Massachusetts · Nonprofit
The New York Central System Historical Society
The New York Central System Historical Society (Massachusetts) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $835 to it, the largest being AMAZONSMILE FOUNDATION ($835). 1 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 FY2025
- $210k
- Funders on record
- 1
- Grants received
- $835
- Net assets
- $598k
What The New York Central System Historical Society does
Mission
The Mission of the NYCSHS is to perpetuate the legacy of the New York Central System NYCS railroad by acquiring and preserving its history traditions documents and artifacts; and by disseminating accurate information and products consistent with good stewardship.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Publications: Central Headlight: NYCSHS publishes a quarterly membership-only magazine on the history of the NYCS railroads. The Central Headlight publication contains articles and photographs related to the history of the NYCS. NYCentral Modeler: The Society also publishes an online modeling magazine the NYCentral Modeler that provides articles news and photographs about NYCS modeling. It is published quarterly and may be viewed online or downloaded and is free to all modelers and the general public. Books: NYCSHS publishes or assists in the publication of several books on NYCS. Much of the material has come from NYCSHSs archives. NYCSHS has supported other organizations in the creating of their books and videos with technical and imagery support as part of the organizations outreach. NYCSHS Calendar: The Society produces an annual color calendar with up to 14 NYCS photos in color and these are sold to members and the public.
$50,367 spent$92,660 earned by the program31% of program spendingThe NYCSHS operates both physical and electronic archives. The physical archives are located in NYCSHSs HQ Archives leased space. The electronic archives are available to anyone. NYCSHS uses a third-party hosting service for the electronic archive since it is felt that internal hosting is not part of its core competency. The electronic archive contains photographs and ICC Valuation Maps that are available for purchase. The archives have been used to create items sold in the Collinwood Shop. According to Accounting Standards Update 2019-03: Not-For-Profit Entities Topic 958: Updating the Definition of Collections a history organization does not need to recognize its collections as financial assets if all of the following criteria are met: A. The collections are held solely for public exhibition education or research in furtherance of public service rather than financial gain; B. they are protected kept unencumbered cared for and preserved; and C. they are subject to an organizational policy that requires proceeds realized from the sale of collections items be used for the acquisition of additional items for the collection the direct care of existing collections or both. The NYCSHS…
$8,368 spent$3,405 earned by the program5% of program spendingNYCSHS Collinwood Shop: The Society maintains an online shop featuring models copies of the Central Headlight the NYCentral modeler digital engineering drawings ICC valuation maps models of NYCS equipment and facilities photo collections NYCS movie DVDs annual calendars NYCS books NYCS clothing NYCS memorabilia memberships and convention registrations. A discount is provided to members. Manufacturers: From time to time the Society has had NYCS-specific models created. This has included freight cars passenger cars and structures that are specific to the NYCS. This allows those that are looking for authenticity to have a ready source for a model railroad layout instead of having to hand build them.
$12,779 spent$24,463 earned by the program8% of program spendingModel Manufacturers: The Society provides technical information to model railroad manufacturers. The technical information takes the form of photographs and technical drawings. Internet Presence: There are several different forms for NYCSHSs internet presence. The Society has an electronic archive a Society website a members-only groups.io discussion list YouTube site Facebook site and Instagram site. NYCSHS Conventions and Mini Conventions: Each year the society holds an annual convention in one of the cities served by the NYCS. It also sporadically holds one or two mini conventions in some of those same cities. The annual convention features tours of local NYCS facilities numerous presentations on NYCS topics a banquet an annual meeting and a train show. Support to Other Railroad Societies and Museums: The society provides material collected as donations to the society to other societies for their archives and provides monetary support to worthy projects being done by them.
$90,324 spent$28,813 earned by the program56% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $161,838.
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 2022 to 2023, from $595k to $691k (+16%).
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. 0 of the last 9 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
2020 → 2023: the base held at 1 funder, grant income rose $30 → $805.
1 of 1 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 The New York Central System Historical 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.
Where its funders are
100% of The New York Central System Historical 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. $835 arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state 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 The New York Central System Historical 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 Massachusetts
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
97% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
81%
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 The New York Central System Historical 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 The New York Central System Historical Society?
- The New York Central System Historical Society (Massachusetts) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $835 to it, the largest being AMAZONSMILE FOUNDATION ($835). 1 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 The New York Central System Historical Society have?
- IRS filings report 1 organization giving $835 in grants to The New York Central System Historical Society, 1 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of The New York Central System Historical Society?
- AMAZONSMILE FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $835 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like The New York Central System Historical Society find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Massachusetts. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
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 1 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