AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST

EIN 95-3947744 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A540)

What they do

THE AUTRY BRINGS TOGETHER THE STORIES of ALL PEOPLES of THE AMERICAN WEST, CONNECTING THE PAST WITH THE PRESENT to INSPIRE OUR SHARED FUTURE. THE AUTRY CREATES PROVOCATIVE, ENGAGING, and COMPELLING MUSEUM EXPERIENCES THAT INCREASE PEOPLES UNDERSTANDING (CONTINUED IN SCH O)OF EACH OTHER and AMERICA, HELP THE COMMUNITY ASK and ANSWER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES of SOCIETY, and PROMOTE SOLUTIONS BENEFICIAL to THE GREATER GOOD.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $79.90 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders46 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

144.60%of revenue went to mission work79.9% of expenses · Program services

20.33%of revenue went to fundraising11.2% of expenses

$181.07spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

16.13%of revenue went to management and office costs8.9% of expenses

$8.31in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

86.3%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $9,694,271 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $348,237 for STEPHEN ARON (PRESIDENT & CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$11,958,406

Mission workProgram services$17,291,895144.60% of revenue79.9% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,929,23816.13% of revenue8.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$2,431,54420.33% of revenue11.2% of expenses

Total expenses$21,652,677181.07% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 79.9% mission · 8.9% management · 11.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 181.07% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 79.7% mission · 9.5% management · 10.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 278.15% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 81.2% mission · 8.5% management · 10.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 310.97% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 80.3% mission · 8.8% management · 10.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 147.21% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 81.0% mission · 8.8% management · 10.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 260.92% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 81.0% mission · 8.4% management · 10.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.83% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 66.0% mission · 21.6% management · 12.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 109.04% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 72.7% mission · 12.6% management · 14.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 67.54% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$11,958,406

Expenses$21,652,677

Annual shortfall $9,694,271 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$17,291,895 · 79.9% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,929,238 · 8.9% of expenses

Fundraising$2,431,544 · 11.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$11,958,406

Expenses$21,652,677

Assets$179,864,026

Income$14,365,898

Contributions$10,324,913

Mission work (program services)$17,291,895

Fundraising$2,431,544

Management and general$1,929,238

Executive compensation (total)$784,701

Stocks and bonds$16,285,440

Accounting fees$119,448

Investing fees$74,744

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

STEPHEN ARONPRESIDENT & CEO · 40 hrs/week $348,237Base $334,418 · Other $13,819

GASPARE BENSOCFO & EVP OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS · 40 hrs/week $270,784Base $227,630 · Other $43,154

CRISTIAN HAMILTONVP OF ADVANCEMENT · 40 hrs/week $231,568Base $196,282 · Other $35,286

JOE D HORSE CAPTUREVP NATIVE COLLEC & AHMANSON CURATOR · 40 hrs/week $176,262Base $152,317 · Other $23,945

JENNIFER SAMSELSR. DIRECTOR, MAJOR GIFTS · 40 hrs/week $175,293Base $163,267 · Other $12,026

AMY SCOTTEVP, RESEARCH & INTERPRETATION · 40 hrs/week $171,977Base $148,916 · Other $23,061

LALENA LEWARKVP EXHIBITION & COLLECTION MGMT · 40 hrs/week $168,417Base $154,038 · Other $14,379

PATRICK HEUSTESSSR. DIRECTOR, CORP & MAJOR GIFTS · 40 hrs/week $145,571Base $131,798 · Other $13,773

MARIA FLORIOSR. DIRECTOR, FDN & GOVT GIVING · 40 hrs/week $143,445Base $118,732 · Other $24,713

MICHAEL GARCIADIRECTOR OF FACILITIES · 40 hrs/week $116,836Base $106,644 · Other $10,192

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (46)

STEPHEN ARONPRESIDENT & CEO

GASPARE BENSOCFO & EVP OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS

CRISTIAN HAMILTONVP OF ADVANCEMENT

JOE D HORSE CAPTUREVP NATIVE COLLEC & AHMANSON CURATOR

JENNIFER SAMSELSR. DIRECTOR, MAJOR GIFTS

AMY SCOTTEVP, RESEARCH & INTERPRETATION

LALENA LEWARKVP EXHIBITION & COLLECTION MGMT

PATRICK HEUSTESSSR. DIRECTOR, CORP & MAJOR GIFTS

MARIA FLORIOSR. DIRECTOR, FDN & GOVT GIVING

MICHAEL GARCIADIRECTOR OF FACILITIES

PATRICIA CHAVEZTRUSTEE

JOHNNY ZAMRZLATRUSTEE

KEITH W RENKENTRUSTEE

LOIS R RICETRUSTEE

LYNN VALBUENATRUSTEE

MARIAN CRAVERTRUSTEE

MICHAEL HEUMANNTRUSTEE

VINCE CABALLEROTRUSTEE

REBECCA DUTKATRUSTEE

ROBERT BARTONTRUSTEE

ROBERTA L TURNERTRUSTEE

SHARON ROGERS-MCKAYTRUSTEE

STANLEY SCHNEIDERTREASURER

THEODORE CRAVER JRTRUSTEE

THOMAS L LEETRUSTEE

ALAN WHITMANTRUSTEE

DEAN BERESFORDFINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

ALAN F HORNTRUSTEE

ALI BASTANITRUSTEE

BRENDA STEVENSONTRUSTEE

CALVIN B GROSSTRUSTEE

CAROLE GOLDBERGTRUSTEE

CARYLL S MINGSTTRUSTEE

COLLEEN LEETRUSTEE

COLLEEN A CABALLEROTRUSTEE

DAVID W CARTWRIGHTVICE CHAIR & SECRETARY

JODIE REACHAIR

FEDERICO JIMENEZTRUSTEE

GARY SCHNEIDERAUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

GRANT WITHERSTRUSTEE

GREG MARTINTRUSTEE

JACQUELINE AUTRYTRUSTEE

JAMES REATRUSTEE

JAMES R PARKSTRUSTEE

JANE NAKAGAWATRUSTEE

JAY H GRODINTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1985
Location: 4700 WESTERN HERITAGE WAY, LOS ANGELES, CA 90027-1462
County: Los Angeles
In care of: % GASPARE BENSO
Primary officer: GASPARE BENSO, VP OF FINANCE & OP.

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailrroom@theautry.org Phone(323) 495-4279

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: GRANT THORNTON ADVISORS LLC
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A540)
IRS tax category: Museums