The Brooklyn Historical Society
Housed in a magnificent landmark building in brooklyn heights designed by george post in 1878 and completed in 1881, Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) maintains an important collection of archival documents, photographs, maps, books, artifacts and paintings relating to national and local history we draw from these holdings to create interpretive exhibitions that prompt visitors to reconsider the fundamental facts of history in light of primary source documents and artifacts.
The Brooklyn Historical Society at a glance
In short: The Brooklyn Historical Society gave $692K across 1 grant in 2023 (avg $692K), mostly in New York. Source: 2023 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2023)
- $692,006
- Grants made (2023)
- 1
- Average grant
- $692,006
- Median grant
- $692,006
- Primary geography
- New York (100% of itemized 2023 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2023 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2023; updated September 2026.
Who The Brooklyn Historical Society funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top recipient in 2023
The largest 2023 recipient was Brooklyn Public Library ($692K).
Grant Size Distribution
1 grant across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $500K–1M range: 1 grant of 1 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of the 2023 grant dollars on its one itemized grant.
States
Cities
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
In 2023 it made 1 grant totaling $692K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Public Library Brooklyn, NY | Dissolutionon june 13, 2023, the brooklyn public library was formally merged with the brooklyn historical society (the "society") under the charter of the New York state board of regents. Brooklyn public library, the surviving entity, will continue to administer the purposes of the merged entities. Prior to the merger, on october 1, 2020, the library entered into an affiliation agreement with the society whereby the society re-organized its corporate structure as a membership organization and whereby the library became the sole corporate member of the society on the date of the affiliation agreement. In accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the united states of America ("U.S. gaap"), the library accounted for the affiliation agreement as though the library acquired the society, as of the affiliation date, and in doing so, the library recognized $15,819,686 in net assets on the date of the affiliation agreement at fair value. | $692,006 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | $1,349,746 | $1,349,746 | $692,006 | 1 | $3,504 |
| 2022 | $16,385,660 | $768,387 | $1,750,238 | — | — | $-29,920 |
| 2021 | $17,699,109 | $3,447,289 | $2,417,039 | — | — | $12,685 |
| 2020 | $17,566,236 | $3,660,018 | $5,192,798 | — | — | $65,319 |
| 2019 | $18,653,489 | $4,846,045 | $5,939,199 | — | — | $35,492 |
About The Brooklyn Historical Society
Based on IRS filings
The Brooklyn Historical Society is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in Brooklyn, NY. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2023. In 2023, it awarded 1 grant totaling $692K. Net investment income was $4K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Former officers (48)
- Former: Alan Nisselson (2019–2023) — Trustee · Filing note: Until 61323
- Former: Heather Malin (2019–2023) — Director · Filing note: Until 61323
- Former: Karen Sheehan (2021–2023) — CFO · Filing note: Until 61323
- Former: Miriam B. Katowitz (2021–2023) — Chair · Filing note: Until 61323
- Former: Sandra Schubert (2021–2023) — Secretary · Filing note: Until 61323
- Former: Anne Clarke Wolff (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Cas Holloway (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Deborah Schwartz (2019–2021) — President
- Former: Greg Brayman (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Jacqueline Charity (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: James Rossman (2019–2021) — Chair
- Former: Joe Liebman (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Joel M. Cohen (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Lauren Glant (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Linda Ferber (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Lucy Baumrind (2019–2021) — Co-Treasurer
- Former: Mike Haddad (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Nancy B. Pearsall (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Peter Schubert (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Robin Ottaway (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Rudolph Wynter (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Sharon L. Volckhausen (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Steven Eisenstadt (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Susan Rifkin (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Sylvia Wong Lewis (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Timothy Bradley (2019–2021) — Vice Chair
- Former: Valarie Oliver-Durrah (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Wes Jackson (2019–2021) — Secretary
- Former: William R. Coleman (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Dominic Williams (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Ellen Meyers (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Gina Ingoglia Weiner (2021) — Trustee
- Former: James Laughlin (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Martha A. Rubin (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Matt Fishbein (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Samuel W. Syemour (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Taniese Brown (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Tim Simons (2021) — Co-Treasurer
- Former: Jason Pietrangeli (2019–2020) — Director of Finance
- Former: Matthew Fishbein (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Rhonda Greene (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Samuel W. Seymour (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Timothy Simons (2019–2020) — Co-Treasurer
- Former: Marcia Ely (2020) — Vice President External Affairs
- Former: Grace Lyu-Volckhausen (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Lisa Detwiler (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Michael Adams-Liebman (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Robert E. Buckholz Jr. (2019) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2023. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about The Brooklyn Historical Society
How much does The Brooklyn Historical Society give each year?
The Brooklyn Historical Society gave $692K across 1 grant in 2023, according to its 2023 IRS Form 990.
What is The Brooklyn Historical Society?
The Brooklyn Historical Society is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in Brooklyn, NY.
Where does The Brooklyn Historical Society operate?
The Brooklyn Historical Society has awarded grants in New York.
What is The Brooklyn Historical Society's EIN?
The Brooklyn Historical Society's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 11-1630813. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2023.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 18, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 24, 2024)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2023
Live grants for the work The Brooklyn Historical Society funds
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The Brooklyn Historical Society down — hundreds of funders to go?