Bearded Ladies Cabaret

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853343355
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2486136901
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Performing Arts Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,142,762
Expenses
$772,816
Assets
$1,963,279
Liabilities
$26,063

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN JARBOE (ARTISTIC DIR): $75,264 total reported compensation
  • WESLEY FLASH (MANAGING DIR): $64,548 total reported compensation
  • VERONICA CHAPMAN-SMITH (SECRETARY): $4,875 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

An experimental cabaret group devoted to exploiting all possibilities of intimate, homemade theatre through beautiful songs, tricked-out costume changes, drag, and virtuostic prop construction.

What it reported doing in 2024

Shavings - the bearded ladies cabaret is presenting shavings, an installation and performance series. The installation space will be activated by live events featuring bearded ladies collaborators and prominent members of the philadelphia arts scene, including performances, talks, and more. The project is currently in a development stage, with several workshops for all collaborators. Shavings will open to the public from september to december 2026. Revenue = -0-; expenses = 63,832. Beardmobile - the beardmobile is a mobile performance unit, glitterfully outfitted for socially-distanced performances and political actions. Each performance is curated by a slew of amazing philly-based artists and organizations and hosted by a rotating roster of beards' hosts. Revenue = -0-; expenses = 55,131. Sing-a-longs - join the bearded ladies for a series of sing-along shows. Set your escapism and denial to music with rousing group renditions of songs that have nothing to do with fascism. Sing-along or scream on pitch or just scream revenue = 3,362; expenses = 19,405. Miscellaneous gigs - revenue = 11,094; expenses = 50,335.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 89% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 26
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 54.9%; rating input score 55
  • Program expense ratio: 78.6%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 32.4%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.54; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.7%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 32.4% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 54.9% of revenue deployed · 78.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $608K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.