Artist Mentorship Program

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
320181541
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2021
Location
Portland, OR, USA
Phone
5039017769
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Homeless Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$923,416
Expenses
$840,518
Assets
$285,223
Liabilities
$3,065

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • William Kendall (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • William Kendall (Executive Director): $56,600 total reported compensation
  • Theresa Sayles (Operations Director): $56,600 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Artist Mentorship Program (AMP) is a Portland-based nonprofit that provides a safe, creative, and relationship-centered space for youth experiencing homelessness. Through music and art programming, AMP fosters community, self-expression, and skill development while building trust and connection with caring adults. In addition to creative programming, AMP meets immediate needs by providing meals, social services, and resource navigation, supporting youth in stabilizing their lives and accessing pathways toward long-term well-being.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, AMP expanded the AMP Beat Building Academy. This month-long class is a trauma-informed music production and job-training program for youth experiencing homelessness. Using beat making as an accessible entry point, the program provides hands-on instruction in music production, basic music theory, and audio engineering. Youth participate in weekly, small-group sessions supported by experienced instructors, where they build technical skills, collaborate creatively, and develop confidence and consistency. The program also emphasizes transferable workforce skills such as time management, focus, problem-solving, and project completion. Through mentorship and creative expression, the Beat Building Academy supports emotional regulation, community connection, and pathways toward long-term stability and employment. To further encourage creative expression, AMP provided select youth with their own musical instruments, ensuring they have the tools to continue their artistic journey. This year, AMP distributed: 12 Guitars, 6 Ukuleles, 3 Keyboards, 4 Amplifiers & Pedals, 3 Drum Pads, 2 Electronic Drum Kits 4 sets of drum sticks, 2 Microphones, stands and cables, 1 Bass Guitar, 1 pair PA speakers, 1 Mixing Board, numerous tuners, pics, cables and straps. Through education, performance opportunities and access to instruments, AMP empowers youth to find their voice, build confidence, and connect through music.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.8%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 81.1%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 24th 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: 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.34; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.5%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 60.9% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 49.1% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 48.3% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.8% of revenue deployed · 81.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $682K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $57K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 45 of 46 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.