Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Apr 1961.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
77 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
24 people listed on the 990; $811K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).
Peter Seibert’s $226K as CEO & President is at the 90th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3924 $1–10M 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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Seibert | $226,226 | $201,800 | $179,901 | $138,175 | — | — |
| John Brady | — | — | — | — | $123,450 | $145,959 |
| Michael Flynn | $145,121 | $135,749 | $122,553 | $112,633 | $113,220 | $100,848 |
| Michael Timothy Madeja | $116,679 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jaewook Shim | $112,465 | $104,182 | — | — | — | — |
| Jennifer Blasy | — | — | — | — | $112,200 | — |
| Judy Baker | $110,288 | $104,703 | — | — | — | — |
| Margaret Ann North | $100,648 | — | — | — | — | — |
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.
See Independence Seaport Museum executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Explores Philadelphia's river history and global connections through exhibits and collections.
Questions for Independence Seaport Museum
Your first name shows with your question. Independence Seaport Museum answers here, for everyone.
The Independence Seaport Museum hosted a wide range of programs, events, and activities. Staff undertook the first of numerous changes to upgrade existing exhibitions and programs including the new ship model gallery, integration of its historic boat collection into its existing exhibitions, and environmental upgrades to the facilities.
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2024. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 23-1584971) · Dispute this lineFunders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY25 | FY24 | FY23 | FY22 | FY21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $15.0M | $16.8M | $17.1M | $18.2M | $23.1M |
| AddedLn 1b | $500K | ||||
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $3.8M | $2.8M | $2.7M | $2.3M | $1.4M |
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $477K | $110K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $16.7M | $14.9M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $4.1M | $3.9M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $21.8M | $19.5M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.6M | $1.6M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $20.2M | $17.9M |
| Line | FY25 | FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Gross | $4K | $3K |
| Net | $4K | $3K |
| Tax | $652 | $487 |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $0 | |||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $0 | |||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $0 | |||
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $0 | |||
| Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5 | $431K | $303K | $69K | $59K |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $0 | |||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $2.4M | $1.7M | $388K | $333K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $123K | $86K | $20K | $17K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $281K | $197K | $45K | $39K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $215K | $151K | $35K | $30K |
| Management feesLn 11a | $0 | |||
| Legal feesLn 11b | $332K | $299K | $30K | $3K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $29K | $26K | $3K | $294 |
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $0 | |||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $0 | |||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $93K | $93K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $344K | $321K | $18K | $5K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $198K | $134K | $14K | $50K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $82K | $60K | $22K | $345 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $79K | $71K | $7K | $775 |
| RoyaltiesLn 15 | $0 | |||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $641K | $608K | $34K | $7 |
| TravelLn 17 | $7K | $584 | $6K | $6 |
| Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18 | $0 | |||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $50K | $29K | $5K | $16K |
| InterestLn 20 | $54K | $54K | ||
| Payments to affiliatesLn 21 | $0 | |||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $600K | $591K | $9K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $291K | $202K | $65K | $25K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $160K | $160K | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $6.4M | $4.9M | $917K | $578K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS May 5, 2026 | $3.3M | $6.4M | −$3.1M | $17.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Apr 22, 2025 | $4.2M | $5.7M | −$1.5M | $20.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Mar 19, 2024 | $3.1M | $5.1M | −$2.1M | $20.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Apr 17, 2023 | $3.1M | $4.8M | −$1.7M | $21.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS May 16, 2022 | $2.4M | $4.3M | −$1.9M | $26.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Apr 6, 2021 | $2.1M | $4.9M | −$2.8M | $23.4M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990
Part I · Summary $3,311,365 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 18 of 18 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,311,365 across 14 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $6,426,754 across 30 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $19,528,398 assets, 30 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $17,938,436 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file FY2025 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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