Ars Arts & Culture Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
464235650
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2014
Location
Benton Harbor, MI, USA
Phone
2693634740
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$105,907
Expenses
$74,022
Assets
$156,079
Liabilities
$225

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANNA RUSSO SIEBER (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • DIANE BARTLEY (BOARD MEMBER)
  • WILLIAM STANLEY WHITAKER JR (VICE PRESIDE)
  • ANNA RUSSO SIEBER (PRESIDENT)

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

To encourage, enlighten, and engage in the arts through a local community arts center which promotes, develops, and implements cultural and visual fine arts and arts education to our community with a focus to offer arts education to under-served youth in berrien county.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sculptor talks by 6 detroit artists, covering the development of their work and installations, also covering slideshows and short video about the processes. With over 50 visitors in attendance. This was free to the public. Opening exhibition in the gallery, with 3 artists, and a well attended opening reception. Arthop participation, highlighting featured artists. Summer arts camps: a popup camp, which includes sponsored underserved youth in camp each year. Develops skills, critical thinking, problem solving, as well as creating 5 to 6 completed works of art and an artists reception-approximately 25-30 students in attendance. This was our first merged age camp 10-15 years, with 2 teachers rotating youth through each class and in appropriate age based groups. Underserved youth workshop, incorporating new approach, with artist in residence, (we went directly to the centers with supplies and teacher). A great success. We offered introspective "self-portraits- and the students talked about their paintings. New exhibition popup in lakeside space included 11 artists and a holiday market with pottery and lots of ornaments. Artists/sculptors/potters, with over 50 pieces of artwork. New community engagement through attendance and discussions with all artists.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.8%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 93.6%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: $51.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 77; 77th 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: 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 30.1%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.11; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 25.3% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.8% of revenue deployed · 93.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $69K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.