Ballethnic Dance Company

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
581891235
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
East Point, GA, USA
Phone
4047621412
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Ballet

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$639,140
Expenses
$672,188
Assets
$325,345
Liabilities
$34,020

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • WAVERLY LUCAS (CO-EXEC DIR.): $36,683 total reported compensation
  • NENA GILREATH (CO- EXEC. DIR.): $36,166 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Ballethnic Dance Company is a classically trained, culturally diverse company. Ballethnic's goal is to inform, educate, and entertain through the art of dance by lecturing, teaching and performing. The mission of Ballethnic is to inform, educate and entertain through dance, using dance as a vehicle to impact the community by offering programs that act as a catalyst for social change.

What it reported doing in 2024

For the year ended June 30, 2025, Ballethnic Dance Company, Inc. operated the following programs: BALLETHNIC DANCE COMPANY: The professional company presented a dynamic season of performances and community engagement activities. Its hallmark production, Urban Nutcracker, was performed at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. Preparation included auditions, workshops, and parent engagement.The company also produced All the Way Live II at Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center.Major engagements included IABD Conference (Pittsburgh), Savannah Black Heritage Festival (2,000+ attendees), East Athens Educational Dance Center, North Carolina lecture demonstrations, Inman Park Festival, and Rite of Sankofa at the University of Georgia. The company also participated in Glorious Days and Nights: A Jazz Memoir and a Wayne State residency.Cheney Street was officially renamed Ballethnic Way on June 29, 2024, marking a major milestone.BALLETHNIC ACADEMY OF DANCE The Academy provided instruction for ages 3 through adult, delivering approximately 1,549 classes. Programming included foundational training, pre-professional development, internships, and student teaching opportunities.Students performed in Urban Nutcracker and All the Way Live II. Seasonal programming included summer camps, pre-pointe intensives, and adult classes such as Ballethnicize.The program culminated in a Spring Open House and festival. Monthly outdoor performances (AprilOctober) expanded access. Parent engagement and wellness initiatives supported holistic development.BALLETHNIC YOUTH ENSEMBLE: (BYE): The BYE provides pre-professional training for dancers ages 7 through adult. Participants received advanced instruction and performance opportunities including Urban Nutcracker, All the Way Live II, parades, and community events.The program serves as a pipeline for future professional dancers and apprentices.DANCE DIVERSITY SUMMER ARTS CAMP: A four-week program serving ages 5-18 with over 40 participants. Instruction included dance, drumming, African history, and music, culminating in a performance. Additional intensives supported advance training.DANSEUR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: This program engages young men ages 6-21 through dance training, mentorship, and leadership development. Weekly classes and internships provide discipline, confidence, and technical skills.OUTREACH PROGRAMS/ LECTURES DEMONSTRATIONS AND WORKSHOPS: Ballethnic delivered outreach across multiple states through school programs, festivals, senior centers, and residences including Sandtown Middle School and Lifespan Montessori. Programs included dance, drumming, lecture demonstrations, and community education initiatives.

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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.7%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 72.7%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 47; 47th 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -5.2%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.48; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.8%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.7% of revenue deployed · 72.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $489K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $37K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 47/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.