Houston Museum of Natural Science
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 741036131
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Houston, TX, US
- Phone
- (713) 639-4629
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Natural History, Natural Science Museums
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $48,430,467
- Expenses
- $49,814,036
- Assets
- $299,395,170
- Liabilities
- $44,914,488
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
65 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Joel A Bartsch (President)
Highest reported compensation
- Joel A Bartsch (President): $756,782 total reported compensation
- Eugenia K Dermas (Chief Development Officer): $581,649 total reported compensation
- Jill M Lee (Chief Financial Officer): $440,171 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To preserve and advance general knowledge of natural science; to enhance the public's understanding of the natural world and humanity's place in it; and to promote lifelong learning through engaging exhibits, educational programs, and scientific research.
What it reported doing in 2024
Since its establishment in 1909, the Houston Museum of Natural Science has served as a valuable resource for the Houston community, offering extensive collections, exciting interactive exhibits, immersive environments, engaging films, compelling traveling exhibitions, and comprehensive classroom experiences. See Schedule O.- In its permanent venues - drawing from its diverse collections of over 1.5 million objects - the Museum provides visitors with opportunities to expand their knowledge of anthropology, malacology, mineralogy, paleontology, entomology, chemistry, physics, biology, and other disciplines. - The 400-seat Wortham Giant Screen Theatre presents relevant and entertaining films covering a wide variety of scientific topics. The Burke Baker Planetarium provides state-of-the-art, immersive learning adventures in astronomy and related subject matter. - The Cockrell Butterfly Center is a living rain forest, allowing visitors to observe plants and insects and learn their roles in a natural ecosystem. - The George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park is a direct link to the planets and stars, giving visitors the opportunity to stargaze with a variety of telescopes, including the 36-inch Gueymard Research Telescope, one of the largest telescopes in the U.S. available to the public.
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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 69
- Transparency & Controls: 77
- Accountability: 94
- Sustainability: 47
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 78.3%; rating input score 78
- Program expense ratio: 73.4%; rating input score 73
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th 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: Scored; rating input score 0
- 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: 98.1%; rating input score 98; 31st 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: -2.9%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.01; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 10 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 3 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 78.3% of revenue deployed · 73.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 51 of 52 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $36.6M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $757K · 65 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3.4M reported
- Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 13 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.
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 21/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.