Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art preserves and presents elements of art and nature that highlight the extraordinary beauty of the Brandywine region in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Brandywine Conservancy protects and conserves the land, water, natural, and cultural resources of the Brandywine-Christina watershed. The Brandywine Museum of Art engages audiences through its presentation and interpretation of American art with a particular focus on the Wyeth family and other artists of the Brandywine region.
- Income
- $42.7 million
- Spending
- $15.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 74%
- Reserves
- 12.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- investment income, 49%
- Employees
- 176
- Volunteers
- 347
- Highest pay
- $395,003, exec director & asst secretary
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 86% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 12.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 63% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 94% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1574% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2526 of 26 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (2)
- $7.0 million spent. The Brandywine Museum of Art engages audiences through its presentation and interpretation of American art with a particular focus on the Wyeth family and other artists who lived and worked in the Brandywine Valley region. Since its founding in 1971, the Museum has assembled a collection of over 4,000 objects from the mid-nineteenth century to the present with major holdings of landscape and still-life painting, illustration, and paintings by three generations of the Wyeth family. The Museum has a distinguished program of temporary exhibitions and publications that have made significant contributions to scholarship in the field of American art. In addition to its collection, the Brandywine owns and makes open to the public seasonally three historic properties, all designated National Historic Landmarks, that include the studios of N. C. and Andrew Wyeth.
- $4.8 million spent. The Brandywine Conservancy (the Conservancy) works for preservation and wise management of natural, historic, and scenic resources of the Brandywine Valley and surrounding areas with particular and strong emphasis on the preservation of land, water supplies and agriculture. Through this program, the Conservancy acquires conservation easements on open spaces and often on historic lands and, as of this filing, has 514 easements which are regularly monitored to assure landowner's compliance with the restrictions in each easement. The program aids municipal governments in the region on environmental issues such as storm water management, ordinances of various types affecting land and water resources, and land use planning. The Conservancy owns more than 3,009 acres of land which it carefully manages to help preserve land and water resources and to serve as models of high standards in the stewardship of natural and agricultural lands.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 1967.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.