Literary Arts Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 930909494
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2019–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Portland, OR, USA
- Phone
- 5032272583
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,670,548
- Expenses
- $5,114,459
- Assets
- $24,992,363
- Liabilities
- $1,251,564
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
28 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BRIAN ANDREW PROCTOR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- BRIAN ANDREW PROCTOR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $224,773 total reported compensation
- AMANDA BULLOCK (SENIOR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $119,202 total reported compensation
- SUSAN MOORE (DIR. OF PROGRAMS FOR WRITERS): $119,107 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to engage readers, support writers, and inspire the next generation with great literature.
What it reported doing in 2024
Portland arts & lectures brings the world's most celebrated writers, artists, and thinkers to our community and presents them in the 2,776 seat arlene schnitzer concert hall. In addition to events, the program connects readers and writers of all ages with classroom visits and workshops from our visiting writers.the archive project radio show and podcast features the most sought-after recordings from our portland arts & lectures series , portland book festival, and other community events. Each week, new lectures are available to stream for free. Episodes also air every sunday at 7:00pm (pacific) on opb radio
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 68% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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
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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 51
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 65
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 54.1%; rating input score 54
- Program expense ratio: 57.8%; rating input score 58
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.55 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 96%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- 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: 9.8%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.89; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 15% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 27.5% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 54.1% of revenue deployed · 57.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 24 of 25 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $225K · 28 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $113K reported
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
- 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 54/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.