Denver Museum of Miniatures Dolls & Toys

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
742203644
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Lakewood, CO, USA
Phone
3033221053
Rating
66
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$258,722
Expenses
$193,855
Assets
$1,515,772
Liabilities
$344,876

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BARBARA PONTARELLI (President)
  • KAREN BYRD (1st Vice President)
  • NANCY STEIN (2nd Vie President)

Highest reported compensation

  • WENDY LITTLEPAGE (Museum Director): $65,520 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide educational & cultural services to the greater rocky mountain region through the preservation, exhibition, collection and interpretation of the visual arts using miniatures, dolls and toys.

What it reported doing in 2025

Digital outreach by creating free Facebook and/or YouTube videos that are How-To instructions for simple miniature or toy craft projects.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 31
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 32.3%; rating input score 32
  • Program expense ratio: 39.7%; rating input score 40
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 25.1%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.82; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 33.8%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.4% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 32.3% of revenue deployed · 39.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $66K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 40/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.