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Houston Museum of Natural Science
Houston Museum of Natural Science reported $48.4 million in revenue and $49.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $73.43 went to program services, $16.17 to management and general costs and $10.40 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 56.3% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $756,782 (President). 27 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 6% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $50MFor 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 $48MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 73.4% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 16.2% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 10.4% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.34 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 31.4% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 56.3% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $756,782 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.52% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 27 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 61.3 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 51 of 52 | 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 expenseSince its establishment in 1909, the Houston Museum of Natural Science has served as a valuable resource for the Houston community, offering extensive collections, exciting interactive exhibits, immersive environments, engaging films, compelling traveling exhibitions, and comprehensive classroom experiences
The Museum's educational efforts are aimed at children and adults alike. Through hands-on interactive opportunities such as summer camps, field trips, outreach programming, teacher trainings, lecture series, and curator-led travel opportunities the Museum seeks to provide an inspirational learning environment that promotes scientific inquiry as a mode of thinking and engages the public in the wonders of science
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 Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $726,197 | $0 | $30,585 | $756,782 |
| Chief Development Officer Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $550,875 | $0 | $30,774 | $581,649 |
| Chief Financial Officer Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $409,084 | $0 | $31,087 | $440,171 |
| SVP, Budgeting Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $259,098 | $0 | $26,253 | $285,351 |
| SVP, HR/Bldg Operations Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $250,573 | $0 | $28,856 | $279,429 |
| SVP, Collection/Exhibit Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $227,262 | $0 | $19,393 | $246,655 |
| SVP, Marketing Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $230,000 | $0 | $13,821 | $243,821 |
| Director of IT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $213,306 | $0 | $19,250 | $232,556 |
27 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Houston Museum of Natural Science (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.9M (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–1b52 · 51 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 2No
- 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 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5944
- Volunteers Part I, line 6711
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Sixtyfour Design LLC Website design, exhibit interactives | $982,654 |
| Paul Bernhard Exhibit Design & Consultin Exhibition hall design and construction | $768,000 |
| Hines Interests Limited Partnership Project management | $745,621 |
| Innovative Environments Creating branded spaces and exhibits | $552,989 |
| Elevator Repair Service Repairs and maintenance | $372,584 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 14 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
65 private foundations reported grants to Houston Museum of Natural Science totaling $16M 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 Houston Museum of Natural Science's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Houston Museum of Natural Science, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Houston Museum of Natural Science spent in 2024, $73.43 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Texas
Questions people ask
How much of Houston Museum of Natural Science's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Houston Museum of Natural Science reported that 73.4% of its $49.8 million in expenses went to program services, 16.2% to management and general and 10.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Houston Museum of Natural Science pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Houston Museum of Natural Science reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $756,782, for the role of President (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Houston Museum of Natural Science get its money?
Of $48.4 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 31.4% came from contributions and grants and 56.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Houston Museum of Natural Science a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 74-1036131 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 202542909349300704 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202423279349300102 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202303109349301695 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202203079349303160 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202122819349301762 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202042819349300534 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 74-1036131: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.