Rickenbacker-woods Technology Museum and Historical Park Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
050590212
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Columbus, OH, USA
Phone
6144273201
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$316,908
Expenses
$298,523
Assets
$52,078
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Michael Aaron (President)
  • Doreen Uhas Sauer (Vice president)

Highest reported compensation

  • Michael Aaron (President): $50,720 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 operate da technology museum, historical park, education center and auxiliary facilities to promote an understanding of technology and science as a means of innovation, problem solving adn social progress.

What it reported doing in 2024

Creators, Originators, and Innovators of Tomorrow Workforce Initiative (COITWI): The COITWI program operates as a six-month workforce development and violence prevention initiative for high school students in Columbus. Through paid internships, participants engage in hands-on projects that build leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills while promoting positive alternatives to youth violence. Activities include designing community gardens, producing public art such as murals and quilts, organizing civic events, and leading field trips to cultural, educational, and historic institutions across Ohio. By blending STEAM-based learning with community engagement, COITWI provides students with real-world experiences that enhance their mental capacity, address insecurities, and prepare them for higher education and the workforce, while also generating measurable cost savings to the community by reducing risks associated with youth incarceration. Summer Adventure Camp: The Rickenbacker Woods Foundation's Summer Adventure Camp serves elementary and middle school youth with a focus on STEAM exploration, literacy, and social-emotional learning. The camp operates daily over the summer months, providing participants with structured activities such as science experiments, art projects, reading enrichment, and physical fitness. Field trips to museums, parks, and cultural sites further broaden students' horizons, while guest instructors introduce innovative programs in areas like digital animation, robotics, and storytelling. The camp also emphasizes inclusion, offering a safe and welcoming environment for children of all abilities, including those with autism and ADHD, who are often excluded from other programs. With daily meals provided and a strong emphasis on creativity, teamwork, and confidence-building, the Summer Adventure Camp enriches young lives while strengthening families and the wider community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 68% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.4%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 95.9%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.8%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.17; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 58.9% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 56.2% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -77.5% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.4% of revenue deployed · 95.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $286K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $51K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 10/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.