Michigan · Nonprofit
Historical Society of Michigan
Historical Society of Michigan (Michigan) receives grants from 38 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,690,796 to it, the largest being THE MEIJER FOUNDATION ($900,000). 23 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $2.4M
- Funders on record
- 38
- Grants received
- $1.7M
- Net assets
- $4.4M
What Historical Society of Michigan does
Mission
The Historical Society of Michigan will foster in citizens a deeper understanding of and appreciation for all Michigan history through programs and publications; preserve and promote Michigan history through conferences, publications, awards, educational programs, consulting services and related historical activities; coordinate and further the program of local historical societies and local historians by functioning as a statewide service organization and communication network; cooperate with appropriate individuals on a local, state and national level and/or with organizations and institutions in projects and activities that will promote and sustain interest in history; enhance public support for the preservation and protection of Michigan history.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
The Historical Society of Michigan was involved in programs and services reaching various targeted groups involved with Michigan history. HSM conducts numerous training workshops for local historical organizations; provides support to small to medium sized historical entities with a host of services such as website assistance, best practices, and other needs; and provides extensive promotional opportunities to expose local historical programming and resources to a statewide audience.
$774,897 spentof which $22,800 as grants$203,737 earned by the program45% of program spendingThe Historical Society of Michigan sponsored program and other activities for teachers of state and local history and their students. Its flagship educational program is Michigan History Day (National History Day in Michigan) in which over 6,000 students participate. The program, which runs from late fall to late spring, develops a wide variety of talents including research and critical thinking skills, literacy, communication and presentation abilities, and more.
$250,514 spentof which $7,371 as grants$386,470 earned by the program15% of program spendingThe Historical Society of Michigan provided publications including 2 magazines and a scholarly journal focusing on Michigan history. They include the largest state history magazine in the country, Michigan History, which has a circulation of 16,000 and over 100,000 readers; the chronicle, a four color member's magazine that features history features, news, calendar of events, and more; and also distributes the Michigan Historical Review, an academic journal focused on Michigan and Great Lakes history. The Historical Society of Michigan occasionally does other publications such as the Historical Michigan Travel Guide, Michigan History Directory, and Michigan History for Kids Curriculum.
$502,402 spentof which $14,782 as grants$460,072 earned by the program29% of program spendingThe organization received a collection of historical books, as well as the first map printed of the state of Michigan in 1837. These items support the organization's education mission and will be used for historical research. They also enhance a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, Michigan history.
$190,859 spentof which $5,616 as grants$32,510 earned by the program11% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $1,718,672.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2021 to 2022, from $2.4M to $3.9M (+63%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 10% · 2022 5% · 2024 4% · 2025 9%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
50% of Historical Society of Michigan’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (63% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Larry J Wagenaar
Executive Director
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 5 funders to 15 funders, grant income rose $35k → $135k.
7 of 38 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 8% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of Historical Society of Michigan’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 38 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
Historical Society of Michigan leans on a few funders — its largest provides 53% of grant income and the top three 75%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 57% · 2018 66% · 2019 69% · 2020 82% · 2021 39% · 2022 59% · 2023 22% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
39% of Historical Society of Michigan's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 61% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
99% of Historical Society of Michigan's grant income comes from Michigan funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $137k arriving through sponsors registered in 5 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
Historical Society of Michigan runs a healthier operating margin than half of the 3,230 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 3,230 arts & culture nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Organizations like Historical Society of Michigan
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Michigan
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
82% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
75%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for Historical Society of Michigan: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds Historical Society of Michigan?
- Historical Society of Michigan (Michigan) receives grants from 38 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,690,796 to it, the largest being THE MEIJER FOUNDATION ($900,000). 23 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does Historical Society of Michigan have?
- IRS filings report 38 organizations giving $1,690,796 in grants to Historical Society of Michigan, 23 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Historical Society of Michigan?
- THE MEIJER FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $900,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Historical Society of Michigan find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Michigan. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Historical Society of Michigan →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 38 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing