Colorado Springs Conservatory Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841502211
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Phone
7195774556
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Nonmonetary Support N.E.C.*

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,510,504
Expenses
$1,222,629
Assets
$1,639,721
Liabilities
$118,040

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NATHAN HALVORSON (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • NATHAN HALVORSON (CEO): $108,015 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 the Colorado springs conservatory is to inspire, motivate, and challenge all students to aspire to their highest potential as artists and as human beings through arts immersion studies and community arts advocacy.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Colorado springs conservatory (csc) is the pikes peak region's only performing arts conservatory, offering world-class immersion studies in instrumental music, vocals, music theory, composition, theater arts, recording arts, dance, movement, history, and humanities to young people ages 3-19; the conservatory promotes advocacy and leadership through its outreach of music education and art events in the Colorado springs community. The conservatory obtains grants and charitable contributions in support of its operations; in addition, the conservatory provides scholarships to students based on financial needs.

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 96% 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

STRONG - 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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.2%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 76.9%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 19th 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: 51.3%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.34; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.2% of revenue deployed · 76.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $940K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $108K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2012 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 10/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.