Maine Charitable Mechanic Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
010248533
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-PF 2023
Location
Portland, ME, USA
Phone
2077738396
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$936,425
Expenses
$648,613
Assets
$1,488,631
Liabilities
$60,800

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Chandra Leister (Vice President)
  • William Stauffer (Board President)
  • Annie Leahy (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Annie Leahy (Executive Director): $80,179 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Mechanics' Hall is a member-supported historic cultural hub and library that brings together big ideas, bold creativity, and vibrant community. We connect exceptional thinkers and artists to enrich intellectual life, celebrate the arts, and spark meaningful connection.

What it reported doing in 2025

PUBLIC PROGRAMS: Mechanics' Hall presents year-round literary, cultural, educational, and arts programs that engage the public and advance access to books, ideas, history, and the arts. Programs include author talks and book launches, writing and reading groups, lectures, workshops, classical music and dance performances, and tours of the historic building. During the most recent fiscal year, Mechanics' Hall presented 146 public events, including 70 free events, and supported more than 537 artists. Its public arts and humanities programs reached more than 7,642 people of all ages, representing an approximately 117% increase in participation over the prior fiscal year. These programs provide opportunities for artists, writers, performers, scholars, and community members to share their work and ideas while connecting the public to Mechanics' Hall and its mission.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 62% 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.

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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 31
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 68
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 28.9%; rating input score 29
  • Program expense ratio: 40.1%; rating input score 40
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 22nd 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 30.7%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.3; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.4%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 68.6% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 23.7% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 28.9% of revenue deployed · 40.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $260K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 19 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 29/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 18/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.