Live Yes Studios

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
992344069
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Lincoln, NE, USA
Phone
4029044216
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Autism

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,274,198
Expenses
$863,703
Assets
$812,747
Liabilities
$400,752

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRANDON LESOING (PRESIDENT)
  • CRAIG CASADOS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • MICAH SNYDER (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • NATASHA SCHOLZ (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICAH SNYDER (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $27,692 total reported compensation
  • NATASHA SCHOLZ (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $27,692 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The organizations primary mission is supporting adults with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities in creative expression, representation, and community partnerships. To provide these services, live yes studios offers an art studio, equipment, and supplies for the artists to create work and participate in daily classes taught by live yes art instructors. Live yes studios hosts monthly gallery exhibitions, allowing artists to showcase and sell their work.

What it reported doing in 2024

Supported services: live yes studios goes beyond the paintbrush to provide independent and supported family living services for disabled adults who live on their own or with their parents. These services have access to our art studio and offer support to accomplish activities of daily living such as cleaning, cooking, shopping or participating in community activities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 68% 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 a large share of total spending goes to programs. 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: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 55.1%; rating input score 55
  • Program expense ratio: 81.3%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $37.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: 32.2%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.94; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.49; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 55.1% of revenue deployed · 81.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $702K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $28K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.