Bryan Educational Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN: 760470234
IRS 990 coverage: 2021–2024
Forms available: Form 990 2024, Form 990-PF 2020, Form 990-T 2024
Location: Galveston, TX, USA
Phone: 7137531300
Rating: 74
Verdict: SUPPORTED
Rating confidence: Moderate
Sector: History Museums

Reported finances

Revenue: $390,218
Expenses: $406,000
Assets: $7,873,046
Liabilities: $9,377,017

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

J P BRYAN (PRESIDENT/TRUSTEE)
MELISSA MURPHY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

MELISSA MURPHY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $136,130 total reported compensation
CAROL BULLA (CFO): $102,425 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the bryan museum is to bring the history of Texas and the american west to life. Through its world-class collections, exhibitions, and educational history and literacy programs, students of all ages get a chance to experience the (continued on schedule o ) stories of yesterday and write the stories of tomorrow.

What it reported doing in 2024

The bryan museum houses its one-of-a-kind collection of more than 70,000 artifacts, art, maps, books, and original documents in the historic former galveston orphans home. History and literacy focused initiatives include free community programs, adult lectures, exhibitions, summer camps for kids, special tours, and school tours for all grade levels that complement fourth and seventh grade Texas history curriculums. The museum's educational programs welcomed almost 6,000 students. In addition, the organization travels multiple educational exhibits to school and museum partners, hosts annual Texas history-based literacy and publishing competitions, supplies a curriculum and online resources to educators, provides hands-on learning experiences, and is officially home (continued on schedule o) to the largest published book in the world by kids called i am Texas, breaking a guinness world.

Operating model

Revenue model: Donor-supported. 80% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model: Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

Financial Efficiency: 64
Transparency & Controls: 92
Accountability: 91
Sustainability: 43
Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

Mission deployment rate: 71.5%; rating input score 71
Program expense ratio: 68.1%; rating input score 68
Fundraising efficiency: $4.55 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
Pay-setting controls: Limited
Foreign activity oversight: Limited
Grant itemization coverage: Limited
Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

Operating margin: -4%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
Total-asset coverage ratio: 19.39; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.19; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
Officer compensation ratio: 58.8%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

Program expense growth: -6.9% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
Revenue growth: -11.9% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Asset growth: -1.2% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

Where the money goes: 71.5% of revenue deployed · 68.1% of spending went to programs
Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $276K in reported program spending
Leadership: top reported pay $136K · 13 people listed
Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
Contacts: How to reach this organization
Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 2/100.
High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.