Ely Folk School

What it reported doing in 2025

Ely Folk School classes offer intergenerational non-competitive learning for life opportunities to people of all backgrounds and abilities. Our organization holds firm to an early philosophical premise that education embrace heart mind and body. Our mission is to build community by providing learning experiences that celebrate the wilderness heritage art history culture and craft of the people of northern Minnesota. The Folk School movement is growing as is EFS with a desire to increase mutually beneficial connection between people and their places for a sense of belonging. EFS focuses most on arts programming with opportunities in ceramics; fiber arts; folk arts; humanities; metalworking; Northwoods crafting; nourishment; and music and writing all designed around EFS values of freedom intergenerational stewardship joy resilience wellness and connection. EFS fosters a culture of inclusion to serve as a welcoming and safe space for folks of all opinions beliefs cultures races gender expressions sexual orientations ages and abilities. EFS serves a broad rural community with 400 programs annually serving 1,700 students from across the state learning from 75 individual instructors. 61% of students register with an address from the Ely area and 87% of students reside in Minnesota. Students rediscover a love of learning and art and build strong relationships with others. These results are reinforced by responses to our evaluation surveys as well as by students returning to take more classes. Across our class evaluation surveys in 2025 less than 5% of students reported feeling somewhat satisfied or unsatisfied with the experience and outcomes of their class. One reported The instructor had the gift to instill confidence in our abilities during the making of the basket. She was very encouraging and she happily took as much time as we needed to demonstrate all the particular parts during the basket making process. It was a satisfying joyful feeling to make a basket. I found basket making to be a bit challenging but with the instructors encouragement she provided the resilience needed to persevere through the process. The Ely Folk School hosts classes across nine different program areas - Fiber Arts; Folk Arts; Humanities; Metalworking; Music Voice & Page; Northwoods Skills & Crafting; Nourishment; and Youth & Family. Nourishment Folk Arts and Northwoods Skills & Crafting are our biggest program areas offering classes such as Slovenian Walnut Potica Norwegian Rosemaling and Craft Your Own Wooden Paddle.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 62.1%; rating input score 62
• Program expense ratio: 64.9%; rating input score 65
• Fundraising efficiency: $11.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 20th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 9.4%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.84; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 16.1%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 14.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 15.6% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 23.5% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings