Cinestudio Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 260042514
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Hartford, CT, USA
- Phone
- 8602972544
- Rating
- 69
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Film, Video
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $255,893
- Expenses
- $236,256
- Assets
- $631,208
- Liabilities
- $9,414
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
19 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- Lew Michaels (Executive Dir.): $84,175 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The mission of Hartford's Cinestudio is to celebrate film as art and to provide diverse audiences an eclectic mix of the world's best cinema experiences, presented at the highest technical level in a classic movie palace-like setting.
What it reported doing in 2024
Cinestudio, Inc., the independent nonprofit cinema located on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, continued to advance its mission of delivering a rich and inclusive cinematic experience to the Greater Hartford community. Over the past fiscal year, Cinestudio remained a cornerstone of the region's cultural landscape, presenting international films, independent features, repertory classics, and timely documentaries, while also deepening community engagement through special events and educational initiatives.Film programming remained at the heart of Cinestudios work. During the year, the theater presented more than 150 titles across 354 lit nights, offering a wide range of cinematic experiencesfrom critically acclaimed new releases to curated retrospectives and filmmaker tributes. Our annual Oscar-Palooza series once again drew strong attendance and served as a community highlight. Partnerships with organizations such as The Hartford Boys and Girls Club, along with area colleges and nonprofits, enabled Cinestudio to host impactful documentary screenings paired with panel discussions, talkbacks, and community dialogues. The Queer Thursdays series continued to uplift LGBTQ+ voices and stories, while offerings such as Great Art on Screen, National Theatre Live, and the Met Opera series brought world-class arts programming to local audiences.Cinestudios role extends beyond film exhibition; it serves as a welcoming gathering place where art, community, and conversation intersect. As we look back on the accomplishments of the past year, Cinestudio remains committed to celebrating the power of cinema, strengthening community connections, and preserving a vital space for independent film and cultural expression in Hartford.Expenses $149,019.
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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 64
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 69
- Sustainability: 52
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.7%; rating input score 65
- Program expense ratio: 69.3%; rating input score 69
- Fundraising efficiency: $13.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 7.7%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.67; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 35.6%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -2.2% per year; rating input score 0; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 64.7% of revenue deployed · 69.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $164K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $84K · 19 people listed
- Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 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.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 47/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.