Norton Museum of Art

What it reported doing in 2024

Learning & community engagement: in 2024-25, the museum's learning and community engagement department presented an outstanding season of programs enjoyed by over 121,900 visitors. These programs played a key role in advancing the norton's mission by engaging diverse audiences, fostering community dialogue, and promoting appreciation for art through the exploration of a broad range of themes and topics. In order to create an inclusive and varied calendar of programs each year, the norton's learning and community engagement department collaborates with a community committee comprised of internal and external stakeholders, from west palm beach residents to local civic and institutional leaders. The committee is tasked with helping to curate a season of programs that reflects the region's growing diversity and engages the public in new and exciting ways. Thanks to this continued focus and dedication, the 2024-25 season featured a wide array of unique and accessible programs designed for k-12 and college students, children and families, and adults and lifelong learners, among other constituents that visit the norton regularly. Public programs continued to be at the forefront of the museum's most visible offerings and served as an important means for connecting with visitors. In 2024-25, the norton was proud to host over 474 programs for the public's enjoyment. Key family programs included: art-making workshops like family studio, art and literature mash-up programs like book + art, dance and musical performances, year-round programs like school's out!, and more. Popular adult public programs included: lecture and panel conversations like the edlavitch lecture series and artspeaks; community partnership events like the subtropic film festival and art on tap; and art after dark, a popular and celebrated weekly friday night program centered around connecting the norton's collection, special exhibitions, and the local community through art, live music, dance, poetry, and more. The norton's roster of lectures and panels brought renowned cultural leaders to west palm beach to share their expertise and insights, including: helen molesworth (writer, podcaster, and curator based in los angeles and provincetown), mike hearn (douglas dillon chairman, department of asian art, the metropolitan museum of art), tristram hunt (director of the v&a), tiffany dubin (international specialist in artist jewelry), and willow hai (independent curator and writer, and former senior vice president, director, and chief curator of the china institute gallery in New York), among others. Additionally, the norton was pleased to welcome the general public through an ever-evolving program of docent- and curator-led tours, which help enhance the visitor experience by providing deeper cultural and historical context. In 2024-25, thanks to the commitment of 60 dedicated docents, the norton was able to host 510 school tours, reaching 11,471 students, and over 790 public tours that welcomed nearly 9,000 visitors to learn about the exceptional works on view. To broaden access and welcome even more visitors through its doors, the museum also hosted four free, campus-wide celebrations last year. Community days are a series of thematic festivals that celebrate identity and culture through engaging activations, including live performances, art-making workshops, tours, games, and more. Each festival focuses on the different communities and experiences that comprise south Florida, drawing throughlines to the norton's collection and exhibitions. Over 4,600 visitors enjoyed free access to community days in 2024-25: the 11th annual lunar new year community day drew over 1,500 visitors; the 5th annual nuestra cultura community day drew over 800 visitors; the 5th annual juneteenth community day drew over 1,100 visitors; and the 5th annual art around the world community day drew over 1,000 visitors. The latter two community days anchored the museum's summer at the norton initiative

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 51.2%; rating input score 51
• Program expense ratio: 64.8%; rating input score 65
• Fundraising efficiency: $12.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • 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: Limited

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: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 29.7%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 11; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings