EIN 36-2167004

Chicago Historical Society (CHM)

IRS 501(c) type
501(c)(3)
Num. employees
245
Year formed
1857
Most recent tax filings
2022-06-01
NTEE code, primary
Description
Chicago History Museum continues to share the stories of the city and its people through exhibitions, programs, publications, and digital media. Thousands of school groups from Chicago and the surrounding area visit annually.
Total revenues
$15,038,485
2022
Total expenses
$15,016,771
2022
Total assets
$127,431,701
2022
Num. employees
245
2022

Program areas at CHM

EDUCATION AND AUDIENCE - At the heart of the Chicago History Museum's mission to connect people to Chicago's history and each other, is our commitment to design and offer meaningful and relevant programs, resources, and experiences within and beyond the museum walls. We strive to empower and inspire learners of all ages and backgrounds to investigate Chicago's rich histories and nurture their curiosity and potential to be active history makers. Through rich and diverse educational experiences and programs, we hope to inspire lifelong learning and contribute to shaping an urban society that is inclusive, empathetic, and aware of its power to learn from and make history and influence positive change for future generations. In FY22, a set of key programming and learning guidelines was established to ensure departmental learning was in alignment with CHM's institutional mission, contemporary museum learning discourse, and the nuanced needs of the groups the department serves. These guidelines required programming to be learner-centered, culturally responsive, inquiry and civic-minded, and actively anti-racist; allowing audiences to see themselves in history and make meaningful connections to their lives and Chicago.
EXHIBITIONS CHM shares Chicago's stories, enabling visitors to explore historical themes and events and reflect on the city's diverse communities. CHM exhibits photos, videos, artifacts, and interactive displays that connect audiences to history. Exhibits are designed, fabricated, and installed according to national industry best practices and with an eye for innovative methods of interpretation. In addition to maintaining permanent exhibitions such as the landmark Chicago: Crossroads of America, Facing Freedom, and Sensing Chicago, CHM offered several temporary exhibitions in 2022. They include Remembering Dr. King: 1929-1968; Millions of Moments: the Chicago Sun-Times Photo Archive; Vivian Maier: In Color; and City on Fire: Chicago 1871, and Treasured Ten: Selections from the Costume Collection.
COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH CHM houses a premier collection, estimated at 25 million objects, documents and images, including an unparalleled set of materials pertaining to Abraham Lincoln; one of the largest and most significant costume collections in the world; the Hedrich Blessing architecture photography collection; the photo morgues of the Chicago Daily News and the Chicago Sun-Times newspapers; color works by Vivan Maier; and the complete library of Studs Terkel's WFMT interviews. CHM seeks to maximize the discoverability of its collections, making primary source material available to researchers. Our onsite vehicle for public access is the Research Center, a non-circulating library of publications, images, documents, and artifacts, which served nearly 4,000 patrons in 2021. CHM's website introduces hundreds of thousands of annual online visitors to collection holdings and offers access to its Research Center staff, who address research inquiries. The Research Center also hosts hundreds of History Day students every season, who visit to conduct research on their selected topics.

Who funds Chicago Historical Society (CHM)

Grants from foundations and other nonprofits
GrantmakerDescriptionAmount
Francis Alger and Charles Burrall Pike TrustGeneral$267,860
Robert R Mccormick FoundationResearch Collection Storage Facility Renovation, Chicago Metro History Fair$250,000
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor Grant Recipient's Exempt Purposes$224,330
...and 33 more grants received totalling $1,361,705

Personnel at CHM

NameTitleCompensation
Donald LasserePresident and Chief Executive Officer$311,699
Cheryl ObermeyerVice President of Finance$171,849
Thema McDonaldVice President of Marketing and Communications$140,756
Michael AndersonVice President of External Engagement and Development$142,805
Shatierra ParksSenior Director of Human Resources$115,741
...and 3 more key personnel

Financials for CHM

RevenuesFYE 06/2022
Total grants, contributions, etc.$9,384,767
Program services$1,895,200
Investment income and dividends$157,249
Tax-exempt bond proceeds$0
Royalty revenue$0
Net rental income$-100,173
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets$3,701,442
Net income from fundraising events$0
Net income from gaming activities$0
Net income from sales of inventory$0
Miscellaneous revenues$0
Total revenues$15,038,485

Form 990s for CHM

Fiscal year endingDate received by IRSFormPDF link
2022-062023-05-11990View PDF
2021-062022-06-22990View PDF
2020-062021-04-13990View PDF
2019-062020-09-03990View PDF
2018-062019-05-14990View PDF
...and 8 more Form 990s
Data update history
July 13, 2023
Used new vendors
Identified 8 new vendors, including , , , , , , , and
July 12, 2023
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2021
July 6, 2023
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2022
June 30, 2023
Updated personnel
Identified 8 new personnel
May 8, 2023
Updated personnel
Identified 1 new personnel
Nonprofit Types
Arts, culture, and humanities nonprofitsMuseumsCharities
Issues
EducationArts, cultural, and humanitiesHistory
Characteristics
Political advocacyFundraising eventsState / local levelReceives government fundingEndowed supportTax deductible donations
General information
Address
1601 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60614
Metro area
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
County
Cook County, IL
Website URL
home.chicagohistory.org/ 
Phone
(312) 642-4600
Facebook page
chicagohistory 
Twitter profile
@chicagomuseum 
IRS details
EIN
36-2167004
Fiscal year end
June
Taxreturn type
Form 990
Year formed
1857
Eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub 78)
Yes
Categorization
NTEE code, primary
A54: History Museums
NAICS code, primary
7121: Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions
Parent/child status
Independent
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