Augusta Westobou Festival Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
263416729
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2008
Location
Augusta, GA, USA
Phone
7067552878
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$174,503
Expenses
$257,503
Assets
$222,540
Liabilities
$4,148

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MATTHEW PORTER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MATTHEW PORTER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $62,495 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Westobou fosters a vibrant, culturally-rich community by supporting artists and their ideas to present engaging, creative and thought-provoking artistic experiences.

What it reported doing in 2025

Westobou gallerydesigned as a contemporary venue for a wide variety of exhibitions throughout the year, westobou gallery offers curated exhibitions by national, regional and local artists with a focus on emerging and mid-career contemporary and experimental artists. Westobou gallery opened in may 2015. Since then, the gallery has presented various exhibitions that included work by a multitude of artists. Annually, westobou presents 5-6 exhibitions including curated shows, a local artist feature, student show, and a juried small works show. Exhibitions are typically open for 6-8 weeks and include special events like artist talks, gallery tours, and wine and cheese receptions.project commissionswestobou supports creative, cultural, contemporary and experimental projects including, but not limited to murals, installations, small concerts, short films, workshops, lectures, pop-up exhibitions, spoken word and food events.individuals, groups, and organizations are invited to submit proposals for one or more projects. Those chosen are commissioned up to $5,000 to implement their project.westobou artist in residencewestobou aims to inspire creativity in artistic expression and community advancement. This inspired us to create a year-long artist in residence program for artists and creatives in the augusta area.the westobou artist in residence program awards free studio space to an emerging or mid-career augusta-based visual artist for one year at the gertrude herbert institute of art (ghia). The program provides a stipend for research, tools and supplies to build a body of work for an exhibition at westobou gallery. In collaboration with the ghia, the artist in residence teaches a year-long workshop series to community members.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 83.7%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -47.6%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.86; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 24.3%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -9.2% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -4% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 83.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $216K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $62K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.