Groundworks Art Lab Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270947724
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2014
Location
Boulder, CO, USA
Phone
7203796033
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Visual Arts Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,835,763
Expenses
$3,483,975
Assets
$12,801,313
Liabilities
$4,182,363

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JESSICA ADAMS (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • AARON WINSTON (ARTISTIC DIR): $95,731 total reported compensation
  • KARI PALAZZARI (FORMER EXEC.): $88,531 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To cultivate the artist in each of us by inviting creative collaboration in the study, practice, and advancement of studio arts.

What it reported doing in 2025

Groundworks art lab provides hands-on art education for all ages and abilities in community spaces where people can connect. The organization offers affordable, accessible programs in wood, metal, glass, print, and clay. These "studio arts" often require equipment and facilities beyond the reach of most individuals. The organization also partner with a number of local nonprofits and agencies to provide free and reduced-rate programs outside the studio to underserved members of the community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 71% 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

STRONG - 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 80.5%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.25 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd 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: 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: 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: 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: 28%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.67; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.3%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20.2% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29.6% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58% of revenue deployed · 80.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $96K · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2015 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 58/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 25/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.