Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
953938009
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
2132665341
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,378,133
Expenses
$940,866
Assets
$4,725,177
Liabilities
$960,308

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL SCHLESINGER (CO- BOARD PRESIDENT)
  • CONNIE ST JOHN (CO-BOARD PRESIDENT)
  • JONATHAN ZAGER (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • TRENA PITCHFORD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • LISA E CASSANDRA (DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS): $116,782 total reported compensation
  • TRENA PITCHFORD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $75,841 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 mission of the lachsa foundation and program of the foundation did not change. The foundation raises awareness and provides critical funding that bridges the gap between public education funding and the annual needs of an exemplary arts education at lachsa. The foundation launched a 40th anniversary two year campaign in 2024 -2025 to generate large investments and bring lachsa's story to the national stage. The foundation also continued to negociate with the la county office of education (lacoe) to determine a new mou agreement and partnership to support lachsa. The impact of the la county wildfires had great loss and impact on the school and the foundation's ability to fundraise with such a historic loss of entire communities, homes, and jobs. The foundation's temporary wildfire emergency relief fund provided supplies and materials to lachsa students and faculty in response to the tragedy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Help underwrite the arts education of 550+ student artists in all five arts departments at los angeles county high school for the arts (lachsa), a public high school. Raise awareness for lachsa and advance the curriculum and instruction in the arts including direct pay for materials, instruments, the cost of 40+ performances, concerts, and art exhibitions, salaries for teaching artists. Also fiscally managed lachsa's box office, scholarships for student artists, and activities of the lachsa parent association which supports lachsa's student and teacher appreciation efforts. Raised awareness for lachsa through marketing efforts and supported lachsa's outreach programs through inkind resources and other marketing strategies.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 56% for direct work, and 44% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.9%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 79.8%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 31.7%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.02; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.5%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.9% of revenue deployed · 79.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $751K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $117K · 20 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.