Channel Islands Maritime Museum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770251663
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Oxnard, CA, USA
Phone
8059846260
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$198,045
Expenses
$362,701
Assets
$2,146,086
Liabilities
$7,396

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID DEHAAN (Vice President)
  • CRIS FULWIDER (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • DOUG RIFFENBURGH (Executive Dir.): $75,002 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To preserve and share the wonders of our maritime heritage, highlight our complex interrelationships with the ecology of The Ocean, and showcase peoples creative expressions of everything related to the sea.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, the Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) continued to strengthen its role as a vital cultural and educational institution on Californias Central Coast. The Museum presented an engaging schedule of rotating art exhibitions, community events, and hands-on educational programs that celebrated maritime heritage, art, and science. Signature events such as the Celebration of the Whales festival and Art Comes Alive brought together families, artists, and educators for creative and interactive experiences highlighting the regions maritime traditions and ecology.CIMM expanded its volunteer corps, providing specialized training to develop thoughtful, educational docents who share maritime history and art with thousands of visitors each year. The Museum also hosted a robust speaker series, fostering adult education and providing a platform to explore maritime history, art, and environmental topics. These programs help preserve not only artifacts but the rich stories and historical context that bring them to life.The Museums commitment to accessible learning continued through free admission for children and partnerships with local schools that provide field trip experiences inspiring curiosity and discovery. In 2024, CIMM refined its institutional vision to reflect its growing leadership in the region: to be recognized as a center for the exchange of knowledge and research in the arts, maritime studies, and environmental fields.The Museum remains deeply grateful to its donors, members, and community partners whose generosity sustains its exhibitions, educational outreach, and maritime heritage preservation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 70.3%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $256.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -83.1%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.92; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.7%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.8% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.9% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.5% per year; rating input score 0; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 70.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $255K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 18 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.