PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM

Financials

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 September 30, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

10 BEACON ST # 12, BOSTON, MA 02108-3764

Principal officer (990 for 2024)

LEAH ROSOVSKY, 10 1/2 BEACON STREET, BOSTON, MA 02108

Signed the 990

F JAVIER CEVALLOS, TREASURER

Phone

(617) 227-0270

Website

WWW.BOSTONATHENAEUM.ORG

Return prepared by

AAFCPAS INC

Mission

SEE SCHEDULE O.

Program accomplishments

• LIBRARY SERVICES - SEE SCHEDULE O.LIBRARY SERVICES - THE LIBRARY IS THE LARGEST PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITY OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM, SERVING APPROXIMATELY 5,000 MEMBERS, THEIR FAMILIES, THE SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY, STUDENTS, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. IT IS COMPOSED OF TWO PRINCIPAL DEPARTMENTS: READER SERVICES AND TECHNICAL SERVICES. READER SERVICES AT THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM COMPRISES THE PUBLIC DEPARTMENTS THAT OFFER LIBRARY SERVICES. THE HEAD OF READER SERVICES AND THE ARCHIVIST/REFERENCE LIBRARIAN WORK AT THE REFERENCE DESK; THEY ANSWER HUNDREDS OF MEMBERS AND RESEARCHERS' QUESTIONS AND ASSIST IN THE USE OF CIRCULATING MATERIALS, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, ELECTRONIC RESOURCES, AND ONLINE RESEARCH. THOUSANDS OF RARE MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED FOR THE 200-300 RESEARCHERS WHO USE THE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM EVERY YEAR. THE HEAD OF CIRCULATION AND THE READER SERVICES ASSISTANT MANAGE ACTIVITY AT THE CIRCULATION DESK, WHERE ROUGHLY 18,000 ITEMS CIRCULATE EACH YEAR. FIVE INTERNS ASSIST AT CIRCULATION AND REFERENCE. THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARIAN HELPS YOUNGER MEMBERS USE THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARY, AND OFFERS PROGRAMS INCLUDING STORY HOURS AND READING GROUPS, DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR CHILDREN. NINETEEN DISCUSSION GROUPS AND OVER 150 TOURS OF THE BUILDING ARE ARRANGED BY READER SERVICES EVERY YEAR. THE TECHNICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, MANAGED BY THE CHIEF TECHNICAL SERVICES LIBRARIAN, ENCOMPASSES THE FUNCTIONS OF ACQUISITIONS, CATALOGING, SERIALS, CONSERVATION, AND DIGITIZATION. THE UNITS OF ACQUISITIONS, CATALOGING, AND SERIALS INCLUDE, AN ACQUISITIONS LIBRARIAN, A SERIALS LIBRARIAN, THREE RARE MATERIALS CATALOG LIBRARIANS, TWO CATALOGING ASSISTANTS, AND THREE INTERNS. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SELECTING, ACQUIRING, ACCESSIONING, INVOICING, CATALOGING, AND PROCESSING APPROXIMATELY 2,700 ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY PER YEAR, INCLUDING BOTH NEW IMPRINTS AND RARE HISTORICAL VOLUMES. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO AUGMENTS APPROXIMATELY 3,000 LEGACY CATALOGING RECORDS PER YEAR.
  Expenses $4,468,659 · grants $12,000 · revenue $1,875,781
• SPECIAL COLLECTIONS - SEE SCHEDULE O.SPECIAL COLLECTIONS - THE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT IS COMPOSED OF THE CURATORS WHO OVERSEE THE ACQUISITION, MAINTENANCE, AND EXHIBITION OF RARE BOOKS, ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS, MANUSCRIPTS, MAPS, AND WORKS OF ART. DEPARTMENT STAFF MEMBERS INCLUDE THE CURATOR OF RARE BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS, THE CURATOR OF PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE, THE ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE, THE ARCHIVIST, AND THE CURATOR OF PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. THE CURATORS RESEARCH OBJECTS IN THE COLLECTIONS AND DISSEMINATE INFORMATION ABOUT THEM TO THE SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH LECTURES, PUBLICATIONS, AND (IN COOPERATION WITH LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES, AND MUSEUMS AROUND THE COUNTRY) AN ACTIVE LOAN PROGRAM. EACH YEAR, ON SITE, THE CURATORS ASSIST HUNDREDS OF ATHENAEUM MEMBERS AND VISITING SCHOLARS IN RESEARCHING THE ATHENAEUM'S COLLECTIONS. THE CURATORIAL STAFF MOUNTS TWO OR THREE EXHIBITIONS PER YEAR COVERING A RANGE OF HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY SUBJECTS. THESE EXHIBITIONS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY GALLERY TALKS, LECTURES, AND SYMPOSIA, ALL OF WHICH ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
  Expenses $4,108,191
• LECTURES & CONCERTS - SEE SCHEDULE O.LECTURES & CONCERTS - THE LECTURES AND CONCERTS PROGRAM INCLUDES APPROXIMATELY 100 EVENTS EACH YEAR, SUCH AS AUTHOR TALKS, LECTURES, CONCERTS, CHILDREN'S EVENTS, EXHIBITION RECEPTIONS AND MOVIES. EVENTS TAKE PLACE BOTH IN THE EVENING AND DURING THE DAY AND INCLUDE EVENTS THAT ARE OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS WELL AS EVENTS FOR ATHENAEUM MEMBERS.
  Expenses $1,400,712 · revenue $61,284
• CONSERVATION - SINCE 1963, THE CONSERVATION LABORATORY HAS BEEN DEDICATED TO THE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION OF THE ATHENAEUM'S HOLDINGS WITH INHERENT HISTORIC ARTISTIC OR LITERARY VALUE. THE CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT INCLUDES THE CHIEF CONSERVATOR AND THE ASSOCIATE CONSERVATOR, AND SEVERAL INTERNS AND FELLOWS. ATHENAEUM CONSERVATORS PERFORM CONSERVATION TREATMENTS ON RARE AND CIRCULATING BOOKS, MAPS, MANUSCRIPTS, PRINTS, ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS, BROADSIDES, AND PAMPHLETS, AND FOLLOW PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION PROTOCOLS.DIGITAL PROGRAMS - THE DIGITAL PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT IS DEDICATED TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF SCHOLARLY ACCESS TO THE COLLECTIONS THROUGH DIGITIZATION. THE HEAD OF DIGITAL PROGRAMS AND TWO INTERNS SCAN COLLECTION MATERIALS IN THE IMAGING STUDIO AND CREATE ONLINE RECORDSCONTAINING DIGITAL SURROGATES WITH THEIR CORRESPONDING METADATA. THESE EFFORTS ENSURE THAT ATHENAEUM COLLECTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FREELY ONLINE TO SCHOLARS, RESEARCHERS, STUDENTS, AND TO ANYONE IN THE WORLD WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION.
  Expenses $658,637 · revenue $242,052

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 September, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

04-2104852

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

1938

Accounting year ends

September

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Education (B700)

Assets (IRS master file)

$138,521,803

Income (IRS master file)

$49,874,204

Filing history

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 04-2104852).

Questions about PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM

What is the EIN of PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM?

The employer identification number (EIN) of PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM is 04-2104852.

Is PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1938.

Are donations to PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM 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 PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM due?

The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending September 30, 2026) is due February 16, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended September 2025.

Who is the principal officer of PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM?

The 990 for the year ended September 30, 2025 names LEAH ROSOVSKY.

Who are the officers and directors of PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM?

The 990 for the year ended September 30, 2025 lists 27 people; 7 received compensation from the organization, the highest $362,733 (LEAH ROSOVSKY, DIRECTOR).

How much revenue does PROPRIETORS OF THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM have?

On its 990 for the year ended September 30, 2025 it reported revenue of $9,747,313, expenses of $13,162,899 and total assets of $138,521,803 at year end.

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All nonprofits in BOSTON · Massachusetts · Education