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International Spy Museum
International Spy Museum reported $31.8 million in revenue and $29.4 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $82.03 went to program services, $13.94 to management and general costs and $4.03 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 76.2% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $520,230 (PRESIDENT / COO). 23 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 120% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $29MFor context, the median across 876 covered arts, culture & humanities charities: $79.98 programs, $13.89 management, $6.13 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $32MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 82.0% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 13.9% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.0% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.40 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 9.4% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.3% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 76.2% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $520,230 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.77% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 23 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 40.3 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 29 of 29 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expense"the International Spy Museum has the largest collection of historic espionage artifacts on public display. In 2024, the museum's displays, media and interactive experiences featured the history, people, tradecraft and impact of intelligence on the world. In 2024, the museum welcomed a record of over 700,000 visitors. It hosted over 400 onsite and virtual public programs including many educaional offerings for area schools and a community night for ward 6 residents.changes to the permanent exhibition included a new exhibit on wwii spy virginia hall. The museum also redesigned an interactive…
"access to spy: opening our doors to communities facing barriers is a series of programs for people with physical, cognitive, and financial challenges. In 2024 the museum supported these communities through both onsite and virtual programming. 330 individuals participated in programming for the autism community, and 223 adults with memory care issues and their caregivers were reached through 15 programs. In addition, 51 free programs for adults served 7,668 attendees from the united states and 30 countries. Our popular podcast, "spycast" delivered 51 programs and was downloaded 1.3 million…
"student workshops & resources: the International Spy Museum offers a wide variety of workshops (onsite and virtual) & downloadable resources that encourage active learning and meet national curriculum and common core standards. Designed for grades 3 - 12, subjects range from history & government to science & technology and address skill building in the areas of critical & creative thinking, problem solving, and teamwork. Since 2011, more than 94,000 students and educators have attended workshops. In 2024 the museum taught 280 workshops to 7,336 students around the world: 145 were on-site…
Highest reported compensation
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT / COO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $472,240 | $0 | $47,990 | $520,230 |
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $380,833 | $0 | $44,367 | $425,200 |
| VP - PEOPLE & CULTURE Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $209,533 | $0 | $42,007 | $251,540 |
| VP - EXHIBITS & COLLECTIONS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $203,657 | $0 | $46,508 | $250,165 |
| VP - OPERATIONS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $201,358 | $0 | $28,650 | $230,008 |
| VP - TECHNOLOGY & FACILITI Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $200,142 | $0 | $29,245 | $229,387 |
| SECRETARY Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $72,868 | $0 | $17,446 | $90,314 |
23 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from International Spy Museum (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $611K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b29 · 29 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2Yes
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5244
- Volunteers Part I, line 686
Private foundation grants it received
4 private foundations reported grants to International Spy Museum totaling $126K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from International Spy Museum's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for International Spy Museum, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 International Spy Museum spent in 2024, $82.03 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Baltimore Museum of ArtBaltimore, MD · revenue $32M · programs 78.6% · FY2025
- Indiana Symphony SocietyIndianapolis, IN · revenue $32M · programs 84.5% · FY2025
- The Denver Art Museum FoundationDenver, CO · revenue $32M · programs 95.2% · FY2025
- Chicago Theatre GroupChicago, IL · revenue $32M · programs 77.9% · FY2025
- Petersen Automotive Museum FoundationLos Angeles, CA · revenue $32M · programs 84.3% · 2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of International Spy Museum's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, International Spy Museum reported that 82.0% of its $29.4 million in expenses went to program services, 13.9% to management and general and 4.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does International Spy Museum pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation International Spy Museum reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $520,230, for the role of PRESIDENT / COO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does International Spy Museum get its money?
Of $31.8 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 9.4% came from contributions and grants (including 0.3% from government grants) and 76.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is International Spy Museum a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 46-1479450 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202532949349301028 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202433169349300743 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313199349313731 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202213159349305666 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202113079349302441 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202023189349305547 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 46-1479450: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.