LA River Public Art Project
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 814423317
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2023–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2022
- Location
- Malibu, CA, USA
- Phone
- 3239234341
- Rating
- 62
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $184,806
- Expenses
- $162,254
- Assets
- $103,302
- Liabilities
- $862
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Elaine Renee-Weissman (President)
People named in this filing
- Elaine Renee-Weissman (President)
- Esther Margulies (Treasurer)
- Le Nguyen (Board Member)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our organization provides public arts and culture programming and advocacy along the 51 mile length of the Los Angeles River. We provide cultural programming and education in community focused events with artists. Mission: We reimagine the LA River as a dynamic and vibrant landscape. Through innovative art installations and programs, we connect communities with the river, sparking dialogue, igniting creativity, and transforming the river into a shared public space.Vision: The LA River is a beloved public place where art enhances the quality of life for all. The river is a powerful force that shapes our past, present, and future, inspiring our shared cultures.
What it reported doing in 2025
River Sessions: Ongoing creative site visits led by artists and indigenous culture bearers at different locations along the LA River. Program Services Description 2025 During 2025, LA River Arts carried out its exempt purpose primarily through its River Sessions public programming series. River Sessions advances the organizations charitable mission to expand equitable access to arts and cultural programming along the Los Angeles River and to activate underutilized public spaces through site-responsive creative work. During the year, the organization: Produced 7 public River Sessions events Activated 6 river-adjacent locations across Los Angeles and Maywood Engaged approximately 160 participants Presented or commissioned 10 artists and collaborators Partnered with community-based organizations including BiciCrfono, LA Poet Society, MRCA, FoLAR, Forager Crafts, Metabolic Studio, and Shatto Gallery Programming included poetry rides, cultural heritage activations, artist-led workshops and discussions, LGBTQ+ performance and storytelling events, public exhibitions, and preservation/access tours. All events were free and open to the public. These activities furthered the organizations exempt purpose by integrating contemporary art, environmental awareness, and community engagement in public spaces along the Los Angeles River.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
- 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 revenue has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 34
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 48
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 32.4%; rating input score 32
- Program expense ratio: 36.9%; rating input score 37
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 12.2%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.64; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.5%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -17.4% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 32.4% of revenue deployed · 36.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $60K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 32/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 37/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 59/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 39/100.