Akron Soul Train

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
811199928
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Akron, OH, USA
Phone
3307611478
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$138,128
Expenses
$176,741
Assets
$77,695
Liabilities
$69,569

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NANCY BRENNAN (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • NANCY BRENNAN (PRESIDENT)
  • GLENN GILLESPIE (DIRECTOR)
  • CONNIE HESSKE (DIRECTOR)

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

Akron soul train (ast) is a multidisciplinary residency program that provides 12-15 artists each year with paid residencies. Our mission is to offer Ohio-based visual, performing, and literary artists the space, time, and financial resources they need to create and present new work to the public. Along with fostering creative exploration, artists are tasked with designing a public program that engages the greater akron community. These programs, which relate directly to the artist's residency work, may take the form of performances, panel discussions, artist talks, demonstrations, or hands-on workshops. Ast collaborates closely with each resident to help fully develop their community event and to identify potential akron partners for cross-collaboration and audience engagement.

What it reported doing in 2024

Since its inception in 2016, akron soul train has awarded paid residencies to 86 artists and supported an additional 20 through projects created for our capsoul gallery. To amplify artists' voices and engage our broader community, we produce interdisciplinary programs alongside the 12 artist- led initiatives we host annually. In 2024, we provided stipends to 15 artists in residence and three emerging artists, showcasing their creative work to the public and hosting 13 community programs. Additionally, we supported 31 store artists through marketing efforts and consignment-based sales in our gift shop. We are also committed to building collaborative partnerships that align with our mission of creating a destination where greater akron residents can engage with artists and participate in the creative process. In 2024, we partnered with 12 community organizations: summit artspace, akron public schools miller south, east avenue market and gallery, elizabeth's bookshop and writing centre, kenmore community center, the akron art museum, Ohio and erie canal, millennial theatre project, akron black artist guild, arts together, and events akron. Our recent data highlights some key achievements we are proud of. Since launching our online application process in 2018, we've seen a 40% increase in artist residency applications. We also conduct anonymous post-residency feedback surveys, both after each residency and two years afterward, to evaluate our impact and ensure we meet artists' needs. Testimonials from these surveys confirm that our program is making a meaningful difference. "an unexpected outcome of my ast residency has been an increase in questions and interest from my audience which has improved my ability to verbally speak about my work and contextualize it for others." "my performance was just featured on npr's "science friday", a nationally aired radio program. In addition, i sold multiple pieces of artwork and received great feedback from the attendees at my exhibition and performance. I also connected with a number of artists, curators and art collectors." "i gained exposure to a new audience and locale, courtesy of my involvement in an artistic ast community. This not only heightened my visibility within my peer group but also presented a novel experience of crafting content for instagram postings. My time interacting and presenting at the miller south art school was particularly significant. Developing a new production with a specific thematic focus allowed me to make a meaningful impact on the audience, providing a platform to share both my art and the intended message. This venture proved immensely gratifying for both myself and my art form, bharatanatyam."

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 79% for direct work, and 21% for grants.

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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 46
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 56.3%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 42.6%; rating input score 43
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: -28%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.44; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.9; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4.1% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.9% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 56.3% of revenue deployed · 42.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $75K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 56/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 43/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.