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Seattle Art Museum

FOUNDED IN 1917, THE SEATTLE ART MUSEUM (SAM) CONNECTS ART TO LIFE. AS THE LEADING VISUAL ART INSTITUTION IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, SAM DRAWS ON ITS GLOBAL COLLECTIONS, …

Arts & Culture Seattle, WA EIN: 910640788 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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80
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
80/100 · methodology

About Seattle Art Museum

Visit the largest fine art museum in the Pacific Northwest! SAM is one museum with three must-see locations featuring art and exhibitions from all over the world.

Founded
Headquarters
Seattle, WA
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
A510
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
large

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1934

Mission

Founded in 1917, the seattle art museum (sam) connects art to life. As the leading visual art institution in the pacific northwest, sam draws on its global collections, powerful special exhibitions, numerous installations, and dynamic programs to fulfill its important role as a cultural and educational resource benefitting the seattle region, the pacific northwest, and beyond. From a strong foundation of asian art to noteworthy collections of african and oceanic art, northwest coast native american art, european and american art, and modern and contemporary art, the strength of sam's collection of approximately 25,000 objects lies in its diversity of media, cultures, and time periods. With three locations (seattle art museum, olympic sculpture park, seattle asian art museum), sam harnesses the power of art to enrich lives and engage diverse communities, including hundreds of thousands of visitors, as well as thousands of seattle-area students.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 4 similar arts & culture in United States
Program spending This charity: 73%
Peer average: 78%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 1.16%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 80
Peer average: 90

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for IRS revocation history, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

Where every $1 goes

· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)
$0.73
Program$0.73

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Seattle Art Museum has a complete profile, sourced from the IRS.

  • Established in 1917, it is among the oldest arts & culture charities in the United States GiveRadar tracks. View this cohort
  • By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 98% of the 55,580 arts & culture charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
  • GiveRadar holds a more complete profile for this organization than for 90% of the 133,127 arts & culture charities in the United States it tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (5 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • a donation page
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Seattle Art Museum is a registered arts & culture nonprofit based in Seattle, WA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1917 and has been operating for 109 years. Its EIN is 910640788. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 80/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $39M in annual revenue. 229 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Seattle Art Museum's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 910640788. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.

Seattle Art Museum has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 80 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for arts & culture charities in United States is 90/100.

Seattle Art Museum is located in Seattle, WA, United States. The organization was established in 1917 and has been active for 109 years.

Based on official tax filings, Seattle Art Museum has $39M in annual revenue. It allocates 73% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 78% for arts & culture charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Seattle Art Museum is classified as an Arts & Culture organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $39M in annual revenue. The organization has 229 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Seattle Art Museum. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, Seattle Art Museum holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 73% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 78%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

Visit the largest fine art museum in the Pacific Northwest! SAM is one museum with three must-see locations featuring art and exhibitions from all over the world. Seattle Art Museum is classified as an arts & culture organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1917.

Among arts & culture charities registered in United States: It allocates 73% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 78%. Its annual revenue of $39M is well above the peer average of $1M.

Yes, donations to Seattle Art Museum are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Seattle Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 910640788, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Annual revenue
$10M-$100M
73% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
Financial details are free - with a GiveRadar account

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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
446

Leadership

From FY2024 filing

CI
Cindy B•••••
CFO

Officers & trustees (25)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

25 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$38.9M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Form filed
$30.0M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
Form filed
$67.2M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$33.9M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$41.6M revenue
FY2020
IRS 990

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Cause areas in United States

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Human Services 322,679
Education 195,586
Arts & Culture this charity 133,128
Advocacy & Civil Rights 128,026
Religion 114,636
Health 98,862
Community Development 56,086
Youth Development 53,450
See all cause areas in United States

Most common causes in United States

Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.

Community Development 235,146
Education 159,016
Religion 103,741
Arts & Culture 101,203
Human Rights 76,926
Health 65,250
Youth Development 47,775
Animal Welfare 32,425

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 229 disclosed in the public registry.

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 10
  • Financial data · FY2024 on record
  • Named leadership · 229 officers on file
  • Executive pay · Disclosed
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Tax-deductibility · Verified
  • Founding date · 1917
Not available · 1
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about Seattle Art Museum

What is Seattle Art Museum?
Seattle Art Museum is a arts & culture publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Seattle, United States. Visit the largest fine art museum in the Pacific Northwest! SAM is one museum with three must-see locations featuring art and exhibitions from all over the world.
When was Seattle Art Museum founded?
Seattle Art Museum was founded in 1917.
Who leads Seattle Art Museum?
Cindy Bolton serves as CFO.
Where is Seattle Art Museum located?
Headquartered in Seattle, WA, United States.
What is Seattle Art Museum's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $10M-$100M. 73% of expenses go to program services.
Is Seattle Art Museum trustworthy?
Seattle Art Museum has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Seattle Art Museum's registration number?
IRS EIN: 910640788.
What is Seattle Art Museum's website?
https://www.seattleartmuseum.org