SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS

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 December 31, 2024, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

300 4TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107-1207

Principal officer (990 for 2024)

SHEILA KELLY, 300 4TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107

Signed the 990

SHEILA KELLY, PRESIDENT

Phone

(415) 957-1849

Website

WWW.CALIFORNIAPIONEERS.ORG

Return prepared by

ARMANINO ADVISORY LLC

California records

California keeps its own records of charities and corporations. Search them by EIN 94-1225379 or by the name SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS.

Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers

Registration status and filed reports (CT-TR-1, RRF-1)

Secretary of State, bizfile Online

Corporation status, entity number, agent for service

Franchise Tax Board

Entity status letter (state tax exemption, good standing)

Mission

ESTABLISHED AND IN CONTINUOUS OPERATION SINCE 1850, THE SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT MUSEUM, LIBRARY AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE KNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATION OF EARLY CALIFORNIA HISTORY FOR THE BENEFIT OF PRESENT AND FUTURE AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES.

Program accomplishments

• COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION/LIBRARY - FOR OVER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS, THE SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS HAS BEEN THE STEWARD OF A COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS AND ARCHIVES THAT HELP ADVANCE THE KNOWLEDGE OF EARLY CALIFORNIA HISTORY. THE PRESERVATION OF THIS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT COLLECTION IS CENTRAL TO OUR MISSION.THE SOCIETY'S HISTORICAL COLLECTION ENCOMPASSES AN OUTSTANDING ARRAY OF PAINTINGS, PRINTS, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, SILVERWARE, AND ARTIFACTS DATING FROM THE GOLD RUSH ERA TO 1945. THE PAINTING COLLECTION IS PARTICULARLY NOTABLE FOR ITS NINETEENTH-CENTURY HOLDINGS AND INCLUDES WORKS BY THOMAS HILL, WILLIAM KEITH, JULES TAVERNIER, AND WILLIAM HAHN AMONG MANY OTHERS. THE COLLECTION IS EQUALLY RICH IN WORKS ON PAPER RANGING FROM ETCHINGS, LITHOGRAPHS, AND POSTERS, TO PLAYBILLS, THEATER ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND MUSIC SHEETS THAT CHRONICLE THE LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND ENTERTAINMENTS OF COSMOPOLITAN SAN FRANCISCO. THE SOCIETY'S COLLECTION OF OLD CALIFORNIA SILVER IS AMONG THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE AND THERE ARE ALSO COSTUMES AND PERSONAL EFFECTS, MEDICAL DEVICES, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, AND TOOLS AND IMPLEMENTS RELATED TO GOLD AND SILVER MINING, ALL OF WHICH PROVIDE A COMPELLING ACCOUNT OF EARLY CALIFORNIA AND ITS INHABITANTS.THE SOCIETY REGULARLY LENDS ARTIFACTS TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS THAT WISH TO ENHANCE THEIR OWN EXHIBITIONS USING ITEMS FROM OUR COLLECTION. WE RECENTLY LOANED OUR PAINTING "WILD HORSE COUNTRY" BY MAYNARD DIXON TO THE NEVADA ART MUSEUM FOR THEIR EXHIBITION ABOUT MAYNARD DIXON. THIS HELPS FULFILL OUR MISSION TO SHARE OUR HISTORIC COLLECTION WITH THE PUBLIC. THE ALICE PHELAN SULLIVAN LIBRARY HOLDINGS ARE NOTEWORTHY AND INCLUDE RARE BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS, ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. THE SUBJECT FOCUS IS SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST DURING THE MISSION, MEXICAN, AND GOLD RUSH ERAS CONTINUING THROUGH THE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY. THE LIBRARY HOUSES OVER 12,000 VOLUMES OF BOOKS AND PERIODICALS. THE PAMPHLET AND EPHEMERA COLLECTIONS ARE EXTENSIVE, COVERING TOPICS SUCH AS MINING, THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE STATE AND SAN FRANCISCO, AND THE PANAMA-PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION. THE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION INCLUDES OVERLAND DIARIES, BUSINESS RECORDS, LETTERS AND SCRAPBOOKS. THE INSTITUTIONAL RECORDS OF THE SOCIETY CONTAIN MANY FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF MEMBERS' LIVES AND EXPERIENCES IN EARLY CALIFORNIA. THE MAP COLLECTION OF NEARLY 2,000 MAPS ILLUSTRATES OVERLAND TRAILS TO CALIFORNIA, STATE TOPOGRAPHY, THE PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO, RAILROAD LINES, MINING DISTRICTS AND WATER SOURCES. OVER 250 TITLES OF CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS ARE HOUSED IN THE LIBRARY AS WELL AS ORAL HISTORIES.SPECIFIC COLLECTIONS INCLUDE: THE COOPER-MOLERA PAPERS (1828-1910), PATTERSON RANCH PAPERS, THE SHERMAN MUSIC AND THEATER BROADSIDE COLLECTION, CALIFORNIA BATTALION DOCUMENTS, AND THE ANGEL ISLAND COLLECTION OF GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS, DIARIES, REPORTS AND MAPS. PROMINENT AMONG THE DIARIES ARE THOSE OF JOHN A. SUTTER AND HENRY W. BIGLER, THE TWO PRIMARY SOURCES OF DOCUMENTATION FOR THE 1848 DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN CALIFORNIA. THE PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION NUMBERS OVER 48,000 AND INCLUDES DAGUERREOTYPES, THE CHARLES B. TURRILL COLLECTION, CARLETON E. WATKINS PHOTOGRAPHS, 1200 VIEWS PUBLISHED BY LAWRENCE & HOUSEWORTH DEPICTING EARLY VIEWS OF TOWNS, INDUSTRIES AND MINING IN CALIFORNIA, AND ALFRED A. HART'S PHOTOGRAPHS DOCUMENTING THE BUILDING OF THE CENTRAL PACIFIC. LIBRARY SERVICES INCLUDE RESPONDING TO REFERENCE INQUIRIES VIA PHONE, EMAIL OR LETTER, AS WELL AS PULLING MATERIALS AND WORKING DIRECTLY WITH RESEARCHERS IN PERSON. THE AUDIENCE IS WIDE HISTORIANS, STUDENTS, FILMMAKERS, GENEALOGISTS AND THE INQUIRIES AND VISITORS ARE NOT ONLY FROM CALIFORNIA, BUT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. THE LIBRARY MAINTAINS SEVERAL ONLINE DATABASES: OUR BOOKS ARE CATALOGED ON THE INTERNATIONAL DATABASE WORLDCAT, OUR MANUSCRIPTS ARE IN THE ONLINE ARCHIVE OF CALIFORNIA, OUR NEWSPAPERS ARE ON THE CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPER PROJECT, OUR EPHEMERA IS ON THE CALIFORNIA EPHEMERA PROJECT ONLINE, AND OUR SHEET MUSIC IS CATALOGED ON THE 19TH CENTURY CALIFORNIA SHEET MUSIC DATABASE. THE LIBRARY REGULARLY ACQUIRES NEW ITEMS, WORKS WITH DONORS, HOSTS INTERNS FROM LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND SEEKS GRANTS FOR CONSERVATION WORK WITH SPECIFIC PARTS OF OUR COLLECTIONS. WE PROUDLY BEAR OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT THE ARTIFACTS AND ARCHIVES ARE WELL PROTECTED AND PRESERVED. ONE COMPONENT OF THIS IS PREVENTATIVE CONSERVATION, ENSURING THAT ARTIFACTS ARE SAFELY AND PROPERLY STORED TO DELAY THE NATURAL DETERIORATION OF INHERENTLY DELICATE OR UNSTABLE OBJECTS. THE 48,000 PHOTOGRAPHS IN OUR COLLECTION, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE HOUSED IN BOXES FREE OF ACIDIC CHEMICALS AND ARE STORED IN A CLIMATE-CONTROLLED ROOM. COSTS RELATED TO THE COLLECTIONS/LIBRARY PROGRAM INCLUDE THE PERSONNEL COSTS TO MANAGE THE COLLECTION AND THE LIBRARY AS WELL AS THE COST TO STORE, CONSERVE, AND CARE FOR THIS IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF CALIFORNIA HISTORY.
  Expenses $432,355 · revenue $65,427
• EVENTS AND SERVICES - INCLUDES EVENTS PRODUCED FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS US, INCLUDING SOCIAL EVENTS AND HISTORIC TOURS; INCLUDES FACILITATING APPLICATIONS, FAMILY RESEARCH, AND ANY OTHER SUPPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY. IN 2024 WE HELD FOUR IN-PERSON EVENTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY, THREE TOURS TO LOCAL HISTORIC LOCATIONS, AND THREE PIONEER BOOK CLUB MEETINGS. ALSO INCLUDED IS THE PUBLICATION OF THE PIONEER, AN ANNUAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY.ALSO INCLUDED IN MEMBER & COMMUNITY EVENTS AND SERVICES ARE OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND WEBSITES. WE HAVE THE EUREKA! PROJECT WEBSITE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN THAT PROVIDES PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIALS FROM OUR COLLECTION. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE TWO OTHER WEBSITES, HER SIDE OF THE STORY, WHICH FEATURES TRANSCRIBED FIRST-PERSON HISTORIES WRITTEN BY EARLY FEMALE PIONEERS, AND OUR LAWRENCE AND HOUSEWORTH COLLECTION OF OVER 1200 PHOTOGRAPHS OF EARLY SCENES FROM CALIFORNIA IN THE 1860S. WE ALSO PRODUCE REGULAR HISTORY CONTENT FOR OUR VARIOUS AUDIENCES. THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AS WELL AS REGULAR NEWSLETTERS SUCH AS THE ONLINE PIONEER AND HISTORY@HOME, WE REGULARLY PRODUCE CONTENT RELATED TO OUR COLLECTIONS FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF OUR VARIOUS AUDIENCES.
  Expenses $271,017 · revenue $86,959

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.

IRS record

EIN

94-1225379

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

1993

Accounting year ends

December

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Arts, culture and humanities (A82Z)

Assets (IRS master file)

$6,819,539

Income (IRS master file)

$1,573,693

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 94-1225379).

Questions about SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS

What is the EIN of SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS?

The employer identification number (EIN) of SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS is 94-1225379.

Is SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1993.

Are donations to SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS tax-deductible?

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

Which annual return does SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS 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 SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS due?

The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending December 31, 2025) is due May 15, 2026. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS 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 SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 names SHEILA KELLY.

Who are the officers and directors of SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 lists 22 people; 1 received compensation from the organization, the highest $138,105 (MERCEDES DEVINE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR).

How much revenue does SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS have?

On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 it reported revenue of $608,535, expenses of $932,407 and total assets of $6,819,539 at year end.

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