Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society

What it reported doing in 2025

Museum program and exhibits- the buffalo history museum plays a critical role in both preserving the legacy of our region and understanding the unique character and cultural identities of its people. We are distinctively located at the crossroads of past and future a vibrant, historic destination set at the heart of a re-energized cultural corridor. Since 1862, we have served as the community's historical ambassador, the dedicated safekeeper and storyteller of our collective memory. Through a collection of over 550,000 objects and an ever-changing array of exhibits and programs, we share the stories of our region's triumphs and struggles.our 2020-2030 master plan builds on our generations-long commitment to western New York by establishing a new vision and by refocusing on how we engage with communities to share their histories from their perspectives. Our goal is to foster an atmosphere of storytelling, conversation, and engagement that is built on input from our whole community. We aim to create content and connect with people of diverse backgrounds, sharing different perspectives on history and how it connects with contemporary issues. We believe sharing in local history builds and fosters community- creating a stronger sense of place and improving quality of life. In a recent survey, almost 60% of our visitors said that the museum contributes to their quality of life.creating access for all to experience history -develop plan for centralizing collections at the resource center. -offer virtual and in-person educational experiences providing local students the chance to discover their history, supporting and reinforcing the work of local educators.-award-winning podcast reaching audiences far beyond our walls with over 60,000 downloads to date and listeners in every state and over 75 countries.-catalog and expand digital access to collections by adding 1,000 objects to the pastperfect online artifact database, bringing the total to 9,115 objects and enhancing records with video and audio content where possible to support remote access.- continue pay-what-you-wish approach to admission feescollect and preserve our community's stories-continue developing our new contemporary collecting initiatives, including: celebrations & cultural traditions and recipes & historic menus-confront white supremacy and systemic racism with our partners in the may 14th buffalo massacre community memory coalition-create access to resources digitally including a personal name index to our collection of erie county clerk records-continue digital preservation inititiative with newpapers.com creating access to our vast newspaper collection.-continue to foster relationships with university at buffalo, buffalo state university and other higher education programs, creating internship opportunities for their students to develop research and collections management skills.-steward the only standing structure from the 1901 pan american exposition- a national historic landmark building overlooking mirror lake and olmsted's Delaware park. Exhibits, programs attract diverse audiences-"waterway of change," sponsored by the erie canal harbor development corporation, debuted as a signature erie canal bicentennial experience in buffalo, welcoming over 25,000 visitors free of charge. The exhibition begins with the traditional homeland of the haudenosaunee and the canal's 1825 opening, tracing buffalo's rise as a major port and shipping hub. It highlights the diverse perspectives of indigenous peoples, black individuals, women, and immigrant communities, revealing the canal's complex cultural and historical impact. Through an interactive multimedia experienceincluding short films, touchscreens, audio, artifacts, and dramatic lightingvisitors of all ages and abilities engage with buffalo's rapid growth, the canal's technical innovations, and the contributions of individuals who shaped the city. The exhibit provides a dynamic lens on history, connecting past achievemen

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73.9%; rating input score 74
• Program expense ratio: 60.8%; rating input score 61
• Fundraising efficiency: $3.26 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -0.9%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.41; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.3%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings