California · Nonprofit
Southern California Genealogical Society
Southern California Genealogical Society (California) receives grants from 2 organizations whose IRS filings report $63,695 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($62,600). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 100% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $179k
- Funders on record
- 2
- Grants received
- $64k
- Net assets
- $2.9M
What Southern California Genealogical Society does
Mission
The Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS) exists to foster the understanding and appreciation of the collective and individual histories, cultures and traditions of our diverse communities, and recognition of their contributions to our dynamic society. SCGS endeavors to preserve genealogical materials, support ethnic and special interest groups, and provide education and guidance using accepted and effective research techniques, documentation, and dissemination of family histories.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Operation of library containing over 40,000 genealogical books and manuscripts by an all volunteer staff. The library is open free of charge to the public five days a week on average. Over 1,500 patrons visit the library annually. The volunteer staff also provides genealogical research support using the materials in the library for people who live out of the Los Angeles, CA area.
$184,457 spent97% of program spendingEducation in genealogical topics through in-house seminars and online webinars.
$3,913 spent$143 earned by the program2% of program spendingSpecial interest group meetings for those with an interest in learning and sharing information in genealogy writing, genealogy software, research techniques in foreign countries and DNA research.
$2,148 spent$500 earned by the program1% of program spendingProvide research services for a fee using the libreary's collection and volunteers.
$31 spent$773 earned by the program0% of program spendingSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 1890 PROJECT: To create a searchable online genealogical database for the Southern California are as a substitute for the lost federal 1890 census.
Provide copy machine service for library patrons.
The 6 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $190,549.
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.
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 $3.1M to $2.8M (−11%).
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.
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 3 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.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 2 funders, grant income fell $7k → $6k.
2 of 2 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 100% 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 Southern California Genealogical Society’s funders (the co-funder graph). 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
Southern California Genealogical Society leans on a few funders — its largest provides 98% of grant income and the top three 100%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
100% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund Southern California Genealogical Society.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 100% · 2019 100% · 2020 96% · 2021 98% · 2022 100% · 2023 97% — 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.
Where its funders are
100% of Southern California Genealogical Society's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Too little is directly attributable to place on a map.
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $64k arriving through sponsors registered in 2 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.
Organizations like Southern California Genealogical Society
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 California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
87% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
51%
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 Southern California Genealogical Society: 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 Southern California Genealogical Society?
- Southern California Genealogical Society (California) receives grants from 2 organizations whose IRS filings report $63,695 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($62,600). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 100% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does Southern California Genealogical Society have?
- IRS filings report 2 organizations giving $63,695 in grants to Southern California Genealogical Society, 2 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Southern California Genealogical Society?
- FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $62,600 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Southern California Genealogical Society find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. 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 Southern California Genealogical Society →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 2 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