The American Bookbinders Museum

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
263235193
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2012, Form 990-N 2013
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone
4158249754
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$450,002
Expenses
$391,817
Assets
$405,190
Liabilities
$55,983

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GRIFFIN GONZALES (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANITA ENGLES (EXECUTIVE DI): $128,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We tell the story of the book, presenting the art of western bookbinding as a hand process through early mechanization, promoting a deeper understanding of the impact of book production on the american experience

What it reported doing in 2025

We are proud to be a participating member in the nation-wide museums for all program, offering free admission to low-income families and the blue star program offering free admission to active duty military. The abm programs at least three temporary special exhibits annually, partnering with artisans, bookbinders, historians and collectors. Past exhibits have featured contemporary and historical artisanal bindings, historical events, specific binding styles and literary genres, appealing to book lovers young and old. In addition, we offer how-to, historical and binding related subjects as public lectures and special community events. Our ability to offer tours, lectures, workshops, and special exhibits and special events comes from public and private donations, underwriting all museum activities

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 a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 76.9%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 12.9%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.03; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.7%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67% of revenue deployed · 76.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $301K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $128K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.