Eastern National
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 231401703
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Fort Washington, PA, US
- Phone
- +1 215-283-6900
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Support N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $28,415,694
- Expenses
- $30,140,558
- Assets
- $37,483,439
- Liabilities
- $15,616,533
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
22 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KEVIN KISSLING (PRESIDENT/CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- KEVIN KISSLING (PRESIDENT/CEO): $379,204 total reported compensation
- MEGAN SHELLEY (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $258,975 total reported compensation
- HEIDI A HUNTER (CFO/TREASURER): $256,456 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Eastern National's mission is to support the National Park Service and other public lands by providing educational products and services that enhance visitor experiences and foster stewardship.
What it reported doing in 2024
Eastern national is a not-for-profit educational service institution recognized pursuant to an act of congress to aid and promote the interpretive, historical, scientific, research and conservation activities of the national park service (nps) and other government agencies. Eastern national also develops publications and other interpretive materials relevant to the parks and their themes. Eastern national operates retail outlets at national park service and other public agencies that offer educational and interpretive products to the visitors of the parks. Approximately 95% of the net income from this activity is set aside to be donated back to the national park service or other agency in subsequent years to support the parks and assist with their interpretive and educational programs and activities.
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 90% 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
STRONG - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 83
- Transparency & Controls: 91
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 28
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 81.3%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $1.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -6.1%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.24; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.42; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 81.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $24.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $379K · 22 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
- 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 3/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 44/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.