Nonprofit · EIN 13-1764804
AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Tax-exempt · NEW YORK, NY 10011
Financials
| Year ended | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Net income | Total assets | Liabilities | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | 990 | $2,761,274 | $2,206,553 | $554,721 | $8,630,214 | $145,270 | $8,484,944 |
| December 31, 2023 | 990 (amended) | $2,753,581 | $2,029,848 | $723,733 | $7,289,220 | $135,687 | $7,153,533 |
Financial details: 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024
Revenue
- Contributions, gifts and grants
- $2,501,073
- of which government grants
- $219,646
- Program service revenue
- $0
- Investment income
- $226,553
- Royalties
- $78,371
- Net gain from sales of assets
- $74,404
- Net income from fundraising events
- -$55,863
- Other revenue
- $33,648
Expenses
- Grants and similar amounts paid
- $0
- Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
- $237,029
- Other salaries and wages
- $905,882
- Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
- $1,425,492
- Professional fundraising fees
- $0
- Legal fees
- $3,272
- Accounting fees
- $131,030
- Occupancy
- $271,163
- Travel
- $42,161
- Depreciation
- $4,382
- Program services (functional)
- $1,495,541
- Management and general (functional)
- $366,675
- Fundraising (functional)
- $344,337
Balance sheet and other
- Total assets, start of year
- $7,289,220
- Total assets, end of year
- $8,630,214
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $145,270
- Net assets, end of year
- $8,484,944
- Land, buildings and equipment
- $366
- Publicly traded securities
- $7,252,628
- Net assets without donor restrictions
- $6,163,979
- Net assets with donor restrictions
- $2,320,965
- Gross receipts
- $5,000,561
- Employees
- 19
- Volunteers
- 16
- Year formed
- 1898
- State of legal domicile
- DC
From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.
Officers, directors and key employees
As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024, highest compensation first.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEMMA BIRNBAUM | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $218,762 | $18,267 |
| MELANIE MEYERS-MCCARTY | DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHAIR, COLLECTIONS AND ENGAGEMENT Highest-paid employee | 40 | $111,633 | $43,788 |
| PATRICIA COTTEN | DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT Highest-paid employee | 40 | $118,953 | $15,692 |
| CHARLES KNAPP | CHAIR - ON 12/31/23 Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| FELICIA HERMAN | PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| SCOTT EINHORN | VICE PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JONATHAN LEWIS | VICE PRESIDENT - ON 12/31/23 Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JOSHUA H LANDES | VICE PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| SAMUEL R KARETSKY | TREASURER Trustee or director, Officer | 2 | $0 | $0 |
| DEBORAH DASH MOORE | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| MARC DOLLINGER | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| SIDNEY LAPIDUS | TRUSTEE - CHAIR EMERITUS Trustee or director | 2 | $0 | $0 |
| JEFF MANKOFF | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| ERIC MORGENSTERN | TRUSTEE - ON 4/18/24 Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| NANCY T POLEVOY | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
6 more people on this return
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| DANA RAUCHER | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| JULIE SALAMON | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| MORTON STEINBERG | TRUSTEE - OFF 4/18/24 Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| JUSTIN WYNER | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| LAURENCE ZUCKERMAN | TRUSTEE - OFF 4/18/24 Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| HEDY ZANKEL | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2023: 19 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEMMA BIRNBAUM | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $218,969 | $15,661 |
| MELANE MEYERS MCCARTY | DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHAIR, COLLECTIONS AND ENGAGEMENT Highest-paid employee | 40 | $112,264 | $31,078 |
| PATRICIA COTTEN | DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT Highest-paid employee | 40 | $117,369 | $13,744 |
| SIDNEY LAPIDUS | CHAIR Trustee or director, Officer | 2 | $0 | $0 |
| CHARLES KNAPP | VICE CHAIR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| FELICIA HERMAN | PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| SCOTT EINHORN | VICE PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JOSHUA H LANDES | VICE PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| SAMUEL R KARETSKY | TREASURER Trustee or director, Officer | 2 | $0 | $0 |
| MARC DOLLINGER | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| DEBORAH DASH MOORE | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JONATHAN LEWIS | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| NANCY T POLEVOY | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| DANA RAUCHER | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JULIE SALAMON | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JEFF MANKOFF | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| MORTON STEINBERG | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JUSTIN WYNER | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| LAURENCE ZUCKERMAN | TRUSTEE Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
Address and contacts
- Address (IRS master file)
- 15 WEST 16TH STREET 5TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10011-6301
- In care of
- % GEMMA BIRNBAUM
- Principal officer (990 for 2024)
- GEMMA BIRNBAUM, 15 WEST 16TH STREET 5TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10011
- Signed the 990
- GEMMA BIRNBAUM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
- Phone
- (212) 294-6160
- Website
- WWW.AJHS.ORG
- Return prepared by
- CBIZ ADVISORS LLC
Mission
SEE SCHEDULE O - THE AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY (THE "SOCIETY") IS THE OLDEST ETHNIC, CULTURAL ARCHIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SOCIETY PROVIDES ACCESS TO MORE THAN 30 MILLION DOCUMENTS AND 50,000 BOOKS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART AND ARTIFACTS THAT REFLECT THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH PRESENCE IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 1654 TO THE PRESENT. AT OUR HOME ON WEST 16 TH STREET IN DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN, THE SOCIETY ILLUMINATES AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY THROUGH OUR MANY ARCHIVAL TREASURES, SCHOLARSHIP, EXHIBITIONS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS. AMONG THE TREASURES OF THIS HERITAGE ARE THE HANDWRITTEN ORIGINALS OF EMMA LAZARUS' THE NEW COLOSSUS, WHICH GRACES THE STATUE OF LIBERTY RECORDS OF THE NATION'S LEADING JEWISH COMMUNAL ORGANIZATIONS AND IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS IN THE FIELDS OF EDUCATION, PHILANTHROPY, SCIENCE, SPORTS, BUSINESS AND THE ARTS. THE SOCIETY IS THE FUTURE OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH PAST.
Program accomplishments
- LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE- SEE SCHEDULE O - THE SOCIETY WELCOMES ALL AUDIENCES, INCLUDING SCHOLARS, WHO WISH TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ON AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE FROM FIRST ARRIVAL IN THE AMERICAS TO THE PRESENT DAY. THE LIBRARY CONSISTS OF APPROXIMATELY 50,000 VOLUMES, INCLUDING BOTH BOOKS AND SERIALS (JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS). THE SOCIETY HOUSES OVER 3,000 ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS AND HAS DEVELOPED FINDING AIDS FOR ITS PERSONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL HOLDINGS; THESE FINDING AIDS ARE ALL PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE ON AJHS'S WEBSITE. ON-SITE AND VIRTUAL USAGE OF AJHS'S HOLDINGS REMAINS VERY ROBUST AND CONTINUES TO INCREASE, WITH PATRONS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WORLDWIDE ACCESSING THE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS. SINCE ESTABLISHING ITS OWN-HOUSE DIGITIZATION LAB IN 2022, THE SOCIETY HAS CONTINUED EXPANDING ITS DIGITAL HOLDINGS AND DIGITIZATION PROGRAM, IN ALIGNMENT WITH ITS MANDATE TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO HISTORIC MATERIALS. IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 2024, STATISTICS ON DIGITAL USE SHOWCASED THAT THE TOP THREE FINDING AIDS ACCESSED WERE: THE HEBREW IMMIGRANT AID SOCIETY (ACCESSED 2459 TIMES); THE RECORDS OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS (ACCESSED 2283 TIMES); AND THE HEBREW ORPHAN ASYLUM COLLECTION (ACCESSED 1898 TIMES). THESE ARE COLLECTIONS WHICH FEATURE A SIGNFIICANT AMOUNT OF DIGITIZED CONTENT, THUS DEMONSTRATING THE OVERALL VALUE OF THE SOCIETY'S ACTIVE DIGITIZATION EFFORTS AND UNDERSCORING THE ONGOING NEED FOR ADDITIONAL EXTENSIVE DIGITAL CONTENT AND CURRICULAR RESOURCES PREPARED BY THE SOCIETY.Expenses $833,752
- EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS- SEE SCHEDULE O -IN 2024, THE SOCIETY HOSTED 22 IN-PERSON, ONLINE, AND HYBRID BOOK TALKS, FILM SCREENINGS, AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS REACHING AUDIENCES BOTH LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY THROUGH THIS PUBLIC HISTORY INITIATIVE. THE SOCIETY PARTNERED WITH INSTITUTIONS ACROSS NEW YORK CITY AND NATIONALLY TO INCREASE PROGRAM VIEWERSHIP AND EXPAND ITS NETWORK. ONLINE, THE SOCIETY CONTINUED ITS POPULAR "AT LUNCH" SERIES WITH JULIE SALAMON, WELCOMING GUESTS FROM THE FIELDS OF HISTORY, ENTERTAINMENT, JOURNALISM, AND MORE. THE SOCIETY OFFERED IN-PERSON CLASSES TO LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PS 41 FOR JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, TEACHING OVER 500 PRE-K TO 5TH GRADE STUDENTS.THE SOCIETY HAS CONTINUED ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY TO TRAIN K-12 TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS ABOUT HOW TO BEST USE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS RELATED TO JEWISH AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE PROGRAM TRAINED 35 EDUCATORS AND REACHED ROUGHLY 3,000 STUDENTS NATIONWIDE. ADDITIONALLY, THE SOCIETY HOSTED ITS BIENNIAL SCHOLARS CONFERENCE ON-SITE IN NYC, A MULTI-DAY EVENT OFFERING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOLARS TO PRESENT WORK AND GAIN FEEDBACK FROM COLLEAGUES IN THE FIELD. THE SOCIETY ALSO HOSTED THE GRANT CENTER AT TULANE UNIVERSITY'S BEINNER SYMPOSIUM, A DISCUSSION OF SCHOLARS AND JOURNALISTS ON MODERN ANTISEMITISM.Expenses $578,136
- DIGITAL MEDIA - SEE SCHEDULE O -IN 2024, THE SOCIETY SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDED ITS DIGITAL OFFERINGS, PUBLISHING WEEKLY BLOGS FEATURING COLLECTION MATERIALS AND SPECIAL GUEST AUTHORS, AND ADDING NEW VIDEO CONTENT TO ITS YOUTUBE CHANNEL. IN MAY 2024, AJHS LAUNCHED ITS LARGEST NEW DIGITAL INITIATIVE: A NARRATIVE PODCAST TITLED "THE WRECKAGE." THE SERIES CHRONICLES THE STORIES OF JEWISH AMERICANS FROM THE AJHS COLLECTIONS, COVERING THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR II AND THROUGH THE END OF THE COLD WAR. THE SERIES IS HOSTED BY ACCLAIMED ACTRESS AND SINGER REBECCA NAOMI JONES AND FEATURES HISTORIAN INTERVIEWS AND EXPERTS IN THE FIELD. THE EIGHT EPISODE SEASON CULMINATED WITH A LIVE TAPING OF A PANEL OF HISTORIANS DISCUSSING HOW THE HOLOCAUST AND POST-WAR REFUGEE CRISIS SHAPED JEWISH AMERICAN IDENTITY, MEMORY, AND CULTURE. THE SEASON, TITLED YEAR ZERO, WAS NOMINATED FOR A WEBBY AWARD.Expenses $83,653
What it must file and when
IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.
| Tax year | Year ended | Due | IRS public records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | December 31, 2025 | May 15, 2026 | Check at the IRS |
| 2024 | December 31, 2024 | May 15, 2025 | 990 on file |
| 2023 | December 31, 2023 | May 15, 2024 | 990 on file |
IRS record
- EIN
- 13-1764804
- Tax-exempt status
- 501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
- Foundation status
- Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))
- Donations deductible (Pub 78)
- Public charity, 50% deduction limit
- Exempt since
- 1933
- Accounting year ends
- December
- Files
- Form 990 or 990-EZ
- Category (NTEE)
- Arts, culture and humanities (A82Z)
- Assets (IRS master file)
- $8,469,120
- Income (IRS master file)
- $6,017,392
Filing history
| Form | Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | December 2024 | $2,761,274 | $2,206,553 | $8,630,214 | XML |
| 990 | December 2023 | $2,753,581 | $2,029,848 | $7,289,220 | XML |
| 990 | December 2022 | $1,813,185 | $2,030,854 | $5,947,205 | IRS |
| 990 | December 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2018 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2017 | – | – | – | IRS |
990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 13-1764804).
Questions about AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
- What is the EIN of AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY?
- The employer identification number (EIN) of AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY is 13-1764804.
- Is AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY tax-exempt?
- Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1933.
- Are donations to AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY tax-deductible?
- Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
- Which annual return does AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY file?
- Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.
- When is the next return of AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY due?
- The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
- When did AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY last file with the IRS?
- The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2024.
- Who is the principal officer of AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 names GEMMA BIRNBAUM.
- Who are the officers and directors of AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 lists 21 people; 3 received compensation from the organization, the highest $218,762 (GEMMA BIRNBAUM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR).
- How much revenue does AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY have?
- On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 it reported revenue of $2,761,274, expenses of $2,206,553 and total assets of $8,630,214 at year end.
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