Torrance Historical Society Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
953340796
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Torrance, CA, USA
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$65,568
Expenses
$26,166
Assets
$437,735

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Michelle Polcari (President)
  • Janet Payne (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Michelle Polcari (President)
  • Janet Payne (Vice President)
  • Jill Maroney (Secretary)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of the Torrance Historical Society is to promote interest in and education in the History of Torrance and the San Pedro Rancho. This is accomplished by maintaining a Museum and preserving this history for present and future generations.

What it reported doing in 2025

Community Outreach that involves the residents of Torrance and neighboring communities in events and programs at the To0rrance Historical Society Museum. This includes our largest attended event "Rock around the Block" which is a community block party held in front of the Torrance Historical Society Museum that celebrates Torrance being named the "All America City" in 1956. Over 2,000 people attend this event. Other events include the reading of the names on the Torrance Veterans Memorial Wall on Memorial Day. Evening programs in August and other historical programs throughout the year such as "Visit with a Vet" on Veterans Day.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 78
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 46.3%; rating input score 46
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 60.1%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.73; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 43% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 46.3% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $30K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 6 of 7 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2015 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part III program expenses within total did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.