Western Trail Historical Society Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
730792786
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2011
Location
Altus, OK, USA
Phone
5804821044
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$399,204
Expenses
$413,519
Assets
$823,365
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Dennis Vernon (President of the Board)

People named in this filing

  • Douglas Gardiner (Bookkeeper)
  • Clint Abernathy (Director)
  • Yudell Barton (Director)

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

The Western Trail Historical Society seeks to enable the Museum of the Western Prairie to be a driving force in the cultural life and economic development of our community by producing art exhibitions, concerts, and historical programs to enrich the intellectual and cultural lives of the residents of Southwest Oklahoma.

What it reported doing in 2025

Our robust programming and exhibit schedule is continually adjusted and refined to address community needs and wishes. Our programs bring talented performers and knowledgeable experts to our community to augment the talent and expertise in our community thereby increasing the impact of the programming by broadening the experience and knowledge of our community members. In essence, we provide programs that can only be experienced here, and we also endeavor to provide programs that are enjoyed in larger, better-served communities so that our local audiences will have the opportunity to experience the best offerings of their home community as well as the caliber of programs enjoyed in larger, better-served communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 47
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.4%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 79.8%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 24th 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.6%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.99; rating input score 59; 59th 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: 28.6% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 83.4% of revenue deployed · 79.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $330K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 16 of 17 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.