The American Graffiti Museum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
862542274
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Trenton, NJ, USA
Phone
6096568300
Rating
59
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Art Museums

Reported finances

Revenue
$716,630
Expenses
$167,708
Assets
$2,243,012
Liabilities
$854,016

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JULIA TAYLOR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JULIA TAYLOR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $138,511 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Tag inspires, educates, and connects people through the study and appreciation of graffiti and street art, in all their many forms. Tag will be the cultural home for graffiti and street art, documenting the worldwide impact of this art across time and place, highlighting the people who create it, and exploring its role in society.

What it reported doing in 2025

The american graffiti museum (tag) is the first full-scale, nonprofit museum in the united states dedicated to graffiti and street art across time and cultures. Tag will provide visitors and the trenton community with unique cultural, educational, and engagement opportunities, while becoming the home for collecting, disseminating information about, and championing the worldwide impact of graffiti, street art, and the people who make it. Tag will be a major economic driver in the trenton region. The museum is in the start up phase, conducting design and planning, fundraising, and building programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 22
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 78
  • Sustainability: 74
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 11.2%; rating input score 11
  • Program expense ratio: 47.8%; rating input score 48
  • 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: 90%; rating input score 90; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: 76.6%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.37; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.38; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 82.6%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 100% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -10.1% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 11.2% of revenue deployed · 47.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 10 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $80K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $139K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 48/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.