Kansas City Auto Museum

Legal name: Kansas City Automotive Museum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
451433928
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2012
Location
Olathe, KS, US
Phone
9134220909
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,577,302
Expenses
$1,060,439
Assets
$4,591,308
Liabilities
$19,470

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Alana Zimmer (Executive Director 7.22.24-12.31.24)
  • William Cook (Executive Director 1.1.24-6.14.24)
  • Dennis Wellner (President)
  • Tim McCarthy (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Alana Zimmer (Executive Director 7.22.24-12.31.24): $37,917 total reported compensation
  • William Cook (Executive Director 1.1.24-6.14.24): $35,371 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to entertain and educate all generations through the preservation, promotion and display of Kansas City's rich automotive heritage. Our future vision is to expand our mission to include the entire Midwest.

What it reported doing in 2024

Through The Great Car Show local youth are able to participate in youth judging which allows us to fulfill our mission to educate, preserve and promote Kansas City's rich automotive history. 30+ youth participated in our youth judging programs. Boy Scouts- the Museum offers many opportunities for scouts. From derbies to Automotive Maintenance Badge workshops, we offer something for every interest level. Kansas City Automotive Museum expanded its outreach through two key community programs: the Kids Autocross and the Art Car initiative. The Kids Autocross provides more than 50 children with the unique opportunity to experience the thrill of driving in a safe and supportive environment. Many of these children might not otherwise have the chance to drive, yet on this day, they feel the wind in their hair and the excitement of being behind the wheel. This program not only introduces young people to automotive culture but also builds confidence and creates unforgettable memories. The 2024 Art Car, a collaborative project involving local students and artists, inspired creativity and celebrated the fusion of art and automotive history. The Art Car was showcased at community events, sparking conversations about innovation, design, and cultural expression.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 71% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 55
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 75
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 49.3%; rating input score 49
  • Program expense ratio: 71.9%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 32.8%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.33; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.9%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.6% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26.7% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 49.3% of revenue deployed · 71.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $762K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $38K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 46 of 46 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 49/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 47/100.