Marine Corps Heritage Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
260803466
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2008
Location
Triangle, VA, USA
Phone
7036407965
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,058,052
Expenses
$15,465,788
Assets
$109,397,838
Liabilities
$1,011,126

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MAJGEN JAMES W LUKEMAN (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MAJGEN JAMES W LUKEMAN (PRESIDENT & CEO): $268,086 total reported compensation
  • JENNIFER VANDERVELD (COO): $244,458 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 marine corps heritage foundation preserves and promulgates the history, traditions and culture of the marine corps and educates all americans in its virtues.

What it reported doing in 2024

Programs for the national museum of the marine corps include support for museum collections/exhibits, artwork, educational programs, community outreach efforts, a volunteer docent program, payroll support for interns and special assistants, marketing, and heritage center property/grounds maintenance. The foundation conducts all retail operations within the museum which include the gift shop, two restaurants, special events, a laser rifle range, and a giant screen movie theater showing the foundation's feature film, "we, the marines". During 2024, the museum hosted 35,252 virtual and in person students and a total of 368,660 visitors. The intern/special assistant programs had 16 staff members with support totaling $530,795, traveling exhibits support totaled $36,793 , and maintenance support totaled $108,264. Total expenses include $5.6m depreciation on the museum and heritage center.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 71.8%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.1%; rating input score 99; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: -39.9%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.07; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.4% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 71.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $11.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $268K · 20 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5.5M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.