American Shakespeare Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
541487955
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Staunton, VA, USA
Phone
5408885588
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Theater

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,810,664
Expenses
$3,776,876
Assets
$2,894,135
Liabilities
$2,409,474

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • VANESSA MOROSCO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • VANESSA MOROSCO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $72,864 total reported compensation
  • JESSICA ROSE (FINANCE DIRECTOR): $45,671 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 shakespeare center advances understanding, imagination, and community by illuminating shakespeare through performance, research, and education in the blackfriars playhouse and beyond.

What it reported doing in 2024

Artistic innovationasc produces classical and contemporary works in rotating repertory, using original staging practices including shared light and direct audience engagement to create accessible and historically informed performances. Productions take place in the blackfriars playhouse, the world's first re-creation of shakespeare's indoor theatre. During the year, asc presented 305 performances and expanded artist development through mentorship and directing opportunities. Asc also piloted a new children's adaptation of the winter's tale titled sorry, most sorry, which welcomed more than 200 families, including children as young as three, into the playhouse. Additional detail is provided on schedule o.asc expanded professional development pathways through mentorship, understudy training, and the artist development initiative, which provided directing opportunities for veteran artists and early career directors. Asc piloted a new children's adaptation of the winter's tale titled sorry, most, sorry. This performance introduced young audiences to shakespeare through age-appropriate storytelling and interactive performance and welcomed more than 200 families into the playhouse. Community partnerships also broadened engagement, including collaborations with local animal welfare groups that featured adoptable rescue dogs in performances of the two gentlemen of verona.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 75% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.6%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 82.2%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 9 of 9 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: 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: 0.9%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.77; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.83; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.1%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 83.6% of revenue deployed · 82.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $3.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $73K · 23 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.