Palo Alto History Museum

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770634933
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Palo Alto, CA, USA
Phone
6503223089
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,875,207
Expenses
$466,442
Assets
$26,849,569
Liabilities
$116,228

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RICHARD GREEN (PRESIDENT)
  • PATRICIA SANDERS (VICE-PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DIANE MOON (CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER): $150,075 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 palo alto museum will bring to life a historic landmark as a vibrant place to discover, connect, and create. Shaped by, with, and for the community, the museum will celebrate our past, strengthen our community today, and inspire a brighter future. Through dynamic exhibits, events, and experiences for all ages, we will help turn ideas into impactfor palo alto and the world.

What it reported doing in 2024

Museum building renovation and programmatic infrastructure : during the fiscal year, the palo alto museum's primary program activity was completion of a multi-year renovation to prepare the facility for operation as a public museum. Programmatic improvements included installation and coordination of museum-appropriate lighting, hvac, electrical, data, and security systems to support future exhibitions, collections care, education programs, and public use. These activities support the museum's ability to operate in accordance with professional museum standards.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 90% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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 - Most voting board members are independent and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 23
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 87
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 3.8%; rating input score 4
  • Program expense ratio: 37.2%; rating input score 37
  • Fundraising efficiency: $42.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 92.1%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 57.56; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.2%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 41.9% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 32.9% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 31.1% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 3.8% of revenue deployed · 37.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $174K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $150K · 19 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $6.6M reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 4/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: California registration: this organization is not authorized to operate as a charity in California.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.