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Museum of Flight Foundation
Also known as Museum of Flight
Museum of Flight Foundation reported $75.7 million in revenue and $30.0 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $78.96 went to program services, $12.73 to management and general costs and $8.31 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 79.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $480,473 (PRESIDENT & CEO). 26 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 166% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $30MFor 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 $76MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.0% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 12.7% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 8.3% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.04 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 79.4% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 13.9% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $480,473 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.60% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 26 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 164.2 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 54 of 54 | 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 expenseThe Museum of Flight in seattle, wa, one of the world's largest private nonprofit air and space museums, hosted more than 465,000 visitors in 2024 while being open for 363 days.the museum had 205 full-time employees in 2024, and 509 active volunteers who contributed 71,846 hours through tours, guest lectures and guest interactions. In striving for its vision to "inspire all through the limitless possibility of flight..." the museum served over 46,000 students with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. The museum also provided over $343,000 in financial aid…
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 & CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $446,060 | $0 | $34,413 | $480,473 |
| VP DEVELOPMENT Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $252,876 | $0 | $28,427 | $281,303 |
| VP EDUCATION Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $237,845 | $0 | $22,107 | $259,952 |
| VP FINANCE & OPERATIONS Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $230,569 | $0 | $21,841 | $252,410 |
| VP MARKETING & VISITOR EXPERIENCE Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $227,470 | $0 | $18,193 | $245,663 |
| VP PEOPLE & CULTURE Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $184,763 | $0 | $28,292 | $213,055 |
| DIRECTOR IT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $158,389 | $0 | $30,941 | $189,330 |
| CONTROLLER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $145,981 | $0 | $17,815 | $163,796 |
26 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Museum of Flight Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.8M (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–1b54 · 54 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 4Yes
- 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 5314
- Volunteers Part I, line 6509
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| VISION MEDIA Advertising | $577,494 |
| RELIABLE COMMERCIAL CLEANING INC Janitorial | $483,067 |
| PSR MECHANICAL Mechanical repair | $391,699 |
| GLOBAL JET PAINTING Painting planes | $218,000 |
| CLARK NUBER Accounting | $126,599 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 6 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
7 private foundations reported grants to Museum of Flight Foundation totaling $41M 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 Museum of Flight Foundation's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Museum of Flight Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Museum of Flight Foundation spent in 2024, $78.96 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Academy FoundationBeverly Hills, CA · revenue $76M · programs 98.7% · FY2025
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All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Washington
Questions people ask
How much of Museum of Flight Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Museum of Flight Foundation reported that 79.0% of its $30.0 million in expenses went to program services, 12.7% to management and general and 8.3% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Museum of Flight Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Museum of Flight Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $480,473, for the role of PRESIDENT & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Museum of Flight Foundation get its money?
Of $75.7 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 79.4% came from contributions and grants (including 0.0% from government grants) and 13.9% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Museum of Flight Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 91-0785826 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), 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 202532309349301378 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202442279349302524 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313189349310541 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202243189349320164 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202103169349309005 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202013209349300286 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 91-0785826: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.