Wilton Archives Ltd

What it reported doing in 2025

The Wilton Archives, a complementary organization to the Wilton Candy Kitchen, continues to preserve, promote, and curate materials related to the rich history of Wilton and Muscatine County. Through its exhibits and collections, the Archives engages with more than 3,500 visitors annually, sharing local stories, artifacts, and heritage with guests from near and far. Activities in 2025 included hosting approximately 725 Wilton Elementary and Junior High students for an end-of-year educational visit. During this annual event, students toured the Candy Kitchen, its museum, and the archival collections to learn about Wilton's history and the importance of preservation. These educational visits foster a strong connection between students and their community's heritage. The Archives continued its longstanding Historic Wilton Calendar program, a tradition since 2018. Sales of the 2025 calendar were carried out during the early part of the year, and in late 2025, the 2026 Historic Wilton Calendar was completed and released. The 2026 edition highlighted the Sharon Schoolhouse, its historical significance, and ongoing preservation efforts. Proceeds from calendar sales support ongoing preservation projects and community outreach. In April 2025, the Wilton Archives initiated formal efforts to save the historic Sharon Schoolhouse. This work included gathering contractor estimates and developing plans for the relocation and placement of the schoolhouse within the proposed Heritage Center block located just north of the Candy Kitchen. Throughout 2025, fundraising strategies were developed in preparation for a broader capital campaign to be launched in 2026. The Candy Kitchen continues to maintain a small heritage center located in the rear of the building which is maintained by Wilton Achieves. This museum offers visitors an opportunity to explore Wilton's past via its many displayed artifacts. The Archives also oversees the primary archival collections housed in the historic Star Drug Building and the annex museum displays located in the historic Bacon Building. Monies raised through these programs support ongoing preservation expenses and contribute toward the future Wilton Heritage Center, a planned museum and archives complex to be developed just north of the Candy Kitchen.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 41.7%; rating input score 42
• Program expense ratio: 77.4%; rating input score 77

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 46.2%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.24; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 167.1% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 97.6% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 30.5% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings