Crow Canyon Archaeological Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
840631786
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Cortez, CO, USA
Phone
9705658975
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,684,824
Expenses
$5,361,267
Assets
$37,508,782
Liabilities
$382,909

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ELIZABETH PERRY (PRESIDENT /)

Highest reported compensation

  • ELIZABETH PERRY (PRESIDENT /): $237,897 total reported compensation
  • CARLA HOEHN (CFO): $150,092 total reported compensation
  • SUSAN RYAN (EXEC VP RSRC): $137,363 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Crow canyon archaeological center empowers present and future generations by making the human past accessible and relevant through archaeological research, experiential education, and american indian knowledge.

What it reported doing in 2025

Archaeological research and education: crow canyon conducts archaeological research focusing on the history of american indian peoples who inhabited the canyons and mesas of the mesa verde region in southwestern Colorado. Since 1983, assisted by students and citizen scientists, crow canyon has contributed to important advancements in southwestern archaeology. The organization employs innovative investigative methods, engages indigenous scholars and descendant community members in the research and interpretive process, and shares findings through both print and online publications. The center's current research initiative is the northern chaco outliers project, focused on the haynie site northeast of cortez, Colorado. This multi-component ancestral village includes two pueblo ii period (a.d. 950 1150) great houses. Research at the haynie site is contributing to a greater understanding of ancient community life, resource sustainability, environmental impacts, migration patterns, and human-environment relationships in the region.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.7%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 70.2%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 19.8%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.6%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.7% of revenue deployed · 70.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $3.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $238K · 20 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $316K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.