Museum of the Cherokee Indian

Analysis

Museum of the Cherokee Indian is a registered charity in United States, based in Cherokee, NC. It received its IRS tax-exemption ruling in March 1970, 56 years ago. Its declared purposes cover arts, culture and humanities, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. The IRS classifies it as a publicly supported organisation (gross receipts test) under section 501(c)(3), and contributions to it are listed as tax-deductible.

In the financial year ending December 2022, Museum of the Cherokee Indian reported income of $1.6m and spending of $2.5m, spending 154% of what it took in. Across the 4 years on record, from December 2019 to December 2022, income fell from $2.2m to $1.6m (-27%), an average of -10% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2020, when income dropped by 25%. Over the whole period it spent 109% of the income it received.

Among 45,478 United States charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Museum of the Cherokee Indian sits at the 90th percentile: it is larger than about 90% of them. Against every charity in United States with reported income it ranks in the 84th percentile, and in the 85th percentile within NC. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation ($1.6m), Population Communication ($1.6m) and Danish Immigrant Museum ($1.6m).

On its Form 990 for the period ending December 2022, revenue came from contributions and grants 35% and program service revenue 52% of the total. Other salaries and wages came to $1.1m. At year end it held assets of $6.4m against liabilities of $547k, net assets of $5.8m. It reported 50 employees.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.