The Waterfront Museum EIN 11-3569896

The Waterfront Museum

EIN  11-3569896 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Brooklyn, NY Founded 2000
Form 990 (PDF) Compare with another nonprofit →
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Size
$100K–1M
What they do
Offers waterfront access and promotes historic preservation.
Leadership
David Sharps · Museum Director · $87K
Money in and out
$273K revenue, $175K expenses
Bottom line
59% program efficiency

Offers waterfront access and promotes historic preservation. For fiscal year 2025 it reported $273K in revenue, $175K in expenses, and $635K in net assets.Pt I

Where the money goes · FY2025
Total revenue
$273K
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$175K
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$635K
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $97K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.59 Management & general $0.37 Fundraising $0.04
Program efficiency
59%
of spending reaches programs▼ -13% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
38.3mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▲ +8% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
+36%
revenue over expenses, this year▼ -16% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2025 · Form 990
Revenue
$273K
FY2025▼ -9%
Expenses
$175K
FY2025▲ +2%
Total assets
$746K
FY2025▲ +11%
Total liabilities
$111K
FY2025▼ -18%
Total revenue
$273K
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$175K
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$635K
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$97K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$746K
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B59%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 38
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 46
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

2 program services account for $104K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2025.
01

Showboat Performances

Diverse entertainment genres often include music, dance, film, circus, and puppetry. Art displayed on the walls enhance the coastal ambiance. Our focus is to collaborate with ny-based and local arts groups to help anchor red hook as a cultural destination. Admission costs vary from free to $35.

$81Kprogram expense
02

Maritime Education Initiative

The waterfront museum provides free and low-cost maritime education programs year-round in an inspiring and distinctive setting. These include free museum tours twice weekly; school, camp, senior and tourist group visits booked in advance; and research assistance for students, professors, journalists, and historians.

$23Kprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CThe Waterfront Museum
EINHdr · item D11-3569896
Principal addressHdr · item CBrooklyn, NY
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.waterfrontmuseum.org
Year of formationHdr · item L2000
State of legal domicileHdr · item MNY
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFArts & Culture (A54)
Ruling yearIRS BMFApr 2006

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a8
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b6
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14No
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aNo
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2Yes

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Museum Director
$86,635Pt VII · Sec A
Board Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member (passed Away in August 2025)
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

David Sharps’s $87K as Museum Director is at the 80th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2212 $100K–1M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
David Sharps$86,635$89,524$90,940$59,987$35,000$35,000

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$203K · 75%
Program service revenue$56K · 21%
Investment income$13K · 5%
Contributions & grants75%$203K
Program service revenue21%$56K
Investment income5%$13K
Other revenue$156
— government grantsLn 1e$122K
Total revenueLn 12$273K

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.59 Management & general $0.37 Fundraising $0.04
Program services59%$104K
Management & general37%$64K
Fundraising4%$7K
Total functional expensesLn 25$175K

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$559K
Total assetsLn 16$746K
Total liabilitiesLn 26$111K
Total net assetsLn 32$635K
Months of cash on handcomputed38.3

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2025 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $559K · Operating expenses/yr $175K
38.3 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $104K · Total expenses $175K
59%
Management & General
Management & general $64K · Total expenses $175K
37%
Fundraising
Fundraising $7K · Total expenses $175K
4%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $9K · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $99K
$0.09 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $203K · Total revenue $273K
75%
Government reliance
Government grants $122K · Total revenue $273K
45%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $56K · Total revenue $273K
21%
Investment reliance
Investment income $13K · Total revenue $273K
+5%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $56K · Total expenses $175K
32%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $273K · Prior year $301K
-9%
Revenue CAGR
FY2020 $74K · FY2025 $273K
+30%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $635K · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $273K · Expenses $175K
+36%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $746K
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $635K · Total assets $746K
85%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $746K
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual David Sharps · Reported title MUSEUM DIRECTOR · Highest reported compensation $87K · Total expenses $175K
49%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $45K · Total expenses $175K
25%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 59%
Overhead ratio 37%
Fundraising cost ratio 4%
Revenue growth -9%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$10K

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2025 (Latest)$273K revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2024$301K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$177K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$211K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$102K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$74K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2025IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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