Japanese American National Museum

What it reported doing in 2024

Exhibitions and collectionsjanm extended the popular exhibition giant robot biennale 5, which celebrated asian american pop culture and art, through the fall. Janm's commitment to preserving, honoring, and illuminating the stories of the world war ii incarceration was exemplified in contested histories: preserving and sharing a community collection, which revealed new, crowdsourced research about the important eaton collection of art and artifacts made in america's concentration camps. Two pop-up exhibitions celebrated janm's little tokyo community: celebrating little tokyo at 140 years highlighted the neighborhood's history through items from janm's collection, while mario gershom reyes: obras de luz (works of light) honored the community-based work of the beloved rafu shimpo photographer. Janm's nationally touring exhibition pictures of belonging, which invites viewers to rediscover the work of three trailblazing women - miki hayakawa, hisako hibi, and mine okubo - continued to the smithsonian american art museum, where it was met with critical acclaim and some 800,000 visitors. The janm-organized exhibition japanese american history and art from janm's collection traveled to the furukawa art museum and the nagoya city civic reception house in japan.janm's permanent collection of some 160,000 objects continued to grow with the acquisition of seventy-nine collections in fy2025, thanks to the generosity of our donors. Highlights included na omi shintani's pledge allegiance, 2014, a powerful sculpture of a flag made from barbed wire and wood originally from barracks at tule lake; the "enemy alien jacket" issued to itaru ina upon his arrival at the department of justice internment camp at ft. Lincoln in bismarck, North Dakota; and a 1970s national rice-o-mat model sr10e rice cooker that represents the arrival of japanese products and the evolution of japanese american culture in the postwar period. These works will be featured in janm's new core exhibition. Other works to be featured in the core exhibition like the 1938 monterey jacl flag and the heart mountain barrack, underwent major conservation efforts this year.the ireicho national tour launched at the us navy memorial visitor center and the smithsonian on the day of remembrance, and brought the moving monument that is the book of names to manzanar, amache, jerome-rohwer, and the san francisco bay area in fy2025.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73.9%; rating input score 74
• Program expense ratio: 68.2%; rating input score 68
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.51 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 95.5%; rating input score 95; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • 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: -2.1%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.34; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 12.7%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings