The Athenæum of Philadelphia

What it reported doing in 2024

Museum/library building: the athenaeum's three largest program services, as measured by expenses in fye 2025 were 1) maintaining and operating the athenaeum's 1847 national historic landmark building and its circulating and special collections; 2) paying the salaries and benefits of the staff needed to provide programs and services to members and the public and care for the building and collections; and 3) provide public research support. 1) the athenaeum building and collections connected with the history and antiquities of america, and the useful arts, disseminate useful knowledge for public benefit requires care and upkeep. The special collections consist of more than 800,000 books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and architectural drawings of particular value to architectural historians, historians, and preservationist. Thousands are available for research on two sites maintained by the athenaeum: philageohistory.org and philadelphiabuildings.org and were accessed by more than 150,000 people in fye 2025, while staff served more than 30 research requests in person, phone, or via email each month. The athenaeum's circulating collection of books, ebooks, audiobooks, and periodicals that are part of the circulating building are not capitalized. 2) personnel costs make up a large percentage of the annual budget. Our team of librarians and curator care for our collections and make them available to members and researchers. In fye 2025, more than 18,000 items circulated. Front desk, membership, and programming staff provided hospitality, tours, and a robust schedule of more than 170 programs and events in fye 2025, almost all of which were open to both members and the public. 3) public research support. The athenaeum supports a robust program of fellowships, internships, and prizes through the charles e. Peterson fellowship and the peterson prizes. Each year, the charles e. Peterson fellowship committee reviews applications and awards funding to researchers and scholars whose projects focus on american architecture, design, landscape, or engineering prior to 1860. The fellowship also supports 1-3 undergraduate or graduate interns to gain experience working with our architectural collections. The charles e. Peterson prizes are jointly overseen by the athenaeum of philadelphia, the library of congress, the national park service, and the american institute of architects, and award cash prizes to teams of college students for the best architectural drawings of historic structures in conjunction with the national park service's historic american buildings survey (habs) program.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 66.8%; rating input score 67
• Program expense ratio: 64.7%; rating input score 65
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.72 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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: 18.3%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.88; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.1%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings