Stamford Museum & Nature Center Inc

“The Museum has the following classes of members: Individual, Family, Grandparents, Family Plus, and Director's Circle, all having equal voting rights.”

“The Board of Directors are elected by the members, with each member having one vote. Up to ten (10) Directors shall be elected at each annual meeting, depending on the number of directors whose terms are concluding.”

“The Form 990 is prepared by an outside accounting firm, in conjunction with the Director of Finance. Once the return is prepared, it is reviewed by the CEO, the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee. The return is then provided to the full Board of Directors for final review before it is filed.”

“The Museum has a conflict of interest policy in which each board member, officer, staff member, and volunteer receives a copy at the beginning of their term of service. They are required to review, sign and date the policy at that time, and then on an annual basis, disclosing any potential conflicts. The Board of Directors reviews any potential conflicts and makes the determination as to whether an actual conflict of interest exists. An interested person may make a presentation to the Board, but after the presentation, they must leave the meeting and cannot participate in any discussion or debate pertaining to the transaction. If necessary, the President of the Board may appoint a disinterested person or committee to investigate alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement. If a more advantageous transaction or arrangement is not reasonably possible in circumstances not producing a conflict of interest, the Board will determine, by a majority vote of disinterested members, whether the transaction or arrangement is in the Museum's best interest. If the Board has reason to believe a person has failed to disclose a potential or actual conflict of interest, it informs the person of the basis for their belief and allows them an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. If it is determined that the person failed to disclose a potential or actual conflict of interest, the Board will take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action. The deliberations and decisions related to these matters are documented within the minutes of the applicable meeting.”

“The Museum has a process in place for evaluating the performance and compensation package of its CEO which includes: 1. Review and approval by the Executive Committee comprised of independent members; 2. Use of comparable data obtained through a compensation study; 3. Contemporaneous documentation of the deliberations and decisions regarding the CEO's compensation package. The compensation for the Director of Finance of The Museum is reviewed as part of the annual evaluation process. The Director of Human Resources researches compensation rates for comparable positions and provides that information to the relevant decision-makers. Adjustments are then recommended by the CEO and approved by the Finance and HR Committee. This process was last undertaken in FY2024.”

“The Museum makes its Form 990 available for public inspection as required under Section 6104 of the Internal Revenue Code. The return is available on GuideStar.org and other similar types of websites. In addition, the conflict of interest policy, financial statements, and governing documents are available upon written request.”

“The Museum has a committee that is responsible for the oversight of the audit of its financial statements and the selection of an independent accountant. The process has not changed from the prior year.”