Creative Youth Productions Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
453539007
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Sandy Hook, CT, USA
Phone
2036104323
Rating
59
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$311,969
Expenses
$226,795
Assets
$92,629
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Barbara Brennan (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Dr B Oyiboka Nwajagu (Chairman)
  • Barbara Brennan (Vice President)
  • Laura Kinsley (Treasurer)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Creative Youth Productions Inc CYP mission is to develop youth leaders through the performing arts. CYP is committed to using the youth's voice organizationally, programmatically and creatively. CYP's goal is to acquire leadership, confidence, positive attitudes, and professionalism through dance, singing and film. Creating original productions in a safe environment, youth leaders make a dramatic impact on themselves, their peers, family and neighbors that changes lives forever.

What it reported doing in 2025

CYP Programs have a strong focus on building economic success, strong leadership skills, confidence and the ability to foster the self esteem and compencies of youth, particularly those who are at most risk. At its core, CYP Programs are about education and literacy. Participants are required to read, comprehend and write every day in the program and to create the new pieces of original art that they themselves have a voice in. They then have to make what they have read and interpret it, whether through song, dance, acting, or video. It requires them to think on their feet and process information accurately and communicate it even more carefully. For some Yt, this also becomes a workforce development initiative. CYP pays stipends to estimated 10 youth leaders middle and high school students throughout the year program. CYP offers real job opportunities so they undeerstand the realities of having a job, and being committed to it, and the expectations of what work is. CYP has partnerships with Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, Youth Service Bureau, City of Bridgeport, Bridgeport Board of Education and Double Up Dance Studio.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 76% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 0
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.6%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 79.2%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 0 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 27.3%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.41; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.6% of revenue deployed · 79.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 5 board members independent · 0 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $180K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.