Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 850363487
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Phone
- 5058801311
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Historical Societies & Historic Preservation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $738,711
- Expenses
- $745,202
- Assets
- $2,143,196
- Liabilities
- $79,182
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- TIM TENNANT (FORMER PRESI): $122,450 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Friends of the cumbres and toltec scenic railroad inc. Is dedicated to the historic preservation, restoration and interpretation of the cumbres and toltec scenic railroad as a living museum. The friends envision another century of narrow gauge steam railroading with the cumbres and toltec scenic railroad being widely recognized as one of the world's premier "living" museums for historic, steam railroad operation, preservation and interpretation and industrial heritage. The friends also envisions the railroad to be the world's best and most popular tourist steam railroad experience. Responsibility for and leadership of the historic preservation and museum functions of the cumbres and toltec scenic railroad will rest with the friends, to be known and respected internationally as the best non-profit, historic railway preservation and museum organization in the world.
What it reported doing in 2024
Interpretation and restoration - many thousands of people were benefited by the interpretation of the organizations historic property. This is done through the newsletter to libraries and members, and through walking tours guiding visitors through the railyard. Restoration benefits the historic museum collection and it is estimated that close to 100,000 people visit the railyard properties each year. The major portion of the expenses were for various materials to preserve and restore the historic equipment and properties. The friends have approximately 200 volunteers from a membership base of over 1,900 worldwide that contribute approximately 20,000 hours annually in volunteer time. These volunteers work on the railroad's historical assets, serve as docents onboard the trains, help fundraise, and work in the organization's photo collection, archives, and library. The hours worked by our volunteers would translate into approximately 500,000 annually in labor if the friends had to pay for these services.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 67% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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 total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 54
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 96
- Sustainability: 46
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 60.5%; rating input score 60
- Program expense ratio: 57.6%; rating input score 58
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
- 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: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0.9%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.88; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 16.4%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 60.5% of revenue deployed · 57.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 16 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $429K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $122K · 17 people listed
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.