Clay Studio

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
475121326
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Goleta, CA, USA
Phone
8058865966
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$829,807
Expenses
$1,364,862
Assets
$646,519
Liabilities
$34,724

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Lynda Weinman (Board President)
  • Marsha Bailey (Board President (until 7/15/24))
  • Cheri Owen (Vice President (until 7/15/24))
  • Matt Mitros (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Matt Mitros (Executive Director): $131,440 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Provide clay art facilities, classes and mentoring to the public.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, Clay Studio dba Maker House provided ceramics facilities and kiln firings to artists, aspiring artists, and hobbyists in the local community. Across six class terms, it served an average of 138 students in multi-week classes, with additional students participating in workshops and single-day classes. Offerings included outreach to the visually impaired through haptic throwing classes and low-cost events where community members, including children, could try wheel-thrown pottery.The Emerging Artist Program supported three artists at no cost during summer 2024, offering a three-month studio membership, a free 8-week class, critiques, and mentorship. This gave them space and guidance to refine their practice and explore new ideas. Maker House also hosted multiple interns, providing training in kiln operation, glaze development, and related techniques.Several visiting artists participated in residencies and gallery shows, gaining access to unique 3D clay and plastic printing equipment. Guests included Amanda Salov, Timea Tihanyi, Adams Puryear, Richard Notkin, Vince Palacios, Virginia San Fratello, Michelle Griffoul, and Joey Watson. Exhibitions included the Clay National, a summer member show, and a showcase of local high school student workbringing diverse ceramic art to the Santa Barbara community.Maker House donated workshops to local nonprofits for fundraising, contributed glazed bowls to the Santa Barbara Foodbank's Empty Bowls event, and participated in a Santa Barbara Public Library program. It also worked with Slingshot, an organization supporting artists with disabilities, to tour the studio and develop their ceramics program.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 94% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 82.8%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -64.5%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.47; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.6%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 29.3% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 82.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $131K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.