Daisy Wilson Artist Community Inc Dba August Wilson House

What it reported doing in 2025

The august wilson house (awh), operated by dwac, preserves and activates the childhood home of pulitzer prize-winning playwright august wilson in pittsburgh's historic hill district.acquired to help revitalize the neighborhood and honor wilson's legacy, the property has been restored as a vibrant arts center rather than a static museum, in keeping with wilson's vision that it "should be useful."dwac was formed to celebrate wilson's literary contributions while fostering cultural renewal in the hill district. Its work bridges historic preservation, community development, and the arts-creating a place where artists, scholars, and residents engage in programs that reflect the neighborhood's rich african american heritage.since its inception, the awh has delivered free public programs and hosted arts fellowships, performances, exhibitions, readings, writing workshops, artist talks, and facilitated community conversations independently and through collaborative projects that advance the city's hill district master plan, strengthen connections to nearby cultural assets, and catalyze reinvestment along the bedford avenue corridor.in 2025, awh's community engagement and outreach efforts were grounded in equitable access, neighborhood-centered programming, and the belief that august wilson's legacy must remain active, visible, and accessible to the communities that shaped it. Throughout the year, awh delivered free public programs at the house, including exhibitions, readings, writing workshops, artist talks, and facilitated community conversations. These programs were designed to remove financial barriers while encouraging repeat visitation and deeper engagement with the site as a living cultural space rather than a static historic home.signature engagement efforts included the annual august wilson birthday block party, which brought together artists, families, neighbors, and visitors for performances, visual art, youth activities, and community celebration in and around the house. In 2025, the backyard theater series, including staged readings and the production of august wilson's play "fences" further activated the outdoor space and drew both longtime supporters and first-time visitors into the hill. Play readings in support of playwrights-in-residence wali jamal and kim el provided opportunities for emerging artists to share work-in-progress while engaging the public in dialogue around contemporary black storytelling. Educational outreach remained a core priority. Also in 2025, awh expanded school partnerships with pittsburgh public schools, shadyside academy, and winchester thurston school. These partnerships included student tours and artist-led instruction tied to august wilson's work and broader themes of black history, literature, and cultural expression. Exhibitions, including the watermelon painting, were incorporated into educational programming to foster critical conversations around representation, history, and visual storytelling.community engagement extended beyond formal programming into oral history projects and neighborhood conversations that elevated residents' voices. These efforts strengthened community trust, increased local participation, and reinforced the awh as a cultural and community hub.its community driven legacy brick program continues to generate revenue through purchasing a personalized inscribed legacy brick with a person's own name, or to honor a loved one, celebrate a milestone, or recognize an organization or achievement. August wilson's art for august first was held in 2021, where it supported an exhibition of 10 artists who were offered $1,000 stipends to create original works that pay homage to wilson's life and plays. The exhibitions continued in 2025 and 2026 with the works being further exhibited in other pittsburgh locations.the awh continues to inspire and empower key audiences, youth, artists, families and the broader community through vibrant programming that is focused on arts education,

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 72.1%; rating input score 72
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 26th 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: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 25th 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: -155.7%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.31; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 12.5%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 25.6% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 14.1% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 26% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings