Science Museum Oklahoma Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
730682415
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Phone
4056026664
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Museum, Museum Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,130,425
Expenses
$12,812,221
Assets
$102,125,924
Liabilities
$3,244,516

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHERRY MARSHALL (PRESIDENT)
  • KATHRYN ANDERSON (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ALLEN VOYLES (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • TARA SIMMONS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • MELODY MUNIZ (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • HEATHER JOHNSTON (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SHERRY MARSHALL (PRESIDENT): $190,000 total reported compensation
  • ALLEN VOYLES (VICE PRESIDENT): $122,005 total reported compensation
  • TARA SIMMONS (VICE PRESIDENT): $121,450 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We enrich people's lives by revealing the wonder and relevance of science.

What it reported doing in 2024

Science education: educational programs and activities are provided for the general public and school groups on an ongoing basis throughout the year both in the museum and through special outreach programs. Students and visitors can experience one of our live multi-media, audience participation theater shows, or learn the science of specific exhibits from one of our many volunteers and floor facilitators. These activities serve to promote interest in, and enhance the knowledge and understanding of the sciences.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 63% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.7%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 80.7%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -5.6%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.97; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.7% of revenue deployed · 80.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $10.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $190K · 23 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.3M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 39/100.