Equity Arc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 852618740
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
- Location
- Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Phone
- 5137443306
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,805,991
- Expenses
- $1,051,088
- Assets
- $1,752,326
- Liabilities
- $17,190
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- STANFORD THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- STANFORD THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $116,142 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Equity arc is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of local and national organizations to align, promote, and develop equitable opportunities for aspiring classical musicians from underrepresented ethnicities.
What it reported doing in 2024
Equity arc provided professional development services and access resources to its national membership. During fy25, the organization supported its virtual member community through development of a custom customer relationship management (crm) system designed to facilitate program applications, resource sharing, and networking. Equity arc also hosted 11 virtual professional development events and additional in-person gatherings focused on topics relevant to emerging musicians and music educators. Collegiate access for young musicians as part of its member professional development offerings, equity arc operated the collegiate access for young musicians series in partnership with el sistema USA. The six-part virtual series focused on the college and conservatory application process, including auditions and admissions requirements. During the reporting year, more than 200 musicians and family members participated in the program. Common application for summer study equity arc operated the common application for summer study, a centralized application platform allowing musicians to apply to multiple summer music programs through a single application and audition process. In fy25, the organization partnered with 24 organizations operating 26 programs and served 207 applicants. Equity arc covered application fees for applicants participating in the program. These activities furthered the organization's exempt purpose by expanding access to educational resources and training opportunities for emerging musicians.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 90% 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 46
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 75
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 36.8%; rating input score 37
- Program expense ratio: 62.2%; rating input score 62
- Fundraising efficiency: $12.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th 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: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- 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: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 41.8%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.67; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1.1%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 75.5% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 55.7% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 65.2% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 36.8% of revenue deployed · 62.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $654K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $116K · 16 people listed
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 37/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 44/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.