Friends of Alice Austen House Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
133248928
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Staten Island, NY, USA
Phone
7188164506
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$550,244
Expenses
$772,873
Assets
$727,925
Liabilities
$23,774

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DEBORAH HERNANDEZ (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • VICTORIA MUNRO (EXECUTIVE DI): $128,800 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 alice austen house fosters creative expression, explores personal identity, and educates and inspires the public through the interpretation of the photographs, life and historic home of pioneering american photographer, alice austen (1866-1952).

What it reported doing in 2024

The alice austen house offers diverse programming throughout the year for visitors. The alice austen house provides education programs for approximately 6,000 school students per year primarily in elementary and middle school, focusing on such topics as alice austen, photography, immigration, women's history and coalition of theaters of color. The museum hosts photography workshops and programs such as worldwide pinhole photography day, fundamentals of photography and vintage camera day. The museum offers a robust contemporary exhibition program with three exhibitions per year. Sunday salons are presented to accompany the contemporary exhibits during the spring summer and fall to allow a forum for contemporary photographers to show their work and have an open discussion with the public. These talks that are held at the museum are also viewed via facebook live by up 400 online attendees. The alice austen house strongly promotes its exhibitions and programs through a multiple- channel communication plan, which includes digital and print outreach. A seasonal public programs brochure published three times per year serves as a central marketing tool and is distributed to 5,000 households. The museum issues press releases and frequently receives coverage in the New York times and the staten island advance, as well as in a number of art and photography blogs and periodicals. The museum's own social media following is strong, with 5,000 "likes" on facebook. The museum issues bi-weekly e- blasts to a mailing list of 5,000 people. Additionally, the museum's website is constantly updated with events, news, and content. Alice austen house is also part of collaborative marketing efforts with the New York city department of parks and historic house trust.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 63% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 83.5%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.32 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: 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 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -40.5%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.94; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.7%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.9% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 83.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $645K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $129K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • 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.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.