The American Civil War Museum
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 464685540
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Richmond, VA, USA
- Phone
- 8046491861
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- History Museums
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,712,282
- Expenses
- $4,229,945
- Assets
- $29,303,625
- Liabilities
- $1,203,931
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
24 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROB HAVERS (CEO & PRESID)
Highest reported compensation
- ROB HAVERS (CEO & PRESID): $279,537 total reported compensation
- CARA SISSON (CHIEF OF STA): $148,868 total reported compensation
- DAVID FLOOD (CFO): $105,502 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of the american civil war museum is to be the preeminent center for the exploration of the american civil war and its legacies from multiple perspectives: union and confederate, enslaved and free african americans, soldiers and civilians.
What it reported doing in 2024
The american civil war museum (acwm) was created in 2013, bringing together the museum of the confederacy (moc) and the american civil war center at historic tredegar (acwc). A new 501(c)3 was formed to operate the enterprise while preserving assets of the predecessor institutions as subsidiaries of the new museum. The moc's world-class artifact and archival collection remains within the american civil war museum collection, formerly known as the confederate memorial literary society, auspices. The acwc retains its collections and license agreements. All assets are used to support the work of the american civil war museum. The acwm operates three locations: acwm - historic tredegar, acwm - white house of the confederacy, and acwm - appomattox.
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.
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: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 82%; rating input score 82
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- 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: -56%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.93; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12.6%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -3.3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -8.8% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 82% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $280K · 24 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
- 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 26/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.