John E Christian Family Memorial Trust Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
351871610
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone
3176394534
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$271,669
Expenses
$283,288
Assets
$14,110,046
Liabilities
$389,593

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Brad Ward (President (START 04/2025))
  • DONALD KNEBEL (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • J MARSHALL DAVIS (PRESIDENT (END 04/2025))

Highest reported compensation

  • J MARSHALL DAVIS (PRESIDENT (END 04/2025)): $274,018 total reported compensation
  • MADONNA WAGNER (TREASURER): $150,365 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The organization's mission is to protect and maintain the physical condition, and preserve the architectural and historical integrity of the real property in tippecanoe county, Indiana, commonly known as samara. Also to increase the public awareness of samara and the important contribution to Indiana and american architecture made by frank lloyd wright.

What it reported doing in 2024

The john e. Christian family memorial trust's primary purpose is to protect and maintain the physical condition and preserve the architectural and historical integrity of the real property in tippecanoe county, Indiana, commonly known as samara. Further, the trust is organized to (1) increase the public awareness of samara; (2) allow the public to visit the house; (3) acquire interior furnishings, books, and art objects for the house; (4) educate the public and scholars as to the important contribution to Indiana an american architecture made by frank lloyd wright; and (5) aid in the preservation and protection of, and dissemination of information with respect to sites and structures located in the wabash valley of Indiana which are of historical, cultural or architectural significance.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 89% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 64
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 50
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.5%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 79.2%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -4.3%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 49.81; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.6%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.7% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 29.5% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.7% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.5% of revenue deployed · 79.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $224K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $274K · 6 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 43 of 43 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.