Ciff
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 823467195
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2018–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2023
- Location
- Cincinanti, OH, USA
- Phone
- 2148436781
- Rating
- 94
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Film, Video
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $161,782
- Expenses
- $141,168
- Assets
- $31,214
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Allyson West (Executive Director)
People named in this filing
- Allyson West (Executive Director)
- Christina Hardebeck (Volunteer Director)
- Jonny Shenk (Curation Director)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to create a home for independent filmmaking in Cincinnati, Ohio. We strive to bring professional resources to filmmakers so as to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit of filmmaking. We will be providing community camaraderie; drawing filmmakers from around Ohio, the US, and the World; educating the community in the art and craft of filmmaking, and stimulating the Cincinnati economy.
What it reported doing in 2025
In 2025, the three largest program services of Cindependent are the Cindependent Film Festival, CindeNEXT, and Reels on Wheels. The Cindependent Film Festival is the organization's flagship program, presenting a multi-day celebration of independent film that brings filmmakers and audiences together for screenings, filmmaker conversations, screenplay readings, and community events. CindeNEXT is Cindependent's youth filmmaking education program, where high school students learn to write, shoot, and edit their own short films while working alongside professional mentors, helping build the next generation of storytellers. Reels on Wheels is the organization's mobile cinema initiative, designed to bring independent films into neighborhoods and community spaces throughout Cincinnati, expanding access to film and creating shared cultural experiences for audiences who may not otherwise attend traditional cinema events. Together, these programs support Cindependent's mission to strengthen the independent film ecosystem in Cincinnati by connecting filmmakers, audiences, and emerging artists through storytelling
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 71% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 92
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 51
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 87.3%; rating input score 87
- Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 12.7%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.22; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.8% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 87.3% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $141K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
- Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2018 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.