Groundswell Community Mural Project Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
113427213
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Phone
7182549782
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,612,664
Expenses
$1,628,010
Assets
$961,304
Liabilities
$145,648

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SEENDY FOURON (President)
  • ERIK SCHURINK (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • YVONNE MARTINEZ BRATHWAITE (Executive Dir.): $175,000 total reported compensation
  • KERRI GAWRYN (Director): $107,550 total reported compensation
  • ANN-KERRY JEAN-CHARLES (Director): $105,050 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Groundswell is New York city's leading community public art organization, have completed nearly 500 murals over the course of a nearly 20-year history. Annually, groundswell engages nearly 800 underserved, marginalized, andeconomically disadvantaged young people, primarily ages 14-24, from newyorks most diverse communities, in our public artmaking programs tocreate 50+ annual public art projects that beautify neighborhoods, engage youth in societal and personal transformation, and giveexpression to ideas and perspectives that are underrepresented in thepublic dialogue.

What it reported doing in 2024

During fiscal year 2025, groundswell worked with approximately 360young people, 21 professional teaching artists, and multiple communitypartners to produce 17 collaboratively-designed murals and additionalsocial justice-related artworks, in numerous neighborhoods in brooklyn, queens, and manhattan. In fiscal year 202, groundswell worked with 340young people, 25 professional teaching artists, and multiple communitypartners to complete 18 collaboratively-designed art projects, plusvarious multimedia projects, in numerous neighborhoods across fourboroughs.groundswells studio programs (introduction to portfolio, advancedportfolio, murals for change, print power, youth curatorial committee, and voices herd) and the summer leadership institute served 81 youngpeople with guidance from 10 teaching artists, and in partnership withcommunity-based organizations (such as fifth avenue committee andraices). Several youth participants enrolled in multiple sessions ofgroundswell programs over the course of the year.groundswell partnered with 12 schools for our school-based programming, providing afterschool arts programs for 176 students, guided by 12teaching artists. Schools selected from a customized menu of programoptions from groundswell, with seven choosing mural projects and theother five choosing arts programs such as printmaking, feminist art, and mixed-media photography.as part of and in addition to our programming described above, groundswell presented public events that served approximately 600 people. These included exhibitions and work-in-progress shares led bygroundswell youth, community paint days, and mural dedication events.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.5%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 64.9%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -1%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23.8%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.7% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -6% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.5% of revenue deployed · 64.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $175K · 10 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Conflict-of-interest policy not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 27/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.