Pacific Southwest Railway Museum

Analysis

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum is a registered charity in United States, based in LA Mesa, CA. It received its IRS tax-exemption ruling in April 1966, 60 years ago. Its declared purposes cover arts, culture and humanities, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. The IRS classifies it as a publicly supported organisation (gross receipts test) under section 501(c)(3), and contributions to it are listed as tax-deductible.

In the financial year ending December 2022, Pacific Southwest Railway Museum reported income of $625k and spending of $744k, spending 119% of what it took in. Across the 4 years on record, from December 2019 to December 2022, income grew from $537k to $625k (+16%), an average of +5.2% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2021, when income rose by 115%. Over the whole period it spent 109% of the income it received.

Among 45,478 United States charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Pacific Southwest Railway Museum sits at the 80th percentile: it is larger than about 80% of them. Against every charity in United States with reported income it ranks in the 73rd percentile, and in the 75th percentile within CA. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Panther Creek Valley Foundation Inc ($625k), Chinese Culture Connection Inc ($625k) and Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Inc ($624k).

On its Form 990 for the period ending December 2022, revenue came from contributions and grants 36% and program service revenue 58% of the total. It paid $1,350 in professional fundraising fees. At year end it held assets of $3.9m against liabilities of $146k, net assets of $3.8m.