The Old Synagogue Museum of Kenosha

Legal name: The Old Synagogue Museum of Kenosha Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471120621
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2019
Location
Kenosha, WI, USA
Phone
773 262 0470
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Affiliation
Judaism

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$352,547
Expenses
$13,449
Assets
$2,030,627
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LANCE WISE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • LANCE WISE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • NANCY WISE (SECRETARY)
  • ADINA WISE (MARKETING DIRECTOR)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To ensure that the narratives and contributions of the Jewish community persist for generations, safeguarding and perpetuating the priceless legacy of Jewish history. The Mission Jewish family values often center around strong connections, mutual support, and a deep sense of heritage. Family is highly regarded, and traditions play a crucial role in passing down cultural and religious values from one generation to the next. These values contribute to the preservation and celebration of the rich history and traditions of the Jewish community. The Old Synagogue Museum of Kenosha (OSMK) seamlessly aligns itself to this timeless family value and Jewish tradition. Driven by a deep love of heritage, profound respect for culture, and commitment to family values, OSMK embarked on the remarkable journey of acquiring the historic Old Synagogue of Kenosha in 2014. Th.

What it reported doing in 2025

Osmk operates as a synagogue and museum open to the public as a place of worship and history.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 82% 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 program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 37
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 30
  • Sustainability: 93
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 6.9%; rating input score 7
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 96.2%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 150.99; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.7% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.4% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 6.9% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $13K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 13 of 13 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 7/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.