Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
250965391
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Phone
4124546383
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$22,075,741
Expenses
$13,822,642
Assets
$90,135,508
Liabilities
$8,094,467

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

62 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDREW E MASICH (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • TODD HIPWELL (CFO & VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS)
  • TONIA ROSE (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JEFFREY BRODIE (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANDREW E MASICH (PRESIDENT & CEO): $379,697 total reported compensation
  • TONIA ROSE (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT): $185,036 total reported compensation
  • JEFFREY BRODIE (VICE PRESIDENT): $162,902 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The historical society of western Pennsylvania is an educational institution that engages and inspires a large and inclusive audience with links to the past, understanding in the present, and guidance for the future by preserving regional (see continuation on schedule o) history and presenting the american experience with a western Pennsylvania connection. This work is accomplished in partnership with others through archaeology, archives, artifact collections, conservation, educational programs, exhibitions, library, museums, performance, publication, research, technical assistance, and increasingly, through broadcast media and the internet.

What it reported doing in 2024

Exhibition admissions: the historical society of western Pennsylvania is the oldest cultural institution in pittsburgh (founded in 1879) and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. The historical society operates and does business as the senator john heinz history center with a family of museums that also includes the western Pennsylvania sports museum, the detre library & archives, the museum conservation center, fort pitt museum, and meadowcroft rockshelter & historic village.see continuation on schedule o.with many local, state, and national partnerships, we have a broad reach and are nationally known for our commitment to history and civics education.in 2025 we were voted the #1 history museum in america in the USA today readers' choice awards. In fy 2025 we welcomed 351,265 visitors across the history center, fort pitt museum, and meadowcroft rockshelter, the highest visitation in our long history. We offered several temporary exhibitions including louise silk: a patchwork life. The exhibit follows the timeline of silk's quilting experiences through her connections to community, art, feminism, and renewal. The story, while personal and specific, became the repository for larger concepts of folk history, cultural reflection, and personal identification. Additionally, we made updates to our permanent exhibitions. We have continued to reach many more audiences through public programs, social media, and programs offered virtually.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 44.3%; rating input score 44
  • Program expense ratio: 74.8%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $19.4 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 98.1%; rating input score 98; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 37.4%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.52; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.3%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 44.3% of revenue deployed · 74.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 53 of 54 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $10.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $380K · 62 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $4.4M reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 44/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.