BITTERROOT PERFORMING ARTS COUNCIL INC Formerly Performing Arts Company Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270273010
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012
Location
Hamilton, MT, USA
Phone
4063637946
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Performing Arts Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$468,455
Expenses
$461,052
Assets
$201,739
Liabilities
$664

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BEN WATTERS (President)
  • KRISTINA BESSENYEY (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • LARRY MCCLOSKEY (Executive Dir.): $21,376 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of the bitterroot performing arts council is to bring diverse artists to our community to present performances and educational outreach in the performing arts.

What it reported doing in 2024

In fiscal year 24-25, our organization continued to expand its year-round programming of world-class performances in Ravalli County, MT. The 21st season of the Bitterroot Performing Arts Series presented six concerts in the 700-seat Hamilton Performing Arts Center. Our well-received holiday presentation of the Missoula Symphony Orchestra in our secondary venue in Victor, MT, was expanded to two performances this year. This event also gave the Bitterroot Community Band a rare opportunity to play publicly alongside the symphony orchestra. A sold-out special performance by the Irish group JigJam was also presented in the Victor venue. This performance was broadcast live by Montana Public Radio to its listening audience in all of western Montana. Finally, we presented our 3rd annual summer concert, outdoors on the grounds of the historic Daly Mansion, to approximately 800 patrons.We continued to create content for our Bitterroot Presents educational video library which features the work of both professional and local performing artists, along with demonstrating other aspects of performing arts production, with the goal of inspiring and educating students of all ages about the performing arts. The Bitterroot Presents video library is made available to local schools at no charge. In FY2025, two new videos were completed. Our annual Spring for the Arts auction in FY2025 featured art pieces created by five local high school students. This gave the students the opportunity to display their art to the community, and proceeds from auctioning their pieces helped fund scholarships awarded to local high school students by the Bitterroot Performing Arts Council.

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 99% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.7%; rating input score 88
  • Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $29.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.6%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.44; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.6% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 87.7% of revenue deployed · 88% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $406K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $21K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.