENGAGING YOUNG, LOCAL AUDIENCES. NEIGHBORHOOD SALON LUMINARIES AND STUDIO ARTIST PROGRAMS BUILD COMMUNITY WITH LOCAL ARTISTS AND CREATIVES, CONNECTING THEM WITH THE MUSEUM, THE STAFF, COLLECTION, AND RESOURCES, INFORMING FUTURE PROGRAM CO-CREATION AND ARTISTIC RESPONSES TO THE GARDNER. EXHIBITION INTERPRETATION AND PROGRAMMING FEATURE A VARIETY OF PERSPECTIVES, CREATING MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS FOR VISITORS. THE GARDNER AMBASSADORS PAID INTERNSHIP PROVIDES PRACTICAL, COMPENSATED JOB PATHWAYS FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY AND STATE (UMASS BOSTON) COLLEGE STUDENTS, EMPHASIZING BOTH PERSONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS GROUNDING THEIR LEARNING IN THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE.

  Expenses $2,363,648 · Revenue $941,800

• MUSIC - A VITAL PART OF ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER'S VISION, MUSIC CONTINUES TO BE CENTRAL TO THE GARDNER MUSEUM'S INTERDISCIPLINARY MISSION. ISABELLA'S MUSEUM OPENED IN 1903 WITH A CONCERT BY THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, AND HER DYNAMIC MUSICAL LEGACY CONTINUES TODAY WITH THE COUNTRY'S OLDEST MUSEUM-BASED CONCERT SERIES. THE MUSEUM'S SUNDAY CONCERT SERIES PRESENTS OUTSTANDING ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING MUSICIANS IN THE MUSEUM'S INTIMATE CONCERT SPACE, CALDERWOOD HALL. THE PERFORMERS, COMPOSERS, AND REPERTOIRE FEATURED IN THE MUSEUM'S MUSICAL PROGRAMMING REFLECT A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE, WHILE THE COMMISSIONING OF NEW WORKS CELEBRATES THE INNOVATIVE PERSPECTIVES OF CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT PRESENTS MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERFORMANCES THAT RESPOND TO THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION AND EXHIBITIONS THROUGH DANCE, MUSIC, SPOKEN WORD, AND THEATER.

  Expenses $1,200,216 · Revenue $554,922

• LANDSCAPE & HORTICULTURE - IN BUILDING THE MUSEUM, THE FIRST PUBLIC INSTITUTION ON THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED BACK BAY FENS, ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER CONTRIBUTED TO A CONCEPTION OF THE CITY AS SHAPED BY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. THE MUSEUM REMAINS COMMITTED TO BEING A PREEMINENT CULTURAL VENUE FOR LANDSCAPE AND ITS ROLE IN THE CONTEMPORARY CITY. THE LANDSCAPE DEPARTMENT CURATES EXHIBITIONS AND CONVENES PUBLIC PROGRAMS ON TOPICS OF SOCIETAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR CONTEMPORARY BOSTON. THESE PROGRAMS PRESENT OUR AUDIENCES WITH THE MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES OF THE DAY, AS WELL AS THE ROLE OF DESIGN AND PLANNING IN ADDRESSING THOSE CHALLENGES. THE MUSEUM MAINTAINS A VARIED LIVING PLANT COLLECTION, WITH MANY SPECIES DESCENDING FROM THE FOUNDER'S OWN ERA. ADDITIONALLY, THE HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT PROPAGATES THOUSANDS OF PLANTS EACH YEAR FOR SEASONAL DISPLAYS IN ITS ICONIC COURTYARD. THE MONK'S GARDEN, HORTICULTURE WORKSHOPS, AND OTHER PROGRAMMING FURTHER BRING THE ART OF HORTICULTURE TO LIFE AS PART OF THE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE.

