Children's Theatre Company and School

What it reported doing in 2024

CTC's Theatre Arts Training program (TAT) provides instruction in storytelling, acting, dance, voice, directing, and playwriting for young people ages 2-18. In addition to sequenced classes during the school year, Theatre Arts Training also offers summer and other school vacation camps for students at all skill levels and programming for homeschool groups designed to meet their educational goals. TAT also includes the Pre-Professional Institute, which provides high school students with an intensive, four-year, conservatory-style learning experience. The Senior Company program provides students with demanding material that seeks to challenge them as artists, educate them in a professional setting, and inspire them to be active voices in their community. FY25 marked year four of a year-round, all-grade residency at Bethune Arts Elementary in north Minneapolis. Between family engagement around three CTC productions, Creative Play for Pre-K and K, critical literacy for 1st-4th-grade, and Art as Activism for 5th grade, every student had a theatre experience by the end of the year. A total of 2,356 people participated in shorter school-based residencies or took off-site workshops, including 700 at public libraries and 180 Corporate Education participants at Deloitte. Students across the Metro benefited from short-form residencies with CTC teaching artists. In Twin Cities public schools, CTC delivers grade 1-5 workshops serving students and teachers with high-quality, research-based theatre arts and storytelling activities. Tied to state and national standards, these activities boost students' achievement in language and theatre arts. Through the Neighborhood Bridges pedagogy, students build critical and cultural literacy as they question texts, uncover whose perspective has been marginalized, and re-tell stories from their own points of view.CTC's Early Childhood Initiative combines theatre arts-based learning experiences with best practices in early childhood education to support the healthy development of early learners ages 2-6. CTC takes a comprehensive approach to early childhood education that includes both age-appropriate learning opportunities, including Early Bridges, and productions designed specifically for early learners. Through the Creative Play program, CTC also focuses on serving early learners from communities coping with complex trauma and toxic stress. The program utilizes theatre-based activities aligned with trauma-informed care practices to support developmental repair in early learners.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 85.5%; rating input score 85
• Program expense ratio: 73%; rating input score 73
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: 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: -16.1%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.16; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5.8%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings