Education and public programs - the museum welcomed over 291,000 field trip participants in fy25. High school and college students participate in programs that provide exploration of science and museum careers. Educator professional learning programs served thousands of teachers onsite and online. Urban advantage, a science education program reached 87,240 students from 324 schools across nyc. The museum's mat program helps train earth science teachers for placement in high needs schools. Lectures and public events provide opportunities for public engagement with science topics.
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: CEO salary, finances and where donations go
“Nat history museum, planetarium, collections, library, scientific research, graduate school (ph.d./ comp biology & mat/education), education & exhibitions (sch o).”
Data only Figures straight from the filing, screened by our rules. Not yet reviewed in depth by a CPA.
Methodology by Amir Arani, CPA, CA · Updated
- Top pay
- $1.7M Lisa Gugenheim, 0.6% of spending
- Revenue
- $246.8M 62.2% from donations and grants
- Spent
- $278.6M 83.1% on programs, as reported
- Net assets
- $1.12B end of FY ending Jun 2025
- Savings
- 48.4 months of spending, net assets ÷ spending
- People
- 1,337 employees, 804 volunteers
1 thing to look at.
We screen every filing against twelve rules. A flag is a prompt for a closer look, not a finding of wrongdoing.
Business transactions with insiders or their companies
Part IV line 28b answered yes.
Form 990 Part IV, lines 28a–28c; Schedule L Part IVOf each dollar it spent, 83.1¢ went to programs, as reported.
For each dollar donated, American Museum of Natural History spent 8¢ on fundraising.
Fundraising ÷ $153.5M contributions · Form 990 Parts VIII, IXWhat it told the IRS it spent on.
The charity's own description of its largest programs, with what each cost.
Exhibition - the museum is open to the public 363 days a year with more than 40 permanent exhibition halls. The museum has a robust schedule of special exhibitions and planetarium shows it designs and produces, which also travel to venues around the u.s. And internationally, supplemented with educational content, and other web-based resources for learning.
Net assets: $789.5M to $1.12B in 11 years.
Net assets at each fiscal year end, 2013 to 2025.
The 8 highest-paid people.
Reportable pay in FY ending Jun 2025, from the charity and related organizations.
| Contractor | Service | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Nicholson Galloway Inc | Construction service | $8,232,166 |
| Restaurant Associates | Restaurant mgmt | $4,772,673 |
| Tishman Interiors Corporation | Construction service | $2,671,262 |
| Delta Designs Ltd | Design & fabrication | $1,450,107 |
| Mjh Energy Consulting Inc | Construction service | $1,020,652 |
The questions people ask about the American Museum of Natural History.
Short, sourced answers. Each one stands on its own.
How much does the American Museum of Natural History CEO make?
Lisa Gugenheim, Dir. of the Mus. (end 6/30/24), received $1,738,936 in reportable compensation in FY ending Jun 2025, 0.6% of American Museum of Natural History's $278.6M in spending.
Form 990 (FY ending Jun 2025), Part VIIWhat percentage of American Museum of Natural History donations go to programs?
American Museum of Natural History reported 83.1% of FY ending Jun 2025 spending as programs, 4.2% as fundraising and 12.6% as management.
Form 990 (FY ending Jun 2025), Part IXHow much money does American Museum of Natural History have?
Net assets were $1.12B at the end of FY ending Jun 2025, about 48.4 months of spending.
Form 990 (FY ending Jun 2025), Part XDoes American Museum of Natural History have any red flags in its filing?
Its latest Form 990 triggered 1 of our twelve screening rules: business transactions with insiders or their companies. A flag is a prompt for a closer look, not a finding of wrongdoing.
Form 990 (FY ending Jun 2025)Every number, traced.
- American Museum of Natural History Form 990, FY ending Jun 2025 (IRS e-file)
- American Museum of Natural History Form 990 history (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer)
Amir Arani, “American Museum of Natural History: CEO salary, finances and where your dollar goes,” Charity Math, updated 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/charities/american-museum-of-natural-history/