Constellation Theatre Company
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 261863863
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2022047741
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,138,313
- Expenses
- $1,170,788
- Assets
- $874,422
- Liabilities
- $349,862
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KENYATTA T BRUNSON (BOARD PRESIDENT)
- SCOTT CHATHAM (PREVIOUS BOARD PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- ANDERSON WELLS (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $76,633 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Constellation theatre company tells big, powerful stories in an intimate space. We spark curiosity and imagination with plays from all over the world that feature visual spectacle, original music, dynamic movement and passionate acting ensembles. (continued on schedule o) we draw from the genres of fantasy, farce, and epic adventure to transport our audiences to dramatic worlds where the action is larger than life.
What it reported doing in 2024
Constellation's 18th season ran from july 2024 through june 2025. Titled "infinite possibilities," the season brought two shows to the source theatre. Constellations (yes, that's the name of the play) by nick payne followed star-crossed lovers through a swirling multiverse and a myriad of experiences. Head over heels was a jukebox musical featuring music by the go-go's; a laugh-out-loud love story that wove together renaissance romance and greek comedy with fantasy and gender-bending.head over heels marked two significant events for constellation. The show was officially the first event of the 2025 world pride festival. It also marked the end of our tenure in (continued on schedule o)the building where we operated for almost 20 years. The building was sold by its owners (culturaldc) to become a pool hall and we left the building after the close of the show. However, we are still producing in other venues.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 81% 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
SUPPORTED - 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: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 78
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 74.2%; rating input score 74
- Program expense ratio: 72.1%; rating input score 72
- Fundraising efficiency: $24.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th 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: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -2.9%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.75; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 20.5% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 74.2% of revenue deployed · 72.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $844K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $77K · 12 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.