Skip to content
Nonprofiteer
← DUBUQUE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by DUBUQUE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Totals

Total revenue
$7,279,192
Total expenses
$8,299,206
Contributions and grants received
$2,565,185
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$2,929,720
Investment income
$1,003,200
Other revenue
$781,087
Total assets, end of year
$38,808,673
Total liabilities, end of year
$4,829,561
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$33,979,112
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$7,056,777
Management and general expenses
$897,680
Fundraising expenses
$344,749
Program service expenses (Part III)
$7,056,777

Program services were 85.0% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1b · Membership dues

    $515,223

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $151,054

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $443,939

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $1,454,969

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $57,373

  • 2a · Program service revenue: Museum Admissions

    total $2,352,775 · related or exempt $2,352,775

  • 2b · Program service revenue: Tours and Historic Dining

    total $280,604 · related or exempt $13,525 · unrelated business $267,079

  • 2f · All other program service revenue

    total $296,341 · related or exempt $296,341

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $221,512 · excluded $221,512

  • 6a · Gross rents

    real property $86,553

  • 6b · Less rental expenses

    real property $0

  • 6c · Rental income or loss

    real property $86,553

  • 6d · Net rental income or loss

    total $86,553 · excluded $86,553

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $781,688

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $0

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities $781,688

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total $781,688 · excluded $781,688

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $11,200

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $151,054

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $31,421

  • 8c · Net income from fundraising events

    total -$20,221 · excluded -$20,221

  • 10a · Gross sales of inventory

    $1,121,421

  • 10b · Cost of goods sold

    $406,666

  • 10c · Net income from sales of inventory

    total $714,755 · related or exempt $714,755

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $376,091 · program services $28,400 · management and general $319,291 · fundraising $28,400

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $2,863,172 · program services $2,432,105 · management and general $190,108 · fundraising $240,959

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $52,991 · program services $45,475 · management and general $3,555 · fundraising $3,961

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $233,622 · program services $195,247 · management and general $17,935 · fundraising $20,440

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $284,136 · program services $217,681 · management and general $42,782 · fundraising $23,673

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $42,515 · management and general $42,515

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $39,151 · management and general $39,151

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $280,390 · program services $229,780 · management and general $23,294 · fundraising $27,316

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $215,917 · program services $215,917

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $381,367 · program services $350,252 · management and general $31,115

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $30,741 · program services $30,741

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $566,683 · program services $566,683

  • 17 · Travel

    total $37,377 · program services $37,377

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $20,503 · program services $5,453 · management and general $15,050

  • 20 · Interest

    total $172,604 · management and general $172,604

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $1,796,576 · program services $1,796,576

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $143,764 · program services $143,764

  • 24a · Other expenses: Food

    total $213,257 · program services $213,257

  • 24b · Other expenses: Repairs & Maintenance

    total $203,863 · program services $203,863

  • 24c · Other expenses: Collection Expenses

    total $138,787 · program services $138,787

  • 24d · Other expenses: Education Expenses

    total $65,096 · program services $65,096

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $140,603 · program services $140,323 · management and general $280

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $6,300 · end of year $8,300

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $532,332 · end of year $377,313

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $1,219,162 · end of year $848,037

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $78,438 · end of year $209,703

  • 8 · Inventories for sale or use

    beginning of year $384,559 · end of year $355,737

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $64,512 · end of year $151,873

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $64,040,356

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $34,487,269

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $29,557,369 · end of year $29,553,087

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $6,515,181 · end of year $7,304,623

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $555,961 · end of year $556,795

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    beginning of year $896,480 · end of year $540,691

  • 23 · Secured mortgages and notes payable

    beginning of year $1,751,699 · end of year $3,617,844

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $114,231

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $30,472,776 · end of year $28,764,850

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $4,680,937 · end of year $5,214,262

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

To inspire stewardship by creating educational experiences where history and rivers come alive.

Activities or mission (Part I)

To interpret and protect the life, history and culture of our region and rivers.

  • The Dubuque County Historical Society is comprised of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, which includes the William M. Black dredge steamboat (a National Historic Landmark), National Rivers Hall of Fame, RiverWorks Discovery, and other historic buildings and vessels on its 14-acre campus; and the Mathias Ham Historic Site, which includes Mathias Ham's Italianate villa, Iowa's oldest building, and other historic and recreated structures on the two-acre site. Museum operations and collections - The Museum is open 362 days of the year and served 181,712 onsite guests in 2024. The operations included inspiring stewardship by creating educational experiences where history and rivers come alive! (Continued on Schedule O)The collection consists of 2,248 animals of 255 species in our living collection and 21,555 artifacts/objects in our historical collection. We also have 4,400 linear feet of archival material and 8,400 books in our research library. Many of the collections are on display in the 4 buildings on both sites, including the library which serves as a research site.Museum education - The Museum provided special programming for 14,670 student groups, 11,107 adult groups and 28,328 people off-site in 2024.

    Expenses $7,056,777 · Revenue $3,377,396

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Tom Woodward

    Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Jim Gantz

    Vice Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Francis A Murray

    Secretary

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Sarah Hasken

    Treasurer

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Lori Thielen

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Carol Bitter

    Director (Until Dec 24)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Mark Dickson

    Director (Until Nov 24)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Ernestine Moss

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Chuck Schrup

    Director (Until Dec 24)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Dean Wilgenbusch

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Gina Blasen

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Tim Butler

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Ken Furst

    Director (Until Dec 24)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Teri Goodmann

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Wendy Knight

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • John M Bickel

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Poppy Conlon

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Chad Wolbers

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Tyson Leyendecker

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Kathy Buhr

    Director (As of Mar 24)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Brad Cavanagh

    Director (As of Mar 24)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Jeremy Putman

    Director (As of Mar 24)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Stephanie Meyers

    Director (As of Mar 24)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Kurt Strand

    CEO

    Total calculated
    $283,997
    From this org
    $264,062
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $19,935
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $230,766
    Bonus
    $33,296
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $11,034
    Nontaxable benefits
    $8,901
    Filer's total
    $283,997

  • Thomas Lange

    VP of Finance & Operations

    Total calculated
    $92,093
    From this org
    $81,829
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $10,264
    Hours/week
    40

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Compensation committee
  • 3 · Form 990 of other organizations
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
20 October 2025
IRS schema version
2024v5.2
Source object
202522959349300017

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

The source document this was parsed from is served over the API, which is where bulk and document access live.