Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
522213646
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2025490158
Rating
61
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$462,536
Expenses
$422,770
Assets
$4,457,745
Liabilities
$34,674

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LORI RICHARDS (PRESIDENT)
  • ELIZABETH GRAY (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
  • KATHLEEN GRAHAM (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHLEEN GRAHAM (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $211,073 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The securities and exchange commission historical society, through its virtual museum and archive at www.sechistorical.org, shares, preserves and advances knowledge of the history of financial regulation by and through the securities and exchange commission. (continued on sch. O)this mission is fulfilled through the virtual museum and archive of financial regulation, which offers a unique collection of materials accessible for free at www.sechistorical.org.

What it reported doing in 2025

The online virtual museum and archive at www.sechistorical.org contains a rich resource of primary and unique materials on the creation, growth and impact of capital markets regulation from the 20th century to the present. The virtual museum houses a digital collection of materials selected for inclusion because of the historical importance of the subject matter. To date, the permanent collection includes oral histories, roundtables and panel programs featuring experts from all corners of the securities markets - regulatory, corporate, legislative, investor, and academic - who have had a direct and significant role in, or impact upon, the functioning of the u.s. Capital markets. Other items in the museum include letters, photos, speeches, papers and other materials relevant to the development (continued on schedule o)oversight and history of the securities markets. The museum's collection of materials assists researchers and the public in understanding how the statutes, regulations and policies for the capital markets have developed and been interpreted from the 1900's to the present. Entrance to the virtual museum is free to anyone with internet access.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 88% 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.

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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 44
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 57
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 47.4%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 44.3%; rating input score 44
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 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; 64th 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: Fail
    • 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: 8.6%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.54; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 49.9%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -16.2% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.2% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 47.4% of revenue deployed · 44.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $187K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $211K · 26 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2015 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 47/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 30/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.