Morris County Historical Society

What it reported doing in 2025

The society preserves and promotes morris county history by actively collecting artifacts, documents, and photographs of local historic significance. The 33,000 objects in our collection serve as the basis for rotating exhibits, programs, lectures, blogs, research requests, and loans (short-term, long-term, and permanent) to other similarly-missioned organizations throughout morris county and nj. The society's in person and virtual public offerings attract visitors, attendees, and engagements from across the united states. The most outwardly apparent ways the organization embodies its mission is through the active preservation, restoration, and interpretation of acorn hall (1853), its carriage house, and associated 6-acre landscape. Since 1971, when the acorn hall property became part of the society's collection, staff and volunteers have provided tours of the building, which is recognized as one of nj's best preserved historic house museums. As a leading historical society in nj, the society serves in a leadership capacity coordinating, publicizing, and supporting events, programs, and initiatives with all of morris county's history organizations, like preparations for the semiquincentennial. The society also works closely with these organizations, as well as local colleges, universities, and academic researchers, in the completion of research-driven, county-wide history initiatives, like morris county's first county-wide survey of african american history & historic sites. A member-supported non-profit, the society remains one of the few history organizations in nj that owns its historic resources and is unsupported by any governmental entity, private foundation, or parent organization except through competitive granting processes.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 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: NotApplicable
  • 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: -32.9%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.86; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 17.1%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings