Academy of Interactive Entertainment
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 273792158
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Seattle, WA, USA
- Phone
- 2064286350
- Rating
- 73
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Vocational, Technical Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,252,212
- Expenses
- $2,197,644
- Assets
- $1,304,554
- Liabilities
- $477,008
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- John De Margheriti (President and Treasurer)
- Victoria De Margheriti (Vice President and Secretary)
- Emily De Margheriti (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Ursula Frank (Head of School): $122,771 total reported compensation
- Daniel Franks (Financial Controller): $92,771 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
AIE trains students for employment and career opportunities in 3D animation, game development, and related fields through the provision of world class education as well as acting as a catalyst to build these industries.
What it reported doing in 2024
The Academy of Interactive Entertainment - WA (AIE - WA) was founded in 2010 to provide world-class education in 3D animation, game programming, and digital visual effects. AIE - WA offers four certificate programs, including: 1. Advanced Diploma of Professional Game Development - Game Art & Animation (CIP Code 11.0803). 2. Advanced Diploma of Professional Game Development - Game Programming (CIP Code 11.0804). 3. Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media - 3D Animation & VFX for Film (CIP Code 10.0304). 4. Advanced Diploma of Professional Game Development - Game Design & Production (CIP Code 50.0411). The Advanced Diploma courses were developed to support industry needs, driven by extensive consultation with local and international game development studios and visual effects professionals. Each Advanced Diploma is a two-year full-time course, providing individual and team centric training in the processes of developing the competencies and skills necessary to gain employment with game and film studios, related industries, and the development of graduates' independent games. In academic year 2024-2025, AIE - WA had 3 cohorts attending for a total of 125 students of which 31 graduated in July 2025. Game artists design the environments, create the characters and craft the vehicles for the game. They can specialize in modeling, texturing, animation, and level design. Developing game art utilizes a dynamic medium that showcases creative ability. Students work with other artists and programmers to design and create their own unique entertainment experiences using cutting-edge game technology. Game programmers drive the game development process, creating the framework, functionality and interaction in the game. As the essential ingredient in the development process, game programmers are highly valued and in high demand. In contrast to Game Art, 3D Animation & VFX for Film students acquire skills necessary to develop exciting careers in game development, film, and TV. It is a practical course designed to give students top-tier technical training to work as 3D artists using the latest state-of-the-art technology. Game designers are the visionaries and evangelists for a game development project. They thrive on new ideas and are always thinking about how users will interact and enjoy the experience that they've created. A great game designer possesses a combination of technical knowledge, artistic skill and most importantly, the ability to communicate and understand people. Game designers spend significant amounts of time writing detailed documents specifying game mechanics, environments, playable characters and the game's nemesis. This detail extends right down to how a particular item might behave, be animated and sound.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 76% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 61
- Transparency & Controls: 72
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 33
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 68.2%; rating input score 68
- Program expense ratio: 69.9%; rating input score 70
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
- 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: 2.4%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9.8%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 68.2% of revenue deployed · 69.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 2 of 2 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $123K · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes foreign activity and grants
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.