Filter Photo Nfp
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 462070232
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2018–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2023
- Location
- Chicago, IL, USA
- Phone
- 9173069551
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Visual Arts Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $243,049
- Expenses
- $234,318
- Assets
- $62,058
- Liabilities
- $340
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JEFF PHILLIPS (PRESIDENT)
- ERIN HOYT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- ERIN HOYT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $44,673 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Filter photo's mission is two-fold: first, to serve and support the photographic communities of chicago and the midwest; and second, to highlight chicago as a vital center of the national photographic community.since 2009 filter photo has organized the annual filter photo festival, a multi-day celebration of photography that includes workshops, lectures, exhibition receptions, artist talks, and other diverse programming. A primary component of the festival is the portfolio reviews, through which photographers are able to connect with national and international curators, gallery directors, editors, and other elite professionals.in 2015 filter photo opened filter space, a permanent gallery and project space located in chicago's west town neighborhood at 1821 west hubbard street, suite 207. Filter space hosts regular social, educational, and professional development activities, including exhibitions, workshops, and lectures.
What it reported doing in 2025
Filter photo festival - filter photo hosts the annual filter photo festival each fall. The festival includes programming both free and paid including portfolio reviews, workshops, artist talks and exhibition receptions
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 a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 60
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 32
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 59.4%; rating input score 59
- Program expense ratio: 61.6%; rating input score 62
- Fundraising efficiency: $21.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 3.6%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.26; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 19.1%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -4.8% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 59.4% of revenue deployed · 61.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $144K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $45K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2018 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.