Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
251672667
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Homestead, PA, USA
Phone
4124644020
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,123,682
Expenses
$4,340,356
Assets
$20,200,585
Liabilities
$1,593,473

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

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • AUGUST R CARLINO (PRESIDENT & CEO (THRU 3/25))
  • MARY W MURRIN (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARY W MURRIN (PRESIDENT & CEO): $162,018 total reported compensation
  • AUGUST R CARLINO (PRESIDENT & CEO (THRU 3/25)): $124,154 total reported compensation
  • LISA KELLEY (CONTROLLER): $111,643 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Rivers of steel heritage corporation conserves, interprets, develops, and promotes historical, cultural and recreational resources throughout western Pennsylvania, including the eight counties that comprise the rivers of steel national heritage area. The dynamic and powerful story of the region's evolution from colonial settlement to "big steel" to the modern era is evident in its many artifacts, buildings, vibrant communities and industrial sites. Among other destinations, such core landmarks as the carrie blast furnaces nos. 6 and 7, pinkerton's landing, the pump house and water tower at the site of the former united states steel homestead works, and the w. A. Young foundry and machine shop at rices landing on the monongahela river, illustrate the magnitude of this story.

What it reported doing in 2025

Rivers of steel's education programs use sites like the carrie blast furnaces to offer student experiences, artist residencies, outreach, and virtual programs that explore the region's industrial and cultural history through arts and heritage themes. Through its archives and preservation work, rivers of steel conserves everything from small ephemera to national historic landmarks, building collections and maintaining heritage sites that underpin its tours, exhibitions, and educational initiatives. Rivers of steel's receptive and heritage tourism programming packages tours, workshops, and experiences across the rivers of steel national heritage area, helping visitors engage with industrial history, public art, and local communities as a coordinated destination offering. The workforce development program is a paid nine-month, learn-and-earn initiative that trains emerging trades workers in welding, masonry, carpentry, safety, and preservation skills while they help restore historic industrial structures.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 72% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 96% 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

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 the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 43
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 97
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 25.6%; rating input score 26
  • Program expense ratio: 64.7%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $27.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 50.3%; rating input score 50; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95.5%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 61%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.65; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.2%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 25.6% of revenue deployed · 64.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 22 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $162K · 25 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $1.9M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 26/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.