Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Legal name: Thomas Jefferson Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
540505959
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Charlottesville, VA, US
Phone
434-984-9800
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
History Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$51,655,297
Expenses
$41,057,926
Assets
$402,744,508
Liabilities
$43,801,466

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JANE KAMENSKY PHD (PRESIDENT & CEO (FROM 1/15))
  • PETER G HALLOCK (INTERIM PRESIDENT (1/1 - 1/14))
  • LESLIE GREENE BOWMAN (FORMER PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • LESLIE GREENE BOWMAN (FORMER PRESIDENT): $693,130 total reported compensation
  • JANE KAMENSKY PHD (PRESIDENT & CEO (FROM 1/15)): $615,923 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTINE P BARTH (VP & CFO): $344,787 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 preserve and interpret Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, and to educate the public about Jefferson's life, legacy, and the ideals of liberty and democracy.

What it reported doing in 2024

The thomas jefferson foundation operates monticello, the home of the nation's third president and author of the american declaration of independence. Over the past ten years, an average of 307,600 people have visited monticello annually. Admission includes an interpretive guided tour of his home, one of our country's foremost architectural masterpieces and the only home in america named to the united nations world heritage list. In addition to admission revenue, the above total also includes gifts and grants, and sales from the retail operations of the museum shops, catalog, and online store. The revenue contributes to the preservation of monticello for future generations, which is one of the missions of the foundation. The foundation's restoration department is dedicated to the architectural preservation of the united nations world heritage house while the curatorial collections are under the care of a full-time curatorial department.

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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 78
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.8%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 73.9%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.55 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th 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: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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; 77th 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: 20.5%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.81; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 96.8% of revenue deployed · 73.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $30.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $693K · 26 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.7M reported
  • Consistency: 51 of 51 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.