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, …
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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.
Verified certifications
Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.
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 whereHow it stacks up against peers
· vs. 4 similar arts & culture in United StatesConcerns
· None foundWhere every $1 goes
· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)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
- government registration
- financial records (5 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
- a donation page
- 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 + methodologySeattle 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.
Filing history
5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
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Tax-deductibility for donors
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
From filings and published profiles
Leadership
From FY2024 filing
Officers & trustees (25)
Source: Public filings
25 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.
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
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Sign up to write a reviewCause areas in United States
How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.
Most common causes in United States
Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.
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
What we know and don't know
Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.
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Financial data · FY2024 on record
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Named leadership · 229 officers on file
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Executive pay · Disclosed
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Government registration · Registered with an official registry
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Mission statement · Published
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Official website · On record
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Headquarters address · On file
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Direct contact · Email or phone published
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Tax-deductibility · Verified
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Founding date · 1917
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Programs & activitiesNo 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.
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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