Oldham County Historical Society Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
611195581
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
La Grange, KY, USA
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Historical Societies & Historic Preservation

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$495,069
Expenses
$417,831
Assets
$4,452,669
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Nancy Stearns Theiss (Executive Director)
  • Kevin Eldridge (President)
  • Greg Schultz (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Nancy Stearns Theiss (Executive Director): $75,700 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the Oldham County History Center is to collect, record and share the rich history of Oldham County and its communities, and to create a sense of place and connect its residents and visitors

What it reported doing in 2025

The organization conducts tours and programs to educate the public about the history of Oldham County. They also provide resources for education, research and family history.

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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 10
  • Sustainability: 68
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 62.5%; rating input score 62
  • Program expense ratio: 55%; rating input score 55
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

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: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.6%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.66; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.1%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.2% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.7% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 62.5% of revenue deployed · 55% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 14 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $230K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $76K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2025
  • 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 55/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.