National Blues Museum

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
274259743
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023, Form 990-EZ 2012
Location
St Louis, MO, USA
Phone
3149250016
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,056,624
Expenses
$1,306,454
Assets
$202,705
Liabilities
$621,939

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SCOTT MCCUAIG (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • BERNARD HAYES (PRESIDENT/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • ROEL VESTJENS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ROBERT NELSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • ERIN M SIMON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • ERIN M SIMON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $117,525 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT NELSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $6,732 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The national blues museum explores and preserves the historic significance of the blues as the foundation of american music, celebrates the genre's various styles and recognizes the musicians who created, sustain, and continue to advance the art form.to achieve our mission, the national blues museum will;- present historical and modern-day information about blues music;- educate through live performances;- provide interactive technology;- showcase various exhibitions;- involve diverse communities through programming; and- serve as a forum for music education and the blues legacy.

What it reported doing in 2023

To build and operate a national blues museum that explores the blues and celebrate the genre as the foundation of all modern american music. The facility opened in april 2016 and educates guests in an entertaining environment that includes high impact technology driven experiences, a 120-seat theatre, artifact-driven exhibits and robust public programming. The national blues museum (nbm) will use blues music to enhance learning and creative thinking as an educational bridge to american music, history, social studies, geography, science, and math.implementing a varity of innovative educational strategies, nbm will offer dynamic educational programs that will:- provide teachers with resources that connect students to america's rich musical heritage.- lead the movement to increase music education in schools and communities with a focus on underprivileged communities.- explore the history and sociology in the 20th century through the prism of the blues.- address race, diversity and culture through the blues.- highlight worldwide artistic contributions made by african-americans.

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

SUPPORTED - 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: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 93
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 10
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 98.2%; rating input score 98
  • Program expense ratio: 72.5%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 15th 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: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -23.6%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.16; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 3.07; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.5%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -11.6% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -7.9% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -14.2% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 98.2% of revenue deployed · 72.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $947K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $118K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 30 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2013 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

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 8/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.