Creative Dance Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911189936
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2063637281
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities

Reported finances

Revenue
$581,996
Expenses
$627,069
Assets
$516,639
Liabilities
$100,492

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Carrie Dossick (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Terry Goetz (CDC Director): $91,723 total reported compensation
  • Darrah Parker (Administrative Director): $63,813 total reported compensation
  • Bronwen Houck (Kaleidoscope Director): $51,905 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Connecting body and mind to transform lives through dance.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Creative Dance Center is known locally, nationally, and internationally for innovative teaching methods and the BrainDance. Inclusive programming for all ages and abilities includes Nurturing Baby, Caregiver/Toddler, Caregiver/Child, Early Childhood, Children and Teen, and Adult classes, including classes for seniors/elders, and Adaptive BrainDance for youth and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Classes include creative dance, modern, ballet, and hip hop. Summer programming included multi-arts camps and a Teen Intensive sharing culturally diverse dance forms. Educator/Community Workshops offered professional development and personal enrichment for adults. CDC began sharing free dance with Mary's Place in 2016 - Mary's Place provides shelter and helps women and families move out of homelessness into more stable situations. A CDC teaching artist brought dance to children in two Mary's Place locations as part of their Tots and Kids Clubs programming, which aims to reduce trauma and provide a safe place for children. Creative Dance Center is on the Community Arts Roster for the Creative Advantage, a partnership of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle Public Schools. During the 2024-2025 school year, CDC partnered with Wedgwood and Bryant Elementary schools, and CDC teaching artists taught dance to grades K-5 through the Creative Advantage program. CDC also provided weekly dance classes to grades K-1 during the school year at the French American School of Puget Sound. Scholarships and tuition assistance were provided to families and students who would not be able to access CDC programs otherwise. CDC is an institutional member of the National Dance Education Organization and Dance and the Child International.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 70% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 93
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.9%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 72.1%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th 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: 97.5%; rating input score 98; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -7.7%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 33.1%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.9% of revenue deployed · 72.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $452K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $92K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.