Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042104334
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6175661401
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Art Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$38,992,891
Expenses
$28,676,659
Assets
$382,282,469
Liabilities
$12,774,031

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

Leadership & pay

38 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GWILL YORK (PRESIDENT, BOARD OF TRUSTEES)

Highest reported compensation

  • PEGGY FOGELMAN (NORMA JEAN CALDERWOOD DIRECTOR): $723,605 total reported compensation
  • CLIFFORD RUST UNTIL 31425 (CHIEF FINAN. & ADMIN. OFFICER): $306,075 total reported compensation
  • REBECCA EHRHARDT (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $293,774 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

See schedule o.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education and public programs - the gardner's education and public programs create welcoming and enjoyable learning experiences. Known for a commitment to excellence in teaching as well as collaborating with local artists and communities, the gardner offers a rich variety of programs and resources for children and adults that spark in-depth experiences with works of art and present opportunities to engage with some of today's most creative individuals. In addition to high-quality professional development for teachers and docents, the museum conducts thoughtful research that brings new knowledge to the museum education field. The thinking through art k-12 program, known for its emphasis on close looking and interpretation, has produced research on how in-depth experiences with art helped boston students develop significantly more critical thinking skills than students in control schools without the program. Working with local artists, performers, cultural leaders and community organizations, the museum works to build mutually beneficial relationships. First free thursdays, a successful evening program for young adults, has become a model for museums around the country in engaging young, local audiences. Neighborhood salon luminaries and studio artist programs build community with local artists and creatives, connecting them with the museum, the staff, collection, and resources, informing future program co-creation and artistic responses to the gardner. Exhibition interpretation and programming feature a variety of perspectives, creating multiple entry points for visitors. The gardner ambassadors paid internship provides practical, compensated job pathways for local community and state (umass boston) college students, emphasizing both personal career development as well as grounding their learning in the visitor experience.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 69% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 82
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.8%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 77.4%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.3%; rating input score 96; 30th 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: 26.5%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.33; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.9%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.8% of revenue deployed · 77.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 26 of 27 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $22.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $724K · 38 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.2M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 39 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 36/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.