The Society of the Cincinnati

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
530205423
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2027852040
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,327,705
Expenses
$5,010,396
Assets
$35,111,826
Liabilities
$860,816

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

51 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOEL THOMAS DAVES IV (PRESIDENT)
  • FRANCIS ELLERBE GRIMBALL (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • FRANK KEECH TURNER JR (PRESIDENT 2022-2025)
  • F ANDERSON MORSE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • F ANDERSON MORSE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $252,904 total reported compensation
  • SUSAN BENJAMIN (DIRECTOR OF FIN AND ADMIN): $193,020 total reported compensation
  • GLENN HENNESSEY (DIRECTOR OF MKT AND COMM): $142,085 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 society of the cincinnati promotes the memory and the ideals of the american revolution and the men who led the american and french forces to victory in the revolutionary war through museum, library and educational programs at anderson house, the society's headquarters.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education and other programs: the society conducts a wide range of educational and other public programs at anderson house and other venues, as well as online at www.americanrevolutioninstitute.org. The society also publishes and distributes educational materials related to these themes in print and online, including books, exhibition catalogs, lesson plans, posters, and facsimiles of primary sources from the library and museum collections. Eight sets of traveling trunks telling the stories of the continental army and the revolutionary war at sea using primary source-based lessons and reproduction clothing and artifacts are circulated at no cost to teachers across the country. A suite of digital resources for teachers and students is featured under the classroom section of our website, including: a full lesson plan series composed by institute staff and master teachers, classroom videos, an online strategy game, revolutionary choices (also available as an app for mobile devices). In the past, the society has published books such as "why america is free", "america's first veterans", and "freedom: the enduring importance of the american revolution." the society also undertakes additional initiatives to support and expand education for students, teachers, scholars, and lifelong learners. This includes library fellowship programs and a teachers associates program that invites educators to become associates of the american revolution institute.

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 99% 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

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: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 73%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 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: -15.8%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.01; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.5%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.5% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91% of revenue deployed · 73% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 34 of 34 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $253K · 51 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.