Boston Dance Alliance Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043064755
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2010
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6174566296
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$579,985
Expenses
$564,088
Assets
$289,759
Liabilities
$4,573

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN MICHAEL KENNEDY (PRESIDENT)
  • AARON M MYERS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • AARON M MYERS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $75,120 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Boston dance alliance's mission is to increase access to dance, building dance audiences, and fostering the sustainability of dance locally by creating shared resources, forging productive partnerships, and providing programs & services that help dance flourish in greater boston.

What it reported doing in 2024

Bda mission and programs: boston dance alliance creates "on ramps" to dance and "springboards" for dancers through programs & services spanning five strategic areas: 1) dance access & equity - dancewear distribution program providing specialized garments and shoes for dancers in need; 2) dance information & infrastructure - newsletters summarizing local dance opportunities and a portable sprung dance floor for community-based dance events; 3) physical & financial wellness for dancers - dancer health days with in-depth wellness screenings and a fiscal sponsorship program providing financial support to dancers; 4) dancer development - open call auditions matching dancers with growing companies and a capacity-building program strengthening dancers' professional portfolios; 5) dance forums & series - convenings that connect & inform local dancers along with community dance series like that include free performances and classes.in 2025, bda provided direct programs & services to local dancers 40 times across five strategic areas: 1) dance access & equity - provided 15 boxes of new dancewear & shoes to 100 dancers in need across four studios / companies.2) dance information & infrastructure - reached 2,200 subscribers through 27 editions of the pro/motion newsletter. Highlighted 400+ dance opportunities on our website, which had 56,600 views. Supported 1,012 dancers through 15 portable dance floor rentals. 3) physical & financial wellness for dancers - at dancer health day, 14 volunteer healthcare specialists offered 20 wellness exams. Out of 192 bda members, 60 fiscally sponsored artists received over $300,000 in donations/grants to support their work. Generated over $22,500 in payments to over 50 dance artists and nearly 10 allied professionals. 4) dancer development - open call audition engaged 17 dancers, seven company observers, and four dance instructors. Five dance artists created new marketing assets through bda's capacity building pilot program. 5) dance forums & series - bda organized 14 free classes & performances showcasing 51 dance professionals and engaging 347 people. Fall for dance convened 113 dance presenters & professionals.acting as advocates for dance at the local, regional, and national level, boston dance alliance encourages the dance community in turn to advocate for important cultural initiatives. Boston dance alliance is a proud member of masscreative, advocating for arts and culture across the commonwealth.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 88% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 80% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.9%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 81.2%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.5%; rating input score 98; 45th 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 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.7%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.51; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.3%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.9% of revenue deployed · 81.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $458K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 26 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 8 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 47/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.