Japan America Society of Kentucky Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
611134245
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012
Location
Frankfort, KY, USA
Phone
5022099630
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Promotion of International Understanding

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$384,082
Expenses
$205,906
Assets
$334,733
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Arthur David Carpenter (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Arthur David Carpenter (Executive Director): $83,793 total reported compensation
  • Amy Su (Project Manager): $53,569 total reported compensation
  • Tylor Kinney (Intern): $8,979 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Dedicated to sustaining a favorable business and community relations between Japan and KY by promoting cooperation and mutual understanding, this objective is primarily accomplished through a variety of cultural educational and social programs and events

What it reported doing in 2024

Japan Summer Festival This festival serves as a dynamic platform to deepen community understanding and appreciation of Japan's rich heritage, arts, and contemporary culture. Through live music, dance, workshops, and hands-on experiences, attendees will connect directly with Japanese traditions, fostering cross-cultural dialogue and appreciation. Family-friendly programming ensures accessibility, making the festival a welcoming space for children and adults alike.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 62% 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 - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 52
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 68
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 44.1%; rating input score 44
  • Program expense ratio: 81.8%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 13th 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: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: 46.4%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.63; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 71.1%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.5% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 44.1% of revenue deployed · 81.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $169K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $84K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2013 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 44/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.