The Sailing Museum & National Sailing Hall of Fame

Legal name: National Sailing Hall of Fame & Museum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
542152883
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Newport, RI, USA
Phone
401.324.5761
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,312,972
Expenses
$2,081,165
Assets
$8,619,963
Liabilities
$83,322

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GARY JOBSON (CO-PRESIDENT)
  • TOM WHIDDEN (CO-PRESIDENT)
  • ASHLEY HOUSEHOLDER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • ASHLEY HOUSEHOLDER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $104,254 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To preserve the sport of sailing and honor its legends, while inspiring future generations through interactive exhibits, educational programs, and community engagement.

What it reported doing in 2024

Educational programs and induction: the multimedia experience at the sailing museum provides a platform for steam (science, technology, engineering, art and math) programming for children and adults alike. 2023 saw the launch of the ness partnership serving 6th grade science middle school students at the thompson middle school in newport. This program continues.in october of 2024 we hosted the 14th annual induction to the hall of fame. The museum recognizes the outstanding achievements of u.s. Sailors in three categories (sailing, technical, and contributor), and leverages these achievements to inspire new generations of sailors. The 2024 ceremony was hosted by chicago yacht club, inducting 12 new members into the hall of fame.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 69% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 77.7%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th 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: 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -58.5%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.14; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 77.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $104K · 29 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 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.

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.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 53/100.