The Ukrainian Museum

What it reported doing in 2025

Founded in 1976 by the ukrainian national women's league of america, the ukrainian museum has served for nearly fifty years as a cultural home in the east village. We steward one of the largest collections of ukrainian cultural heritage outside ukraine over 8,000 folk art objects, 3,000 fine art works, and more than 30,000 archival documents. Our work spans centuries, from ritual textiles and traditional dress to modernist painting and contemporary photography. We aim to serve as both a scholarly resource and a welcoming public space where everyone is welcome - a place where ukrainian heritage meets contemporary dialogue, where folk traditions sit alongside cutting-edge art, and where people connect across cultures through our collections and programs. (continued on schedule o)our vision positions the museum at the forefront of preserving and strengthening ukrainian cultural agency, where ukraine is seen not as a monolith but as a cosmopolitan culture that takes in other cultures and gives in return.the museum's location in the east village is central to its mission. For over a century, this neighborhood has been a hub of ukrainian cultural life, while also playing a pivotal role in New York's broader artistic and intellectual history. The museum sees itself as a bridge between these histories, rooted in a diasporic community yet deeply embedded in the civic and cultural fabric of New York city. A key institutional priority is strengthening ties with local organizations, universities, and neighbors to ensure that small museums and community-based cultural institutions continue to shape the identity of the east village as it evolves. As the museum approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026-2027, it does so at a moment of profound urgency. Ukrainian culture today faces existential threats due to ongoing war and systemic erasure. In this context, the museum's work is not only cultural but civic: preserving memory, supporting contemporary artists, advancing scholarship, and offering a space where resilience, self-determination, and cultural agency can be understood and sustained.the ukrainian museum accomplishes its mission through five integrated areas of work: collections: we steward one of the largest collections of ukrainian cultural heritage outside ukraine, built from the ground up by immigrant communities. The first donors were ukrainian refugees who arrived after world war ii carrying treasured family heirlooms; that tradition of community stewardship continues today. Recent acquisitions include works by maria prymachenko, david burliuk, and boris mikhailov. In 2022, supported by a booth ferris foundation grant, we completed a transformative storage centralization project - installing high-density mobile shelving that brought 100% of our holdings under one roof for the first time, catalyzing our ongoing 2025-2026 digitization initiative.exhibitions: we present 68 exhibitions annually, spanning folk art, modernism, and contemporary practice. Most are accompanied by bilingual scholarly catalogues and supported by curator and artist tours, symposia, lectures, and panel discussions.education: we offer 50+ public programs annually - folk art workshops, artist talks, bilingual tours, k-12 programs, and neighborhood walking tours - engaging families, students, seniors, and recent refugees. Free workshops specifically designed for newly arrived immigrants offer cultural connection without financial barriers.public-facing role, institutional partnerships and communities: the east village has welcomed successive waves of immigrants for over a century, and the museum has always seen itself as part of that fabric. In 2024, a free open streets festival drew 1,200 attendees, 70% previously unaware the museum existed, producing a 15% membership increase. Expanding this model is central to our 50th anniversary programming in 2026.safe - safeguarding ukrainian cultural heritage: launched in 2022 following russia's full-scale invasion, safe su

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 72%; rating input score 72
• Fundraising efficiency: $21.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 91.3%; rating input score 91; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -64.5%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.39; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 12.5%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings