Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
203642161
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Cincinnati, OH, USA
Phone
5137510651
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$251,465
Expenses
$230,579
Assets
$228,740
Liabilities
$3,467

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Christina Hartlieb (Executive Director)
  • Gina Ruffin Moore (Vice President)
  • Marty Linz (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Christina Hartlieb (Executive Director): $52,169 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We sustain and grow the legacy of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Beecher familys Cincinnati home and its time as the Edgemont Inn. We facilitate historical exploration, inspire positive change, and support dialogue about social issues related to that heritage.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Harriet Beecher Stowe House is a historic house museum and cultural site that is part of the Ohio History Connection network. We offer a dual time period interpretation focusing on 1840 and 1940. We tell the story of Harriet and the 18 years that she spent in Cincinnati as instrumental in developing her anti-slavery passion and enabling her to write Uncle Toms Cabin. We also tell the story of the houses role as the Edgemont Inn, an African American boarding house, tavern, and community space in the 1930s and 1940s. Through restoration, some parts of the House look like 1840 and other parts look like 1940 - furnishings, floor coverings, wall coverings. By sharing the story of abolitionism and equity in the 19th century, we can relate her words and deeds to the Houses role in the civil rights concerns of the 20th century and social justice issues today. 2024 programs include the following great events: Semi-Colon Club - Book Discussion (HBS volunteers serve as facilitators) February, April, June, August and October Power of Voice Discussion Group (John Getz as facilitator) February, March, April, May, September, October, November, December Lecture/Panel Discussion Series - March - The Complexities of Gender - Catharine Beecher - Laura Ping April - Knowing Him By Heart - Matthew Norman May - Cincinnatis Lost Founders Panel Discussion - Jennifer Williams August - Driving the Green Book Panel Discussion - Abigail Zhang December - A Harriet Beecher Stowe Christmas - Pamela McColl Film Screening - February - Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond the Mask Our educational programming has continued to increase: School Group Tours Educational Outreach, Adult Outreach Programs, Walking Tours - African American and Abolitionists in Walnut Hills, Walking Tours - African American History Along the Riverfront, Pen as Pulpit Specialty Presentation. Special Events: June - Harriets Birthday Party, Civic Season, July - Housewarming Events with - ribbon cutting celebration, family activity day, artist activitiy day, September - Community Jazz Concert, Ohio Open Doors October - PB and Jam Concert

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.6%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 72.1%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 8.3%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.99; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 22.6%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.6% of revenue deployed · 72.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $166K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $52K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.