Houston Cinema Arts Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
300507986
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2008
Location
Houston, TX, USA
Phone
7134290420
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Film, Video

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$274,179
Expenses
$395,083
Assets
$207,551
Liabilities
$46,555

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STEVEN OWSLEY (PRESIDENT + INTERIM CHAIR)
  • KATHERINE CREEGGAN-RIOS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHERINE CREEGGAN-RIOS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $92,943 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Houston cinema arts society (hcas) celebrates the vitality of houston by connecting audiences and artists with public, educational, and career-advancing film and arts programming. Houston cinema arts society envisions a future where filmmaking, production, and public programming thrive and grow, in step with the city's ever-evolving fine arts and media sector. By fostering global filmmakers and promoting local film, television, and media production, hcas helps realize and celebrate our city's diverse creative economy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Houston cinema arts festival - the houston cinema arts festival, which takes place annually in november, is the largest international and independent film festival in the city of houston. This multi-venue festival includes narrative, documentary, and experimental films; innovative video and media installations; live performances; panel discussions; networking events; and workshops for industry professionals, all to amplify houston's creative economy. Hcaf serves audiences across the city of houston, attracting attendees of all ages and cultural backgrounds: 15% hispanic, 15% black, 15% asian american. The houston cinema arts festival engages with over 100 artists and attracts approximately 5,000 attendees annually.

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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 92
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 14
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 88.8%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 58; 58th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -44.1%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.53; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23.5%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -5.1% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 88.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $351K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $93K · 20 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 25/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 19/100.