A-rt Experience

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
933661865
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Dallas, TX, USA
Phone
5122982898
Rating
50
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Reported finances

Revenue
$784,324
Expenses
$387,827
Assets
$554,820
Liabilities
$1,529

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

People named in this filing

  • VELETTA FORSYTHE LILL (VICE CHAIR)
  • LEVAR THOMAS (CHAIR)
  • ARTHUR SANTA MARIA (SECRETARY TREASURER)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To inspire a more accessible future of art and technology by supporting the voices of todays artists and connecting diverse communities through transformative public art experiences.

What it reported doing in 2025

In celebration of dallas arts month, aurora and downtown dallas, inc. Presented the fourth edition of video art night (van). This one-night event transformed the exterior space of the at&t discovery district in downtown dallas into an outdoor exhibition featuring video artworks by leading regional and national artists. Van 2025 also marked the first presentation of artworks by regional and national artists on the 104-ft-tall discovery district media wall at the corner of akard and jackson streets. Through innovative artistic approaches, the featured video artworks examined common grounds that bind us? Whether through values, goals, or narratives? Moving beyond individual differences to open new pathways of connection. Free and open to the public, van redefines artistic presentation, providing increased accessibility and fostering a deeper comprehension of the intersection between art, technology, community, and the urban

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 22
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 17.8%; rating input score 18
  • Program expense ratio: 36%; rating input score 36
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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; 64th 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: 50.6%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.43; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -60.2% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 60.9% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 111.8% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 17.8% of revenue deployed · 36% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $140K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 24 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.