Milwaukee Public Museum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391723105
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone
4142786939
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$13,076,645
Expenses
$14,713,686
Assets
$12,674,413
Liabilities
$4,258,131

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

Leadership & pay

44 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ELLEN CENSKY (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • ELLEN CENSKY (PRESIDENT/CEO): $251,798 total reported compensation
  • JULIE QUINLAN (SR. VP OF DEVELOPMENT): $185,703 total reported compensation
  • KATHERINE SANDERS TERMED 525 (CHIEF PLANNING OFFICER): $164,193 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 milwaukee public museum inspires curiosity, excites minds and increases desire to preserve and protect our world's natural and cultural diversity through exhibitions, educational programs, collections and research.

What it reported doing in 2024

The milwaukee public museum, inc. Operates a natural history museum, which focuses on exhibits, public programming, and research in the natural sciences, anthropology and history. The milwaukee public museum, inc. Uniquely and directly addresses the themes of biological and cultural diversity and their interrelationships. The milwaukee public museum, inc. Preserves and cares for its collections held in public trust. Through research and collections, the milwaukee public museum inc. Seeks knowledge and understanding of global change and diversity from geological, biological, cultural, and historical perspectives. Through its renowned exhibits, its programs and its publications, the milwaukee public museum, inc. Interprets these themes to diverse audiences.

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 - 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: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.9%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 72.5%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -12.5%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.86; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.2% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.9% of revenue deployed · 72.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 33 of 33 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $10.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $252K · 44 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $293K reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.