  Expenses $1,170,831 · Revenue $242,537

• CONTEMPORARY ART - THE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM IS ONE OF THE OLDEST IN THE COUNTRY, BEGINNING IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE MUSEUM WHEN GARDNER'S FRIEND JOHN SINGER SARGENT STAYED IN AN APARTMENT ON THE GROUND FLOOR. SINCE 1992 THE MUSEUM HAS INVITED ARTISTS FROM ALL CREATIVE DISCIPLINES AND BACKGROUNDS TO ONCE AGAIN STAY ON THE PREMISES TO RESEARCH, WORK AND RESPOND TO THE COLLECTION, OFFERING FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON GARDNER'S CREATION. IN 2012, THE MUSEUM AMPLIFIED ITS COMMITMENT TO THIS PROGRAM BY OPENING TWO PURPOSE BUILT APARTMENTS FOR ARTISTS IN THE NEW WING. THESE ARTISTS OFTEN RETURN MULTIPLE TIMES TO FIND INSPIRATION, TO ENJOY THE GIFT OF TIME AND TO STAY CONNECTED TO THE MUSEUM IN MEANINGFUL WAYS. THANKS TO THE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN, THE CONTEMPORARY DEPARTMENT HAS CONTINUED TO FORGE DYNAMIC NEW CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MUSEUM AUDIENCES, LIVING ARTISTS AND THE COLLECTION, WHILE EXPANDING THE FOCUS ON SPECIFIC THEMATIC EXHIBITION PROJECTS AND COMMISSIONS, WHICH CONNECT GARDNER'S TOTAL WORK OF ART TO RELEVANT ISSUES OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURE.

  Expenses $711,011 · Revenue $242,537

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Officers and directors · 2023

As listed in Part VII of the 2023 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

The first 25 listed. 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. Earlier years are each on their own filing page.

Filings

• 2023

  Revenue

  $22,348,223

  Expenses

  $27,132,312

  Contributions

  $9,068,333

  Grants paid

  $0

• 2022

  Revenue

  $19,283,304

  Expenses

  $25,793,696

  Contributions

  $10,871,153

  Grants paid

  $0

The four totals the IRS asks for on Part I of the Form 990, as filed. A dash means the figure was not present on the return — not that it was zero.

Other returns filed

• 2023 · 990-T

  Revenue

  — not reported

  Expenses

  — not reported

  Assets (EOY)

  — not reported

• 2022 · 990-T

  Revenue

  — not reported

  Expenses

  — not reported

  Assets (EOY)

  — not reported

• 2021 · 990

  Revenue

  $21,324,640

  Expenses

  $23,924,424

  Assets (EOY)

  $300,698,212

• 2021 · 990-T

  Revenue

  — not reported

  Expenses

  — not reported

  Assets (EOY)

  — not reported

• 2020 · 990

  Revenue

  $30,352,820

  Expenses

  $21,672,068

  Assets (EOY)

  $347,979,013

• 2020 · 990-T

  Revenue

  — not reported

  Expenses

  — not reported

  Assets (EOY)

  — not reported

• 2019 · 990

  Revenue

  $28,169,713

  Expenses

  $23,421,490

  Assets (EOY)

  $300,537,225

• 2018 · 990

  Revenue

  $23,038,232

  Expenses

  $23,823,730

  Assets (EOY)

  $299,436,356

• 2017 · 990

  Revenue

  $19,968,573

  Expenses

  $22,480,781

  Assets (EOY)

  $300,696,281

• 2016 · 990

  Revenue

  $17,988,912

  Expenses

  $22,135,619

  Assets (EOY)

  $298,661,744

Nonprofiteer parses Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, in a window of recent tax years. These returns are recorded from the IRS e-file index, so their figures were extracted by that index rather than read from the return here — treat them as a different source from the filings above, not as more of the same record. A dash means the index carries no figure; Form 990-T listings carry none at all. Showing the 10 most recent; the API carries the rest.

Grants made

No itemized grants to organizations. Schedule I is filed only by organizations that granted more than $5,000 to a recipient, so most filers have none.

Grants received

• FIDELITY NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION

  $2,500,000

  2022 · ENDOWMENT

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $1,458,257

  2024 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $1,284,673

  2023 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• FIDELITY NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION

  $1,000,000

  2023 · ENDOWMENT

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $970,433

  2022 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• GS DONOR ADVISED PHILANTHROPY FUND FOR WEALTH MANAGEMENT INC

  $390,000

  2022 · ARTS AND CULTURE

• BOSTON FOUNDATION INC

  $307,025

  2023 · Operating Support/Annual Fund

• NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TR

  $241,250

  2022 · CULTURE & ARTS

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $220,160

  2022 · ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES

• COMBINED JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES OF GREATER BOSTON INC

  $200,000

  2024 · DAF - Arts & Culture

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Taxable family

From Schedule R Parts I, III and IV: entities that legally are the filer, and taxable partnerships, corporations and trusts it is related to. These record ownership and control, not shared board members or money.

Other IRS files