Dance Downtown La Inc La Dance Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
454887427
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
2136625995
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Ballet

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,378,135
Expenses
$3,061,636
Assets
$901,039
Liabilities
$918,043

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BENJAMIN MILLEPIED (PRESIDENT & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)
  • LUCINDA GOULD LENT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 06/2024))

Highest reported compensation

  • LUCINDA GOULD LENT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 06/2024)): $131,843 total reported compensation
  • BENJAMIN MILLEPIED (PRESIDENT & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $120,817 total reported compensation
  • SEBASTIEN MARCOVICI (ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $93,208 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To promote new collaborative work by emerging and established artists and to revist influential multidisciplinary dance collaborations from the past, to create innovative platforms for contemporary dance and to expand the experience of dance and dance education to all audiences.

What it reported doing in 2024

Dance downtown la creates innovative platforms for dance and expands the experience of dance and dance education to audiences and students of all ages. The organization strives to present the highest quality of artistry and performances to the widest possible audience. In doing so, the company expands and diversifies its classical and contemporary repertoire while at the same time providing the highest level of artistic and professional training for its dancers. Through its activities, including performances and educational outreach, dance downtown la works to expand the cultural lives of adults and children throughout the united states and the world by bringing to the audience a unique combination of dance, music, and visual arts.

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 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 58
  • Accountability: 72
  • Sustainability: 7
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 77.9%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th 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: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -28.7%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.29; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.02; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.1%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 20.4% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 77.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 12 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $132K · 14 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $101K reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.