Jazz Hands for Autism
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 471719982
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2017
- Location
- Culver City, CA, USA
- Phone
- 4242988702
- Rating
- 67
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Performing Arts Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $906,098
- Expenses
- $949,586
- Assets
- $157,080
- Liabilities
- $85,836
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- IFUNANYA NWEKE (FOUNDER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- IFUNANYA NWEKE (FOUNDER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $69,396 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Jazz hands for autism (jhfa) is an innovative and award winning section 501(c)(3) nonprofit talent advocacy group that creates pathways from expression to employment for musicians on the autism spectrum. We leverage music education, music based-vocational training and (see sch o)
What it reported doing in 2024
For the past 11 years, jazz hands for autism has prepared hundreds of neurodivergent musicians for academic and career success, evolving its programs based on rich in-class and community experiences with youth and adults on the autism spectrum. Programs like the jazz hands musicians academy and junior academy prioritize musicianship, vocational training, and community engagement, impacting over 200 emerging and aspiring musicians on the autism spectrum. Through the jazz hands jobs program and the jazz hands music place library, over 200 work opportunities have been facilitated, generating over $50,000 in earnings for neurodivergent musicians in sync licensing and performances, and empowering artists to monetize their original works. Finally, the jazz hands concert series has reached over 22,000 viewers on youtube ans 234,000 impressions, supporting a growing community of more than 4,500 social media followers and drawing global interest spanning six continents.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 90% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- 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 total spending goes to programs and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 54
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 61
- Sustainability: 21
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 61.6%; rating input score 62
- Program expense ratio: 58.7%; rating input score 59
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 60%; rating input score 60; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -4.8%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.17; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.55; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 61.6% of revenue deployed · 58.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $558K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $69K · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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: Program expense ratio scored 59/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 46/100.