ABLE - Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 812667531
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-N 2017
- Location
- Chicago, IL, USA
- Phone
- 6107420610
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts Education
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $410,549
- Expenses
- $285,303
- Assets
- $412,056
- Liabilities
- $22,230
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Rosie Bross-Rice (President)
- Mary Kate Ashe (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Kathryn Yohe (Executive Dir.): $57,942 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To provide performing arts experiences through which individuals with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities build the confidence and skills to share who they are and all they are able to do.
What it reported doing in 2024
Ensembles: Actors with disabilities collaborate with a team of teaching artists and volunteer facilitators to create theatre and film projects. Each ensemble serves a maximum of 10 actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities ages 15+. Ensembles meet for weekly rehearsals each week over the course of a 6-week or 12-week semester. A.B.L.E.'s 2024-2025 season centered on the theme of INVENTION, with a range of performances and public events.In the fall of 2024, ABLE hosted 3 showcase ensembles that produced Sparks of Invention - a festival of original work in November 2024 at Filament Theatre. In the spring, we hosted 3 six-week showcase ensembles; the in-person ensembles presented two sold-out cabarets at The Understudy, while the virtual ensemble created a series of short-form videos to be shared across ABLEs social media channels. Meanwhile, our performance Ensemble produced an original punk-rock-inspired adaptation of Frankenstein that performed to sold-out crowds April 24-27 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. As always, all ABLE performances prioritized audience accessibility, with pay-what-you-can ticketing, captioning. ASL interpretation, and a relaxed and sensory-friendly environment.Program Metrics: -Total Virtual Sessions = 16-Total In-Person Sessions = 45-Total program hours = 120-Total enrollment = 69-Total Live Streamed Performances = 9-Audience = 793
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 63% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 57
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 60
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 50.3%; rating input score 50
- Program expense ratio: 72.4%; rating input score 72
- Fundraising efficiency: $12.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 30.5%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.44; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 20.3%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 17.9% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 19.9% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 26.6% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 50.3% of revenue deployed · 72.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $207K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $58K · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 44/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.