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Western History Association

Public charity · Grantmaker Lawrence, KS EIN: 54-6044435 Website

The Western History Association strives to be a congenial home for the study and teaching of all aspects of North American wests, frontiers, homelands and borderlands. Our mission is to cultivate the broadest appreciation of this diverse history.

Key facts about Western History Association

EIN
54-6044435
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025
Total assets
$1,088,053

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$1.1M

+19.6% YoY

Revenue

$521K

-9.2% YoY

Net Investment Income

$24K

-5.0% YoY

Expenses

$426K

-4.2% YoY

About Western History Association

Based on IRS filings

Western History Association is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in Lawrence, KS. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $1.1M in total assets. Net investment income was $24K.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

1state

States

Cities

Norman

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$10K$20K$30K$40K1 grant2019 1 grant2020 1 grant2021 0 grants2022 0 grants2023 0 grants2024 0 grants2025

From 2019 to 2021, annual grant giving ranged from $18K (2019) to $35K (2021). In 2021 it made 1 grant totaling $35K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

1 grant across all recorded years

1<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 1 grant of 1 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for 2025.

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$250K$500K$750K$1M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$1,088,053$909,416$740,453
Revenue$520,760$573,684$607,969
Expenses$425,832$444,334$751,864
Net Investment Income$24,178$25,456$25,135

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 14, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 2, 2022)
  3. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 18, 2026)
  4. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Western History Association is led by Elaine Marie Nelson, Executive Director since 2020 (on filings since 2019); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Elaine Marie Nelson

    Executive Director

    Executive Di → Executive Director, 2020

    On filings since 2019

    25 hrs/week

    $20K (2019) → $0 (2025)

  • William Bauer

    President

    President-Elect → President, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    10 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Anne M. Hyde

    President-Elect

    Ex-Officio → President-Elect, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • William Deverell

    Past-President

    President → Immediate Past-President & Ex-Officio, 2024

    Immediate Past-President & Ex-Officio → Past-President, 2025

    On filings since 2021

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kelly Lytle Hernandez

    Immediate Past-President

    President-Elect → President, 2024

    President → Immediate Past-President, 2025

    On filings since 2022

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (15)
  • Former: Susan Lee Johnson (2019–2024) — Past President & Ex-Officio
  • Former: Maria Montoya (2020–2021) — President
  • Former: David Wrobel (2019) — President-El
  • Former: Donald L. Fixico (2019) — Past President
  • Former: Erika Perez (2019) — Council
  • Former: Ernesto Chavez (2019) — Council
  • Former: Jeffrey Ostler (2019) — Council
  • Former: John W. Heaton (2019) — Ex-Officio
  • Former: Jose Alamillo (2019) — Council
  • Former: Laurie Arnold (2019) — Council
  • Former: Martha A. Sandweiss (2019) — President
  • Former: Renee Laegreid (2019) — Council
  • Former: Samuel Truett (2019) — Council
  • Former: Sheila McManus (2019) — Council
  • Former: Stephen Aron (2019) — Past-Preside

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Elaine Marie Nelson — Executive Director: $35KElaine Marie NelsonExecutive Director$35K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $35K, to Elaine Marie Nelson (Executive Director).

Frequently asked questions about Western History Association

How large is Western History Association?

Western History Association reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $521K.

What is Western History Association?

Western History Association is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in Lawrence, KS. It holds $1.1M in total assets as of 2025.

Where does Western History Association operate?

Western History Association has awarded grants in Oklahoma.

What is Western History Association's EIN?

Western History Association's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-6044435. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.

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