American Cinematheque

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
953902004
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
3234612020
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Film, Video

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,121,805
Expenses
$9,517,219
Assets
$17,632,187
Liabilities
$3,796,221

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

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KENNETH SCHERER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • MARK BADAGLIACCA (PRESIDENT)
  • SANFORD R CLIMAN (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KENNETH SCHERER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $165,096 total reported compensation
  • GRANT MONINGER (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $132,769 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The american cinematheque believes that cinema is a communal experience with the power to entertain, enlighten and inspire. We build a diverse and engaged film community through immersive film curation, conversation, and presentation. We bridge the filmmaker to the audience and film history to its future.

What it reported doing in 2024

The american cinematheque ensures public access to local, national, and international films, many of which are unavailable elsewhere and are of historical, cultural, or educational importance. Programs include classics of american and international cinema, new independent and world films, including rare nitrate and archival prints, 70mm, digital laser projection, etc., with post-screening filmmaker discussions with the audience. Films are presented in state-of-the-art theaters as they were meant to be seen and heard, providing once-in-a-lifetime experiences. In 2025, the american cinematheque presented over 1,700 screenings at the egyptian, aero, and los feliz theaters in los angeles, in collaboration with ampas, ucla archive, eastman museum, library of congress, japan foundation, cinematheque france, fiaf member archives, among others. Membership has increased to over 10,000, with an active mailing list of 200,000.the cinematheque awards (given to a filmmaker making a significant contribution to cinema) was presented to jessica chastain in december 2024.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.5%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 72.5%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.19 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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: 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4.3%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.85; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.1%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.9% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.5% of revenue deployed · 72.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 29 of 29 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $6.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $165K · 31 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.1M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 21/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.