Americans for the Arts Action Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
201427963
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2023712830
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$412,729
Expenses
$343,358
Assets
$542,460
Liabilities
$10,602

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Nolen Bivens (President & CEO - until 05/24)

Highest reported compensation

  • Nina Ozlu Tunceli (Chief Counsel and Exec. Director): $319,945 total reported compensation
  • Nolen Bivens (President & CEO - until 05/24): $224,704 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

American for the Arts Action Fund (the Action Fund) was formed to engage citizens in education and advocacy in support of the arts and arts education. Its activities are designed to educate members and the general public on the arts and arts education generally, and the impact of governmental policies and actions on the arts. The Action Fund also works to mobilize members and the general public to become more active in helping influence those governmental policies and actions.

What it reported doing in 2024

Public Education - The Action Fund publishes and distributes to its members, potential members and others print and electronic newsletters and other communications (including print materials included with member recruitment mailings) information, regarding the arts and arts education and in particular legislative and regulatory developments that impact the arts and arts education (primarily Federal, state and local governmental funding).

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 85% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
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.

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 few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 48
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 48.5%; rating input score 49
  • Program expense ratio: 58.3%; rating input score 58
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 16.8%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.58; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.6%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -16.4% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.3% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 48.5% of revenue deployed · 58.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 13 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $200K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $320K · 15 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 4 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 49/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.