Bryn Mawr Theatre Film Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043682610
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Bryn Mawr, PA, USA
Phone
6105274008
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Film, Video

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,585,278
Expenses
$3,151,238
Assets
$12,722,017
Liabilities
$503,110

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SAMUEL R SCOTT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • SAMUEL R SCOTT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $173,826 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Bryn mawr film institute (bmfi) is a nonprofit, member-supported motion picture theater and film education center located in bryn mawr, Pennsylvania, in the western suburbs of philadelphia. Bmfi is dedicated to promoting shared experiences...continued on schedule o that entertain, engage, and educate audiences through a diverse range of independent-minded films, a full curriculum of courses, and an extensive program of special events. Bmfi builds community through film culture, while maintaining strong connections to its historic venue's cinematic past.

What it reported doing in 2024

Bmfi enjoyed a robust 2024, bringing wonderful film and film education to our patrons, members and supporters, and hosting a number of community events. In 2024, bmfi exhibited 233 unique titles, including 155 special programs and repertory titles for more than 16,900 attendees, and 78 main attraction films for more than 96,600 moviegoers. Bmfi presented 35 events in partnership with community groups and art organizations. Community members enjoyed special live traditions, including an interactive everybody sing!: sound of music. Bmfi also held the annual summer filmmaking workshop, in which 12 high school students conceived of, wrote, shot, and edited their own original short film, which made its debut on bmfi's big screen in december. Bmfi holds monthly open screen mondays for filmmakers to screen works-in-progress on the big screen and to engage in peer critiques free of charge, serving some 300 filmmakers each year. Bmfi offered 40 distinct film studies classes, during which 1,800 adults gathered in person to learn about, watch, and discuss standout works from around the world. In addition, bmfi's see hear feel film third-grade visual literacy program was conducted for 651 students in 33 classes from 10 schools in three school districts. In total, bmfi provided programs for 116,325 on-site patrons, students, and filmmakers. Over the course of the year, 6,015 people were active bmfi members and 290 people made financial contributions to bmfi.

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

SUPPORTED - 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 revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.4%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 76.4%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.53 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: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 12.1%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.04; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.5%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.5% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.4% of revenue deployed · 76.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $174K · 14 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 32/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 50/100.