Rico Historical Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841511411
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Rico, CO, USA
Phone
9707080176
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$235,983
Expenses
$350,989
Assets
$99,591
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GARY GASS (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DEANNA DREW (OPERATIONS M): $15,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Rhs was founded in 2003 and exists to acknowledge, conserve and promote awareness of rico history.

What it reported doing in 2025

2025 accomplishments include: ensuring the future protection and preservation of the historic engel house by seeking out and engaging with a private residential owner; planned and implemented the donating of 325,000 in grant funds to the town of rico for the purchase of the historic rico community church for public use and historic preservation; engaged engineering firm and local contractor to develop construction plans for the rehabilitation of the van winkle headframe; developed professional relationship with atlantic richfield mining co, a large holder of rico historic mining property; operated the rico museum for five summer months, hosting over 2500 visitors from around the world; published and distributed to members 2025 annual newsletter with rhs accomplishments; acquired and installed new displays and exhibits for the museum; advanced the acquisition of rights and publishing of acid reign book; managed 20 seasonal volunteers including board members and museum docents and professionals; submitted rico center grant applications and managed grant awards: participated in and acted as chairperson for the town of rico community church advisory committee; performed oversight of legal and financial matters to absorb work load from previous board members: restructure board; manage the purchase and resale of museum gift shop inventory; submit sales tax requirements and tax filings to state of Colorado and IRS; maintain cleanliness and repair of museum as needed; handle cash operations and transcations; work with usfs to reproduce and replace atlanticcable interpretive sign; partner with mountains to mesas southwest Colorado committee for 2026, 250/150 anniversary celbration with moments that made us exhibits, oral histories with dove creek. Assist secretary with memberships and contact lists; act as curator for museum accept donations and record deed of gift in files: organize historic office files and artifacts; public article of rico history in san juan skyway magazine.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 93% of its reported program spending out as grants.

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 97
  • Transparency & Controls: 93
  • Accountability: 63
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 99.5%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: $46.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -48.7%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.28; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.3%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 99.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 1 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $349K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $15K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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: 6 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.