Walker Art Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
410693929
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Phone
612-375-7600
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$53,518,372
Expenses
$31,784,326
Assets
$448,999,396
Liabilities
$4,198,167

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

Leadership & pay

61 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ELLEN WILSON (PRESIDENT)
  • MARK ADDICKS (VICE-PRESIDENT)
  • SARAH OQUIST (VICE-PRESIDENT)
  • MARY CERUTI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARY CERUTI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $525,475 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTOPHER STEVENS (CHIEF OF ADVANCEMENT): $272,288 total reported compensation
  • KIM HOLLINGSWORTH TAYLOR (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $241,120 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 Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art museum that presents visual arts, performing arts, moving image, and design, and engages communities through exhibitions, screenings, residencies, and educational programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

The walker art center provides exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, prints, photography and digital media with an emphasis on contemporary art, moving image program including film screenings, education programs and tours for adults, teens, children, school and family programs. Performing arts includes presentation of various performances including dance, music, and theatre.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 54
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 84
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 69.4%; rating input score 69
  • Program expense ratio: 66.7%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 40.6%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.13; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.4%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 69.4% of revenue deployed · 66.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 49 of 49 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $21.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $525K · 61 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.4M reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 50/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.