Kentucky Historical Society Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
611204590
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Frankfort, KY, USA
Phone
5027828130
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Reported finances

Revenue
$624,820
Expenses
$536,149
Assets
$7,875,518
Liabilities
$3,114

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CAROLLE JONES CLAY (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • CAROLLE JONES CLAY (PRESIDENT)
  • ANTHONY APRO SR (FIRST VICE P)
  • DAN BARBERCHECK (SEC VICE PRE)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The Kentucky historical society foundation exists solely to assist and support the Kentucky historical society (khs). Khs's mission is to educate and engage the public through Kentucky history in order to confront the challenges of the future. Since 1836 the commonwealth has entrusted khs to be the keeper of its legacy. Khs has continued to re-imagine this committment, deepening it to also help the public recognize history's value and use it to address the enduring educational/workforce development, social, and sustainability issues facing us today.

What it reported doing in 2024

There is a strong public-private partnership between khs and the Kentucky historical society foundation. Over the years, this partnership has resulted in the building of the thomas d. Clark center for Kentucky history, the acquisition of some of Kentucky's most significant historical treasures, the expansion statewide of the historical markers program, and many important education initiatives including the nationally award-winning historymobile and historysmarts programs, and national history day. More than 4,500 Kentucky middle and high school students participate each year. In any given year individuals, corporations and foundations give to nearly forty different khs programs and activities at khs. These gifts help make khs collections more accessible to the public and to teach Kentucky students important critical thinking skills by engaging them in the historical process. They also help raise awareness of local history resources throughout the commonwealth, preserve our heritage, and teach us what it means to be a kentuckian.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.3%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 79.4%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.03 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 14.2%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.69; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.9% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.7% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.3% of revenue deployed · 79.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $425K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 19 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.