Auburn Public Theater Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
203577149
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Auburn, NY, USA
Phone
3152536669
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Performing Arts Centers

Reported finances

Revenue
$776,219
Expenses
$952,276
Assets
$3,644,906
Liabilities
$157,693

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TOM SEELY (PRESIDENT)
  • MELODY SMITH JOHNSON (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JANIE ANDERSON (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $118,570 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Auburn public theater, inc. Is a not for profit corporation located in auburn, New York, whose purpose is to enrich the social, cultural, and economic growth of our region by bringing people together through affordable access to live performances, cinema, arts, education and community events.

What it reported doing in 2025

Auburn public theater, inc. Serves as a decentralization site for New York state to regrant funding for the arts in cayuga, seneca, wayne, yates, and ontario county. These grants enable emerging artists and organizations to grow professionally and to enhance the cultural climate in communities and neighborhoods where they live and work. The organization administers over $75,000 per year in grants from nys for arts programming by emerging artists and non-profit arts organizations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some related-organization disclosures are missing.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.9%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 70.6%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.66 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th 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: Scored; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -22.7%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.83; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.5%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.9% of revenue deployed · 70.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $672K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $119K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.