Lessons on Liberty Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
383745434
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023, Form 990-EZ 2018
Location
Westborough, MA, USA
Phone
5089549711
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$45,396
Expenses
$50,713
Assets
$5,082
Liabilities
$74,053

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Gary Gregory (President)

People named in this filing

  • Gary Gregory (President)
  • Stephanie Smith (Secretary)
  • Angela Gregory (Treasurer)

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 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Educate and entertain the public with historically informed demonstrations of printing technology; teach media literacy and civic engagement by reproducing and engaging in dialogue with 18th-century documents whose

What it reported doing in 2023

Educational Programs / Interpretation: The Printing Office of Edes & Gill is Bostons only functional 18th century exhibit. This offers an exclusive experience to our diverse visitors and educational clients. Interpertive frameworks include: Engine of Modernity - Demonstrate and explain the historical printing process and reveal how printing technology gave birth to the modern age. Freedom of the Press - Celebrate the hard-won right of printers and journalists to publish freely, and explain how a free press played a crucial role in 18th century politics, the birth of America, and its importance continues around the world today. Media Literacy - Emphasize the duty of citizens to develop media literacy and to read critically when approaching historical or contemporary tests, to seek the understanding of the difference between opinion, fact and misinformation. Civic Engagement - Celebrate the legacy of 18th century Bostons presses in stimulating public dialogue and provoking change, encourage a continuation of that spirit of engaged, informed citizenship in the modern age. Promise and Paradox of Liberty - Reveal the limited vision of liberty envisioned in the documents we print, while celebrating the marginal people who seized and acted upon full promise the ideals of the revolutionary period fundamentally transforming New England society. We offer transformative hands on experiences to K-12, college level book arts and history programs, veterans groups as well as serving the local art community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 100% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • 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: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -11.7%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.1; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 14.57; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -28.8% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.1% per year; rating input score 0; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $51K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 17 of 17 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2019 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.