Destiny Arts Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
943176726
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
5105971619
Rating
61
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community Recreational Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,063,513
Expenses
$3,578,845
Assets
$4,641,539
Liabilities
$281,136

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Archana Nagraj (Executive Dir.): $336,230 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Destiny Arts inspires and ignites social change through the arts.When we are successful, young people grow up to live meaningful, connected, and secure lives in an inclusive society. As a leading creative youth development organization that equally values mastery of movement arts, inclusive communities, and cultivating advocates for peace, Destiny Arts Center: Delivers programs that develop creative, powerful, and peaceful youth and communities.Creates a welcoming culture of inclusion, and Trains expert, diverse teaching artists.

What it reported doing in 2024

In East Oakland, we expanded community-based martial arts programming at Clinton Recreation Center in partnership with TRYBE. These classes provide consistent, accessible movement arts opportunities for youth and families, strengthening neighborhood connection and offering structured outlets rooted in discipline, confidence, and respect.Our CARE Team expanded its impact, welcoming three social work interns, two from UC Berkeley and one from Cal State East Bay, to strengthen case management and family support services. In addition to operating our food pantry, the CARE Team increased family grocery services for households with higher needs, providing more consistent access to food and wraparound support.Internally, we shifted Teaching Artist professional development to a weekly model to better accommodate schedules and strengthen community building among staff. This shift allowed for ongoing skill development, clearer communication, and stronger alignment across programs.Across all programs, Destiny Arts Center remains committed to building spaces where young people and families experience safety, connection, creativity, and opportunity, while ensuring that our growth is grounded in strong systems and sustainable leadership.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and a relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 58
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58.6%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 66.4%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 56.2%; rating input score 56; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.9%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.3; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.7%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58.6% of revenue deployed · 66.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 16 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $336K · 12 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 56/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 10/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.