American Musicological Society Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Founded in 1942, the American Musicological Society (AMS) exists to expand understanding of music and sound through research, teaching, learning, and advocacy. About 2,700 individuals and 500 library subscribers from over forty nations participate in the Society.The primary program activities of the society are: the publication of its Journal publications grantmaking (support for published musicological research) an annual meeting where music research is presented and discussed fellowships for graduate study in musicology evaluation and presentation of awards for outstanding publications travel and research grants for all aspects of musicology support for public lecture series on musicological topics for a wider publicThe programs are supported and managed by the Board of Directors, the governing body with wide representation (AMS Council), and paid administrative staff. In-kind support for activities is provided through the Society's host institution, New York University. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Society for American Music (SAM), and the University of Michigan also support the Society's effort to publish a series of critical editions focused on American music and titled Music of in the United States of America (MUSA). Over three hundred members of the Society serve voluntarily on committees and boards to assist in accomplishing its goals. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the following programs/publications were new or revised.a.Supplemental Grants for Students - In 2025, the AMS offered additional travel support to current undergraduate and terminal masters degree students interested pursuing careers in music studies to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting. There were a total of 13 grants awarded.b.AMS Institute: Musics of the United States - In 2025, the AMS held a residential summer institute for higher education faculty entitled Musics of the United States: Telling Our Stories. The institute was held between 27 July and 9 August 2025 at the University of Maryland: College Park near Washington, D.C. Over the course of the institute, thirty participants and eight faculty members explored ways of reshaping the narratives and content of college-level instruction about American music.c.Coalition of Music Organizations - In summer 2025, the AMS launched the Coalition of Music Organizations, a voluntary association of small to medium-sized music organizations, publishers, programs, and cultural institutions designed to provide access to small-grant funding, outreach support, and opportunities for cooperation and conversation.d.AMS Career Center - In 2025, the AMS launched the AMS Career Center, a hub for community announcements, calls, jobs, and other resources designed to help you advance your career in music studies, teaching and performance. The Career Center replaces the AMS-Announce Listserv, long the Societys hub for announcements, opportunities and job postings. The Career Center can be found here: https://careers.amsmusicology.org/.e.AMS Community Site - In 2025, the AMS launched the AMS Community Site, a networking and social sharing site for AMS members to use when communicating with each other and organizing as part of the Societys 22 study groups and 15 chapters. The Community Site can be found here: https://community.amsmusicology.org/.f.AMS Website - In early 2025, the AMS launched a new website designed to better support its activities and outreach. The new AMS website is built on an open-source CiviCRM installation that provides robust communications and data management capacity. The site is also more attractive than the old, featuring over 1000 images and videos as well as an improved user interface and data architecture. The new AMS website may be accessed here: https://www.amsmusicology.org/.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 83.9%; rating input score 84
• Program expense ratio: 79.4%; rating input score 79
• Fundraising efficiency: $24.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Limited
  • Requires narrative reports: Limited
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Limited
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Limited
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 5.6%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.49; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 10.9%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 12.8% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings