Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
581484027
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2020
Location
Memphis, TN, USA
Phone
9015219699
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$23,127,717
Expenses
$11,390,907
Assets
$75,884,138
Liabilities
$8,843,085

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

Leadership & pay

34 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Russell Wigginton (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Russell Wigginton (President): $348,543 total reported compensation
  • Tsitsi Jones (CFO / COO): $226,403 total reported compensation
  • Tiffany Legington Graham (Chief Development & Marketing Officer): $204,948 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 national civil rights museum (ncrm), located at the historic lorraine motel, honors and preserves the legacy of dr. Martin luther king. We chronicle the american civil rights movement and tell the story of the ongoing struggle for human rights. We educate and serve as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change.

What it reported doing in 2024

In fiscal year 2025, the National Civil Rights Museum welcomed 210,519 visitors who engaged with the story of the civil rights movement through its compelling exhibitions. The Museum extended its impact beyond its walls through a range of educational and community engagement initiatives. Key programs included the annual King Day celebration, which honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy with a focus on health and community, providing free admission to 4,267 visitors. The Museum also hosted the inspirational 57th anniversary of April 4th with "Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. The Moment. welcomed families and youth to the Ruby Bridges Reading Festival. Juneteenth Community Day drew 3,438 attendees with free admission and offered vital health services including screenings, vaccinations, and blood donations, underscoring the Museum's commitment to health equity. The Museum elevated its curatorial work with the acquisition of the Bayard Rustin collection and featured the temporary exhibition "Speaking Truth to Power - The Life of Bayard Rustin." Additional initiatives included the Southern Heritage Classic Exhibition, the "Catalyst for Change" Distinguished Speaker Series, a partnership for the 2025 Fair Housing Summit with the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, as well as book talks and professional development workshops for educators. The Museum also advanced its $38 million renovation of the Legacy Building, Founder's Park, and Legacy Terrace-an ambitious project currently supported through an active capital campaign.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 46.6%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 72.6%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: 50.7%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.66; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.7%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 46.6% of revenue deployed · 72.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $8.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $349K · 34 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $13.8M reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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 47/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.