Living Art of Montana

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
810518819
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2018
Forms available
Form 990 2018
Location
Missoula, MT, USA
Phone
4065495329
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community Service Clubs

Reported finances

Revenue
$91,874
Expenses
$119,416
Assets
$63,176
Liabilities
$1,950

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2018. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • HEATHER SUNDHEIM (EXEC. DIRECTOR): $37,462 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2018. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Living art of Montana's mission is to use the arts to support healing. We offer art workshops that provide expression and connection for people in western Montana who are dealing with illness and loss.

What it reported doing in 2018

IN FISCAL YEAR ENDING 6.30.19 LIVING ART OF MONTANA SERVED 394 PARTICIPANTS IN OUR WORKSHOPS. OUR WORKSHOPS ARE OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE FOR INDIVIDUALS DEALING WITH CANCER, CHRONIC ILLNESS AND LOSS.LIVING ART IS A PLACE TO CREATE, SHARE AND HEAL. OUR WORKSHOPS PROVIDE PARTICIPANTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION IN A SAFE, NON-MEDICAL ENVIRONMENT WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ITS LIKE TO DEAL WITH ILLNESS OR LOSS. WE CREATE A NURTURING ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE INHERENT HEALTH ENHANCING BENEFITS OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND THE SOCIAL BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN SHARED GROUP ACTIVITIES SUPPORT WELLNESS.LIVING ART PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO: TAP INTO YOUR CREATIVE ABILITY AND DISCOVER YOUR INNER ARTIST; TAKE A BREAK FROM WHATEVER IS BURDENING YOU; EXPRESS THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS YOU MIGHT NOT EXPRESS ELSEWHERE; LEARN NEW ART PROCESSES WITH CONTEMPLATIVE COMPONENTS THAT HELP YOU MAKE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WHILE YOU CREATE; ENJOY SOCIAL INTERACTION WITH OTHERS EXPERIENCING DIFFICULT LIFE CHALLENGES.THE BENEFIT OF CREATIVITY SUPPORTING HEALING IS EXPRESSED BY THE FOLLOWING QUOTE FROM A WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT: I KEPT GOING TO SUPPORT GROUPS BECAUSE PEOPLE KEPT SAYING I NEEDED TO. WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME ABOUT LIVING ART, I SAY I DIDNT START HEALING UNTIL MY FIRST ART WORKSHOP AND I DIDNT KNOW HOW BROKEN I WAS. B.D., WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT SERVICE WORKSHOPS AT THE LIVING ART STUDIO WERE FACILITATED BY LOCAL ARTISTS AND STAFF AND INCLUDED:21 Saturday Workshops.Multi-Session Workshops: The Mobile Mural Project, painting; Sgraffito Stories, ceramics; What a Relief, printmaking; Putting the Pieces Together, glass fusing; The Creative Process: Unmasked, mask making.Cancer, Courage & Creativity, 6 session workshop offered in the fall and spring. This workshop integrates writing, art and mask making as tools for self-exploration.OUTREACH WORKSHOPS INCLUDED: Summit for Parkinsons ConferenceMissoula Multiple Sclerosis Support GroupSilver Linings Cancer Support GroupCamp Mak-A-Dream (Family Camp)Susan G. Komen Metastatic Breast Cancer Conference for Idaho/MontanaOUTREACH EXHIBITS, PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS: I Am Mask Exhibit with September First Friday openingDiva Day outreach booth at Community Medical CenterHoliday Made Fair outreach boothHeart Expo at St. Patrick HospitalSouthgate Mall Non-Profit FairSummer Made Fair outreach boothLiving Art bi-annual newsletters reached over 250 individuals

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 60% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The required major-donor schedule is missing or incomplete and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 75.6%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: No; rating input score 0
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -30%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.53; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 31.4%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.4% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 75.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $90K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $37K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2010 to 2018
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Major donor itemization scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 30/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.