BlackStar Projects

Legal name: Blackstar Projects Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
753129761
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2015, Form 990-N 2013
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2676032755
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Singing, Choral

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,248,433
Expenses
$5,020,419
Assets
$5,488,004
Liabilities
$159,596

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MAORI KARMAEL HOLMES (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MAORI KARMAEL HOLMES (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CEO): $243,231 total reported compensation
  • IMRAN SIDDIQUEE (CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER): $164,256 total reported compensation
  • CATHERINE LEE (CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER): $160,812 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

BlackStar Projects is a nonprofit arts organization that celebrates the visual and storytelling traditions of the global majority—showcasing films by Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world.

What it reported doing in 2025

The blackstar film festival is an annual celebration of visual and storytelling traditions of the african diaspora and other global communities of color. The festival celebrated its 14th anniversary in 2025.our philadelphia filmmaker lab supports four black, brown and indigenous filmmakers by making equipment, space, crew, mentorship, funding and critical feedback available over the course of a 12-month program. Blackstar acts as an executive producer on the short films created during the lab and premieres the films at the following year's festival.the william and louise greaves filmmaker seminar is an annual gathering for black, brown, and indigenous artistsworking in cinematic realms, with opportunities to share and receive feedback, view curated screenings, and meet industry professionals and funders.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 89% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 52
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 47%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 67.7%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: 30.7%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.09; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23.1%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 26.9% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 26.6% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 3 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 47% of revenue deployed · 67.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $243K · 14 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $214K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 22 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 12 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.