The Air Force Museum Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
310668800
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2021
Location
Wright Patterson Afb, OH, USA
Phone
9372581218
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,211,800
Expenses
$7,051,142
Assets
$36,107,393
Liabilities
$551,343

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

Leadership & pay

43 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MS MELINDA LAWRENCE ((START 10/25) CEO & DIRECTOR, RETAIL)
  • DR RORIE CARTIER END 1025 (FORMER CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR RORIE CARTIER END 1025 (FORMER CEO): $327,313 total reported compensation
  • MR CHRISTOPHER ADKINS-LAMB (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $196,787 total reported compensation
  • MS MELINDA LAWRENCE ((START 10/25) CEO & DIRECTOR, RETAIL): $138,250 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To assist in developing and increasing the facilities of the national museum of the united states air force and to portray and preserve the history of the united states air force and its predecessor services by exhibiting aeronautical items associated with celebrated events, important era and notable achievements of the air force.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provide assistance for museum operations, including facility improvements, promotion of the museum and its many varied activities, support for the volunteer program and volunteer recognition, support for exhibits and restorations, support for traveling temporary exhibit, support for the museum educational programs including space camp, teacher training, home school events, and other educational activities and support for museum special events such as military group reunions, concerts, exhibit openings, etc.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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

SUPPORTED - 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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.2%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 62.8%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 63rd 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: 23.5%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.12; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.6%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -17.6% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.4% per year; rating input score 100; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.2% of revenue deployed · 62.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 27 of 27 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $4.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $327K · 43 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $113K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 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.
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 6/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.