National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O.
- Income
- $9.2 million
- Spending
- $5.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 63%
- Reserves
- 14.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 69%
- Employees
- 45
- Volunteers
- 53
- Highest pay
- $216,189, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 80% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 14.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 37% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 37% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1563% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2523 of 23 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 April 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 (4)
- $314,994 spent. MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP WAS 763 AND ANNUAL VISITATION WAS APPROXIMATELY 57,187. THE MUSEUM'S ART COLLECTION CONSISTS OF OVER 5,000 CATALOGUED WORKS BY APPROXIMATELY 600 ARTISTS. THE WORK OF THESE ARTISTS REPRESENTS HISTORIC IMAGES AND STYLES WHICH HAVE SHAPED PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF WILDERNESS, WILDLIFE AND THE AMERICAN WEST. ARTISTS REPRESENTED INCLUDE CARL RUNGIUS, GEORGE CATLIN, ARTHUR FITZWILLIAM TAIT, C.M. RUSSELL, ALBERT BIERSTADT, CONRAD SCHWIERING, JOHN CLYMER, BOB KUHN, JOHN JAMES AUDUBON AND GEORGIA O'KEEFE. CAPITALIZING ON THE MUSEUM'S SETTING NEAR THE BIG GAME HABITATS OF GRAND TETON AND YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARKS, THE NMWA COLLECTION IS UTILIZED IN A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. OVER 53 VOLUNTEERS, RANGING IN AGE FROM TEENS TO SENIOR CITIZENS, ASSIST THE MUSEUM STAFF IN ALL FACETS OF THE MUSEUM'S OPERATION. THE "FIRST SUNDAYS" PROGRAM OFFERS FREE ADMISSION TO LOCALS ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH. DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, A FREE COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE SERIES IS OFFERED ON THESE DAYS, AS WELL AS HANDS-ON ART PROJECTS FOR CHILDREN IN THE MUSEUM CLASSROOMS.
- $2.6 million spent. TRANSFORMATIONS: WILDLIFE IN INUIT ART AND CULTURE OCTOBER 21, 2023 - MAY 5, 2024 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT II MAY 25, 2024 - AUGUST 25, 2024 WESTERN VISIONS SEPTEMBER 7 - 29, 2024 TONY FOSTER: WATERCOLOUR DIARIES FROM THE GREEN RIVER OCTOBER 26, 2024 - MAY 4, 2025 OUT OF THE SHADOWS: PRINTS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION NOVEMBER 2, 2024 - APRIL 27, 2025 THE MUSEUM OPENED ITS 2024 - 2025 SEASON WITH THE CONCLUSION OF THE EXHIBITION TRANSFORMATIONS: WILDLIFE IN INUIT ART AND CULTURE, WHICH INCLUDED A TOTAL OF 70 WORKS BY INUIT ARTISTS AND WAS DISPLAYED IN THE KING GALLERY. IN ADDITION TO THE 41 PIECES THAT HAD BEEN DONATED TO THE MUSEUM BY DALE AND JAY KAPLAN IN 2020, THE EXHIBIT ALSO FEATURED 29 WORKS LOANED BY THE KAPLANS, BARBARA SAYRE CASEY, AND FEHELEY FINE ARTS. MANY OF THE SCULPTURES, PRINTS, AND TEXTILES ON DISPLAY EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANT ROLE ANIMALS AND STORYTELLING HAVE LONG PLAYED WITHIN INUIT CULTURE. SOME OF THE WORKS ALSO DEPICTED HUMANS TRANSFORMING INTO ANIMALS. THIS WAS THE FIRST EXHIBITION OF INUIT ART HELD AT THE MUSEUM. OVER THE SUMMER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT II WAS DISPLAYED IN THE CHANGING VISIONS, BISON, AND KING GALLERIES. THIS TRAVELLING EXHIBIT WAS CURATED BY DR. DAVID WAGNER, WHO ALSO PREPARED ALL OF THE DIDACTIC MATERIALS AND SIGNAGE. IT WAS COMPRISED OF 65 ARTWORKS BY 12 ARTISTS AND AUGMENTED BY TWO ADDITIONAL WORKS FROM THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION. ACCORDING TO DR. WAGNER, THE PURPOSE OF THE EXHIBITION WAS "1.) TO RECOGNIZE, DOCUMENT, AND SHARE THE WORK OF LEADING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS WHO CHOSE TO FOCUS THEIR WORK ON GLOBAL AS WELL AS LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES; AND 2.) TO HEIGHTEN PUBLIC AWARENESS AND CONCERN ABOUT THE DEGRADATION OF DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH THE POWER OF ART." MOST OF THE ARTWORKS DEPICTED THE DIRECT IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON WILDLIFE, BUT EVEN THE WORKS THAT DID NOT EXPRESSLY PICTURE ANIMALS ALL ADDRESSED THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF HUMAN INTERVENTION IN THE NATURAL WORLD. THIS EXHIBIT INCLUDED WORKS BY SEVERAL LIVING ARTISTS WHO HAVE NOT BEEN SHOWN AT THE MUSEUM PREVIOUSLY, AS WELL AS NEW WORKS BY ARTISTS ALREADY REPRESENTED IN THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION. THE 37TH ANNUAL WESTERN VISIONS ART SHOW + SALE WAS HELD ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2024. THE EXHIBITION WAS ON VIEW FROM SEPTEMBER 7TH THROUGH THE 29TH AND INCLUDED 173 ARTWORKS. FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR, THE KING GALLERY FEATURED 32 "LARGE FORMAT" PIECES, WHICH WERE CHOSEN BY WEIGHTED DRAW FROM AMONG THE ARTISTS SELECTED FOR THE SHOW. ALL OF THE WORKS WERE AVAILABLE ON THE NIGHT OF THE SALE VIA INTENT-TO-PURCHASE DRAW. ANY PIECES THAT WERE NOT ACQUIRED AT THAT TIME REMAINED AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE EXHIBITION. TONY FOSTER: WATERCOLOUR DIARIES FROM THE GREEN RIVER FEATURED 16 WATERCOLORS TRACING THE ARTIST'S JOURNEYS DOWN THE GREEN RIVER OVER A PERIOD OF MULTIPLE YEARS. THE EXHIBIT DEBUTED AT THE BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST IN MAY OF 2023 AND WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH MULTIPLE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN THE BBCW AND THE FOSTER MUSEUM IN PALO ALTO. ALL OF THE WATERCOLORS WERE PAINTED ON LOCATION, EN PLEIN AIR, AND EACH WAS ACCOMPANIED BY OBJECTS THAT FOSTER DESCRIBES AS "SOUVENIRS" OF HIS TRAVELS, SUCH AS FOSSILS, MAPS, AND ADDITIONAL DRAWINGS. THE EXHIBITION ALSO INCLUDED A VIDEO DESCRIBING HOW THIS PROJECT DEVELOPED AS WELL AS SOME OF THE TOOLS AND MATERIALS THAT THE ARTIST USED TO MAKE THESE WORKS. THIS SHOW WAS ON VIEW IN THE KING GALLERY BETWEEN OCTOBER 26, 2024 AND MAY 4, 2025. THE FINAL EXHIBITION OF THE 2024 - 2025 FISCAL YEAR WAS OUT OF THE SHADOWS: PRINTS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION, WHICH WAS ON DISPLAY IN THE CHANGING VISIONS AND BISON GALLERIES FROM NOVEMBER 2, 2024 UNTIL APRIL 27, 2025. THIS EXHIBIT EXPLORED HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRINTS ARE MADE, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE MANY WAYS THAT PRINTED IMAGES HAVE BEEN PUT TO USE THROUGHOUT HISTORY. EACH OF THE 83 ARTWORKS SEEN HERE BELONG TO THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION. AT LEAST 8 OF THE WORKS HAD NEVER BEEN DISPLAYED PREVIOUSLY. NO LESS THAN 10 DISTINCT PRINTMAKING TECHNIQUES WERE REPRESENTED, INCLUDING WOODBLOCK, WOOD ENGRAVING, ENGRAVING, DRYPOINT, ETCHING, LITHOGRAPH, LINO-CUT, SILKSCREEN, AQUATINT, AND MONOTYPE.
- $634,429 spent. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN - NMWA TYPICALLY SERVES CHILDREN THROUGHOUT THE REGION ANNUALLY, RANGING IN AGE FROM PRE-K TO GRADE 12. THIS YEAR WE SERVED 3,197 CHILDREN IN PERSON AND ANOTHER 422 OFF SITE DURING THE '24-'25 FISCAL YEAR. ONLINE OFFERINGS HAVE INCLUDED VIRTUAL GALLERY VISITS. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WE USE OUR COLLECTION OF FINE ART TO TEACH A WIDE RANGE OF SUBJECT AREAS COMPATIBLE WITH SCHOOL CURRICULA. PROGRAMS FOR PRE-K THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN ARE FREE, OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND ARE ADVERTISED ON OUR WEBSITE: HTTPS://WWW.WILDLIFEART.ORG/LEARN/SCHOOL-PROGRAMS/ OUR ANNUAL STATE OF THE ART: STUDENT ART SHOW IN HONOR OF MARION BUCHENROTH CONTINUED AS AN ANNUAL ON-SITE EVENT, MARCH 15, 2025 MAY 4, 2025. APPROXIMATELY 465 LOCAL CHILDREN GRADES K-12 CONTRIBUTED TO EXHIBITED ARTWORKS. FOR AN EIGHTH YEAR, LOCAL JACKSON HOLE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN OUR "STUDENT CURATED EXHIBITION", JAN. 11 - MARCH 2. THE SELECTED THEME THIS YEAR WAS MYTHICS OF THE WEST. THE HONORS ART STUDENTS OF JACKSON HOLE WORKED COLLABORATIVELY WITH FELLOW STUDENTS IN OTHER CLASSES TO EXPLORE ANIMALS AND CULTURE. THEY COLLABORATED WITH A SPANISH CLASS IN THE CREATION OF LARGE-SCALE SCULPTURAL ALEBRIJES. THE EXHIBIT FEATURED PAPER MACHE SCULPTURES, DRAWINGS, PAINTINGS, AND MIXED MEDIA ARTWORKS INSPIRED BY THE THEME. STUDENT CURATORS LEARNED THE FUNDAMENTALS OF EXHIBIT CURATION INCLUDING SELECTING A THEME, REQUESTING ARTWORK FROM FELLOW STUDENTS, WRITING LABEL TEXT, AND HANGING THE EXHIBIT. FABLES, FEATHERS, AND FUR (FFF) IS OUR PROGRAM FOR PRE-K CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. IT CONTINUES TO DRAW APPROXIMATELY 15 PEOPLE PER SESSION. