A Cappella Academy Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 872378717
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2022–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2021
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Phone
- 2132970120
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Human Services N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $300,741
- Expenses
- $311,795
- Assets
- $10,367
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
3 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Benjamin Bram (President)
People named in this filing
- Benjamin Bram (President)
- Robert Dietz (Treasurer)
- Avi Kaplan (Secretary)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our intensive 10-day summer vocal music program is designed to train, foster, and inspire the bright young minds of contemporary a cappella. Serving students ages 12-18, we are a community that comes together from all walks of life from all over the world, and forms connections through a love for music. We believe in the power of removing barriers and creating a sense of belonging, regardless of our differences.
What it reported doing in 2024
10-day summer program open to students ages 12-18 from around the world. They audition online and around 80 are accepted. Program structure includes: small group rehearsals and all-day camp choir rehearsals; classes on topics such as vocal performance, arranging, directing, songwriting, vocal percussion, active listening, social media, recording, live sound, group dynamics, and business management; guest performances featuring guest artists who provide interactive insight into their area of expertise via performances, workshops, and Q&A sessions; opportunities to collaborate with peers and staff and perform in a talent show alone or with others; activities/leisure time, including a field trip, group bonding activities, and outdoor games; final showcase performance for a live audience featuring small groups and all-camp choir. Music videos and audio tracks are also produced/released.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 83% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 94
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 33
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 95.3%; rating input score 95
- Program expense ratio: 91.9%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: $931.64 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -3.7%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.03; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 22.4% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 43.1% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -37.7% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 95.3% of revenue deployed · 91.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $287K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
- Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.