The Archaeological Conservancy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 953403273
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Phone
- 5052661540
- Rating
- 63
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $15,487,164
- Expenses
- $4,219,760
- Assets
- $73,310,965
- Liabilities
- $519,080
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARK P MICHEL (PRES/CEO--FO)
- ANNE LOWE (PRES/CEO--FO)
- CORY D WILKINS (PRESIDENT/CE)
Highest reported compensation
- MARK P MICHEL (PRES/CEO--FO): $181,889 total reported compensation
- TIONE JOSEPH (CFO): $132,344 total reported compensation
- ANNE LOWE (PRES/CEO--FO): $127,846 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To acquire and preserve america's most important archaeological sites. The conservancy identifies important endangered sites, acquires the property by purchase, gift, or bargain sale from donors, secures the property, stabilizes the cultural resources at the site, manages the archaeological preserve as part of a long-term plan, and educates the general public and local officials about the destruction of our cultural heritage and how to preserve what remains.
What it reported doing in 2024
Acquisition, conservation, and management: during the year ending july 31, 2025, the conservancy completed the acquisition and protection of 11 endangered archaeological sites, which are now managed as archaeological preserves. Over 25 more sites and conservation easements are in various stages of acquisition. In total, the conservancy has protected over 590 archaeological sites across the country. The conservancy regularly conducts stewardship and maintenance activities to ensure the continued protection and management of each site.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 87% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - Most voting board members are independent and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 46
- Transparency & Controls: 55
- Accountability: 94
- Sustainability: 85
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 22.8%; rating input score 23
- Program expense ratio: 76%; rating input score 76
- Fundraising efficiency: $32.59 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 90%; rating input score 90; 22nd 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: 72.8%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 17.37; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 16%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 22.8% of revenue deployed · 76% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $182K · 14 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 5 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: Mission deployment rate scored 23/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.