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES AGE-APPROPRIATE STORYTELLING AND ART MAKING. IN-PERSON COLLABORATIONS WITH TETON SCIENCE SCHOOL (TSS) DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR PROVIDE "ART AND SCIENCE" THEMATIC TOURS. PERFORMANCES AND ART-MAKING ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN CONTINUED ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH FROM NOVEMBER THROUGH MARCH. OUTREACH PROGRAMS CONTINUED BOTH IN PERSON AND VIA ONLINE PLATFORMS. OUR ONLINE VIDEO OUTREACH PROGRAM CALLED BISONCAST FOR TEENS THROUGH ADULTS CONTINUED TO PROVIDE REMOTE ACCESS TO THE MUSEUM'S ART COLLECTION AND SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT. TWO NEW EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS (WILD ABOUT ART, AND TREES OF LIFE) WERE FILMED DURING THE PAST FISCAL YEAR. EDITS WERE COMPLETED IN THE SUBSEQUENT FISCAL YEAR AND THE ADDITION OF SUBTITLES/CAPTIONS ARE STILL IN PROCESS. BOTH EPISODES WILL BE PUBLIC SOON. THESE EPISODES FEATURED THE MURAL ART OF GRETA GRETZINGER, AND THE BEAUTY AND ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF WHITEBARK PINE TREES. THE ART EXPLORATION FOOTAGE IS ALWAYS PAIRED WITH RELEVANT EXPLORATIONS INTO THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM, INCLUDING THE BRIDGER TETON NATIONAL FOREST. OUR ON-SITE CHILDREN'S GALLERY PROVIDES HANDS-ON INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS FOR CHILDREN. A RANGE OF IN-GALLERY TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN INTERACTIVES ARE MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT THE GALLERIES INCLUDING TWO 3D TACTILE DISPLAYS INFORMING VISITORS (ESPECIALLY BLIND AND LOW VISION VISITORS) ABOUT ROBERT BATEMAN'S POPULAR PAINTING OF A BISON, "CHIEF", AND GEORGIA O'KEEFFE'S "ANTELOPE". EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS WE SERVED 2,372 ADULTS ANNUALLY WITH OUR ""SNEAK PEEK"" GALLERY TALKS FOR NEW EXHIBITS, OUR FILMS, LECTURES, AND "MAKE IT WILD" STUDIO CLASSES. ANOTHER 1,137 ADULTS WERE SERVED BY VIRTUAL PROGRAMS SUCH AS BISONCAST AND RECORDED ART CLASSES. WE ALSO HAVE A RICH ROSTER OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ON THE OUTDOOR SCULPTURE TRAIL SUCH AS YOGA ON THE TRAIL AND SUMMER ART MAKING SUCH AS BOTANICAL SKETCHING AND PLEIN AIR WEAVING. WE CURRENTLY HAVE SEVEN FREE MOBILE TOURS AVAILABLE INCLUDING EXPLORING WILDLIFE ART, RUNGIUS LETTERS, SAVING A SPECIES, SCULPTURE TRAIL, THROUGH HER EYES, SENSORY IMMERSION TOUR (*NEW -FOR BLIND/LOW-VISION GUESTS), AND THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE BOTANICAL TOUR. AUDIO TOURS INCLUDE SPANISH LANGUAGE OPTIONS. FOR THE FIFTH YEAR, WE CONTINUED OUR ART-MAKING SERIES FOR TEENS.
- THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION EMBODIES THE BEST EFFORTS OF HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS TO DEPICT WILDLIFE, INCLUDING OVER 5,000 CATALOGED ITEMS SPANNING 4,000 YEARS BY APPROXIMATELY 600 ARTISTS. AS A NATIONAL COLLECTION, IT EMPHASIZES PRIME EXAMPLES OF WORK PRODUCED BY ARTISTS FROM THE NATION ITSELF, WITH A REPRESENTATIVE SELECTION OF SUBJECTS, FORMS, STYLES, MATERIALS, AND MEDIA. THE MUSEUM FOCUSES ITS COLLECTING PRACTICES WITH THE PRIMARY GOAL OF CONTINUALLY STRENGTHENING THE PERMANENT COLLECTION THROUGH STRATEGIC ACQUISITIONS, RANGING FROM MAJOR ARTWORKS TO SUPPLEMENTAL PIECES, WHICH WILL ENHANCE THE OVERALL QUALITY AS WELL AS THE DIVERSITY OF THE COLLECTION, WHILE ALSO ADDING TO ITS THEMATIC DEPTH AND BREADTH.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending April 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since November 1986.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.