Art from the Inside

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
882003501
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Maplewood, MN, USA
Phone
6513214903
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$241,540
Expenses
$249,804
Assets
$48,370
Liabilities
$361

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Ann Deiman-Thornton (President & Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Antonio Espinosa (Officer / Co-Founder): $52,107 total reported compensation
  • Jessica Espinosa (Director / Co-Founder): $32,247 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Art from the Inside takes a multi-faceted approach to giving a voice to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists. Art from the Inside creates the opportunity for incarcerated artists to have a visual voice through engaging community-centered exhibitions of their art. We host exhibits at a range of venues with the goal of making art accessible to anyone. We incorporate community discussions and educational opportunities at each exhibit. We provide economic empowerment for the artists we work with through the sale of original art and prints. We are committed to taking a community-centered approach that includes education advocacy for a successful transition back into the community as part of our scope. We support incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals through the arts by promoting personal transformation, community engagement, and public education about the criminal justice system through exhibiting art created by people incarcerated in our state, supporting returning

What it reported doing in 2025

Through exhibitions, wellness programming, and community engagement, AFTI works to shift narratives around incarceration, cultivate compassion, and strengthen community belonging. AFTI piloted an art and wellness fellowship program in three correctional facilities: MCF-Stillwater, MCF-Shakopee, and MCF-Faribault. During the 12-week program, AFTI fellows learned to incorporate mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and visualization exercises, and community singing. Fellows self-reported that these skills enhanced their emotional self-regulation, equipping them to manage their thoughts and responses, support improved decision-making and pro-social behavior.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 79% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.2%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 90.2%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $73.6 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 80; 80th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.4%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.19; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 33.8%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 27.6% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -19.5% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93.2% of revenue deployed · 90.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $225K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $52K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.