Sawtooth Interpretive and Historical Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
820305044
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2017
Location
Stanley, ID, USA
Phone
2083153557
Rating
55
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,049,310
Expenses
$207,383
Assets
$2,194,519
Liabilities
$430

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Lin Gray (Executive Director)
  • W Steward Wilder (President & CEO)
  • Terry Clark (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Lin Gray (Executive Director): $54,548 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 protect and advance the natural and cultural history of the region through preservation and education. SIHA operates a museum and information center for the public, conducts lectures and education programs; sells maps, books, and educational materials.

What it reported doing in 2024

Redfish Center - Provides regional information and education programs for all ages. Encourages protection of natural and cultural history of the area. Promote Leave No Trace practices at trailheads. Approximately 10,000 visitors per summer.Museum and associated programs to preserve history and educate visitors ad public. Long running Forum & Lecture series, Oral History program to record and transcribe interviews with individuals tied to the area historically, annual Salmon Festival, and ongoing museum historic site structural repairs and upgrades. Museum receives approximately 4000 visitors each summer.Education and outreach via provision of materials, maps, and supplies to regional outlets, along with information about area and resources. Seasonal cleanup efforts. Trail map distribution and fund generation for projects in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 37
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 16
  • Sustainability: 85
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 9.7%; rating input score 10
  • Program expense ratio: 93.9%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • 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: 89.9%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.58; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.3%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 28.2% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 24% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22.2% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 9.7% of revenue deployed · 93.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 14 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $195K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $55K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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 10/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.