Science Museum of Minnesota

What it reported doing in 2024

The work of the science museum's center for research and collections (crc) makes a profound impact on Minnesota's understanding and science. Science museum scientists in the field and in our labs collect and analyze samples and objects that drive decisions to improve water quality, teach us about our changing planet, contribute to global knowledge, and develop our stem workforce. Crc scientists and specialists answer questions about the world around us, bringing together our scientific disciplines (anthropology, biology, collections stewardship, hydrology, and paleontology) to synergistically amplify the impacts of our research, partnering with departments across the museum to share their findings with a diverse array of audiences.our staff care for a collection of more than two million objects. Through their continued research and understanding about these objects, we can make informed decisions about our cultures, our climate, and our wildlife moving forward. Continuing to make these collections digitally accessible to broad audiences was a focus of fy25.key projects:-digitizing the museum's collections is an institutional strategic priority. In fy25, our scientists digitized 17,318 object catalog records, tripling the number from the previous year. The team worked hard to photograph 8,057 images of fossils, sediment cores, seeds, maya textiles, mammal specimens, and objects from recent archaeological surveys, doubling the previous year's.-hosting community visits to the collection for consultations and elevating the awareness of our collections with cultural partners. In fy25, we worked with dakota and ojibwe community members, elders, scholars, and tribal historic preservation officers.-adding to our existing fossil collections from both sides of the mass extinction event 66 million years ago.-studying the invasive diatom didymosphenia in streams along the north shore of lake superior.-understanding how harmful algal blooms form in relatively pristine ecosystems like the boundary waters canoe area wilderness and superior national forest.-studying the impacts of rising salt levels in Minnesota lakes.-inventory and digitization of ethnographic seed collection, following community interest and feedback from community conversations.-inventory and digitization of textiles and other ethnographic collections from highland maya communities of chiapas, mexico, and working with cultural advisors locally and in chiapas to ensure the records are accessible and useful for maya weavers.-continuing 20-year partnership with the national park service's great lakes inventory and monitoring network to monitor water quality and guide aquatic resource management in seven upper midwest national park units.our st. Croix watershed research station is currently leading research on the impact of climate change, nutrient pollution, and road salt on the health of our lakes and rivers. Through this work, and in partnership with federal, indigenous, and state partners, we are working to find innovative solutions to the most significant ecological issues facing our watersheds. In fy25, our research station scientists analyzed 4,524 water samples, building our understanding of Minnesota's changing waterways and furthering climate research.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 97.6%; rating input score 98
• Program expense ratio: 84.6%; rating input score 85
• Fundraising efficiency: $7.48 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • 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: 97.7%; rating input score 98; 31st 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: -9.9%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.59; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5.2%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -1.6% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings