Museum of Western Colorado Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
840588068
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Grand Junction, CO, USA
Phone
9702420971
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,264,074
Expenses
$1,459,628
Assets
$5,472,798
Liabilities
$193,781

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRISTINA HARNEY (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SHENNA HAYDEN (EXECUTIVE DI): $58,469 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 museum of western Colorado is an educational institution that collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts, specimens, and information concerning the cultural and natural history of western Colorado and the contiguous area. We enhance the quality of life for the public we serve through research, programs, and exhibits to promote awareness, understanding, appreciation and preservation of the past and present.

What it reported doing in 2024

Educational - these programs promote the education aspects associated with our core programs at museum of the west, cross orchard and dinosaur journey. The goal of these programs is to educate members of the community and other interested parties on the history of western Colorado from prehistoric times to present. The museum's educational programs compliment our curatorial and exhibit programs.

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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 82.6%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th 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: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -15.5%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.75; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1.8% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 82.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $58K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.