Maine Maritime Museum

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
010271477
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Bath, ME, USA
Phone
2074431316
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,838,768
Expenses
$3,787,338
Assets
$18,382,307
Liabilities
$734,397

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Chris Timm (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Chris Timm (Executive Director): $143,564 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To connect people to the past, present, and future of Maine's waterways and their global reach.

What it reported doing in 2025

Collections and Exhibits - Includes all items relating to maritime history primarily in Maine. Paintings and other artwork, rigged models, half hulls, tools used in maritime industries, navigating equipment, ship parts and watercraft on display. Exhibits include historic buildings and period displays of maritime life during the late 1800's. Includes the preservation of both new and existing displays.Education & Public Programs Lecture series, symposiums, adult and youth classes, school programs, senior college programs, summer shipyard activities, volunteer support programs, family programs, museum trips, summer camps, trolley tours of Bath Iron Works, and other guided tours are all part of the education and public programs.Lighthouse, Nature, and Bath Iron Works cruises - These tours explore the Kennebec River, Merrymeeting Bay, and the Maine Mid-Coast region. Bath Iron Works and historical lighthouses can be viewed from the water. Bald eagles, osprey, seals, fishermen, and the natural beauty of Maine's coast can be seen.

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

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 74
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 71.6%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th 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: 8 of 8 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: 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: 21.7%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.85; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74% of revenue deployed · 71.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $144K · 23 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.