Society of Architectural Historians

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
202507723
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3125731365
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,897,699
Expenses
$1,342,688
Assets
$9,339,648
Liabilities
$562,335

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MOHAMMAD GHARIPOUR (PRESIDENT)
  • SWATI CHATTOPADHYAY (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • BEN THOMAS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • BEN THOMAS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $188,116 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 mission of the society is to advance the knowledge and understanding of architecture, design, landscape and urbanism worldwide among scholars, professionals in allied fields (including architecture, historic preservation and planning) and the interested general public. This mission is achieved by: sponsoring the pursuit and presentation of scholarly research; sponsoring forums for the presentation of scholarly research and exchange of ideas; providing publications that disseminate scholarly work, professional information and general information related to the field and of interest to the public; acknowledging outstanding scholarly accomplishments in the field; fostering scholarship, research and education about the history of the built environment at all levels; organizing study tours of significant buildings and sites both in the united states and abroad; and supporting the preservation of historic places and cultural heritage.

What it reported doing in 2024

Interpretation: tours and conference - sah hosts an annual conference which allows architectural historians, art historians, architects, museum professionals, and preservationists from around the world a venue to share new research on the history of the built environment.study tours are organized in different geographical locations so participant may learn about different types and styles of world architecture.buildings of the united states -an award-winning series of books on american architecture compiled and written on a state-by-state basis. The primary objective of the series is to identify and celebrate the rich cultural, economic, and geographical diversity of the united states as it is reflected in the architecture of each state. The series is commissioned by the society of architectural historians and published by university of Virginia press.publications and journals -published since 1941, journal of the society of architectural historians (jsah) is widely recognized as a leading english-language journal on history of the built environment. Published four times per year, each issue offers four to five scholarly articles on topics from all periods of history and all parts of the world, reviews of recent books, exhibitions, films, and other media, and a variety of editorials and opinion pieces designed to place the discipline of architectural history within a larger intellectual context. Published in both print and online, jsah brings topics to life for those interested in the history of architecture, landscape architecture, and urbanism.sah also produces a newsletter which is sent to over 10,000 individuals and 2,500 organizations each month. The sah newsletter provides the latest information about fellowships, grants, publications, and other news and opportunities in the fields of architectural history, architecture, landscapes, design, planning, and preservation.society of architectural historians architecture resource archive (sahara) - sahara is a digital collection of over 100,000 images of architecture and landscapes contributed by sah members - architects, scholars, photographers, graduate students, preservationists, and others who share an interest in the build environment.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 67% for direct work, and 33% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - Most voting board members are independent and the filed numbers largely add up. 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: 45
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 44%; rating input score 44
  • Program expense ratio: 47.6%; rating input score 48
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 89.5%; rating input score 89; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • 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: 99.6%; rating input score 100; 50th 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: 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: 29.2%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.96; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6.3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.4% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 44% of revenue deployed · 47.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $640K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $188K · 20 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 41 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 48/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 39/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.