Perot Museum of Nature & Science

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
756067569
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Dallas, TX, USA
Phone
2144285555
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural History, Natural Science Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$103,102,766
Expenses
$30,698,351
Assets
$276,142,442
Liabilities
$10,558,435

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

Leadership & pay

46 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LINDA ABRAHAM-SILVER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • LINDA ABRAHAM-SILVER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $530,942 total reported compensation
  • DAVID HUMPHRIES (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $342,311 total reported compensation
  • ANNE WOODS (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $325,172 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 inspire minds through nature and science.

What it reported doing in 2024

Opening december 1, 2012, the perot museum is a result of a successful $185 million capital campaign to unite three institutions (the dallas museum of natural history, the science place and the dallas children's museum) into one interactive building. With the mission to "inspire minds through nature and science," the museum provides a wide variety of activities including in-depth permanent exhibits, temporary exhibits, hands-on interactives, onsite school programs, school outreach programs, discovery camps, films and weekend activities for adults, children, and families. During fiscal year 2025, the museum served over 933,000 visitors through on-site visits, including over 110,000 students on 1,512 field trips. The traveling exhibit in fiscal year 2025 was bug lab.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 81% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 46
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 84
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 24.2%; rating input score 24
  • Program expense ratio: 75.9%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $25.45 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • 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; 77th 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: 70.2%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.9%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.1% per year; rating input score 100; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 24.2% of revenue deployed · 75.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 34 of 34 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $23.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $531K · 46 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.9M reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 24/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.