The Rubicam Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
831746423
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2157355924
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Reported finances

Revenue
$142,798
Expenses
$102,064
Assets
$242,847
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM B MCNAMARA (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • WILLIAM B MCNAMARA (PRESIDENT)
  • PETER J JOHNSON (SECRETARY)
  • TIMOTHY J RIDDLE (TREASURER)

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 provide support which will protect, preserve, and enhance the historic and distinctive structure of the building and property located at 1301 walnut street, philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 (historically known as the "thomas butler house"), which shall help guard against any deterioration of the historic area in which the thomas butler house is currently situated as well as promote the general well-being and social welfare of the community surrounding the thomas butler house. The thomas butler house was entered into the philadelphia register of historic places on june 28, 1956. The east center city commercial historic district, located in the Washington square neighborhood, was originally listed in the national register of historic places in 1984. The thomas butler house is cited at length as one of the most important contributing resources to this historic district and was also cited as a contributing resource in the national district nomination for the Washington square west histo

What it reported doing in 2025

The rubicam foundation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes which shall include protecting, preserving, and enhancing the historic and distinctive structure of the building and property located at 1301 walnut street, philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 (historically known as the thomas butler house), which shall help guard against any deterioration of the historic area in which the thomas butler house is currently situated as well as promote the general well-being and social welfare of the community surrounding the thomas butler house.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.6%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 89.5%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $61.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 28.5%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.38; rating input score 64; 64th 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: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -17.4% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.6% of revenue deployed · 89.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $91K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.