Lotus Fine Arts Productions Inc Dba Lotus Music & Dance Studios
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 133530544
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Phone
- 2126271076
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Performing Arts Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $494,280
- Expenses
- $342,708
- Assets
- $290,595
- Liabilities
- $127,853
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Kamala Cesar (President)
People named in this filing
- Kamala Cesar (President)
- Michael Lent (Director)
- Jayanthi Raja Segaran (Director)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To keep alive and accessible the traditional styles of world music and dance including but not limited to those from India, Japan, Korea, China, the South Pacific, the Middle East, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Mohawk Nation, West Africa, Mexico, Caribbean and Spain.
What it reported doing in 2024
Lotus Music & Dance is a cultural and educational institution dedicated to the teaching, performance and preservation of the dance and music traditions of all world cultures. The activities by our master artists foster artistic development, as well as cultural and social exchange. Our intention is to celebrate and develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures of the world.In 2024-2025, Lotus served over 23,930, people. Lotuss programs gave over 338 artists opportunities to present their art throughout the year. Lotus produced performances and events which attracted over 9,032 in person attendees. Lotus artists participated in 84 events that were presented by other organizations. These workshops and performances reached a combined audience of approximately 12,630 people. This number includes 84 programs in 23 public and private schools, reaching approximately 12,630 school children preK3-12. Our audiences represent virtually every ethnic community in New York City as well as dance aficionados and scholars of Asian, African, Hispanic, European and Native American culture. From October to June, we brought Native American and World Dance Passport Arts in Education programs to NYC public schools for grades preK3 to 12th grade. These programs aligned with the social studies curriculum and linked to the Drums Along the Hudson Festival. Lotus produced performances such as World Dance Festival: Dancing Across Cultural Borders at Riverside Church Theater and the World Music Series at Roulette Intermedium (8 concerts) supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. World Dance Festival Artists groups included Nadanam Bharatanatyam Collective, Kathak & Friends Ensemble, Along the Caravan Route: Flamenco, Persian and North Indian Kathak Dances. The World Music Series highlighted Ali Akbar Moradi & Pejman Hadadi: Sacred Music of Kurdistan, Flamenco Festival: La Bsqueda del Duende (The Search for Duende)Antonio El Turry" featuring Paco Jarana (guitar), Nibal Malshi - Songs of the Arab World, Guillermina Quiroga Tango Company with the Maurizio Najt Tango Quartet, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan and Shakir Khan with Anubrata Chatterjee: Indian Masters, Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers: Sufi Songs of Pakistan, Oghlan Bakhshi & Zyyada Jumayeva: Turkmen Music from the Steppes of Iran and Central Asia, Simon Shaheen Ensemble: Music of the Arab World.We also celebrated our twenty third annual flagship event, Drums Along the Hudson: A Native American and Multicultural Celebration, in collaboration with the NYC Parks Department at Inwood Hill Park, with support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NY City Council and the Howard Gilman Foundation. Drums Along the Hudson includes storytelling, crafts, cuisine and an environmental tent. In keeping with Native American 7th Generation philosophy that everything we do should consider the effect it will have on seven generations, the environmental tent hosts groups that promote environmental awareness. Six artist groups, chosen based on talent, authenticity, and drum presentation, were Batala NY, Kitchen West African Dane, Kasibahagua Taino Cultural Society and The Cordillera Cultural Society, Kalpulli Huehuethlatholi Aztec Drummers & Dancers, the Haudenosaunee Mohawk Nation Dancers and theThunderbird American Indian Dancers and Drummers. It included over 40 native dancers in full regalia who danced to the resounding host drums of Heyna Second Sons. Nitchen provided Native crafts and storytelling for children of all ages. Lotus strives to be truly global in outlook and has been of special service to under-represented groups in a way unmatched by other cultural organizations.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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 most voting board members are independent. 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: 59
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 59
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 49.1%; rating input score 49
- Program expense ratio: 70.8%; rating input score 71
- Fundraising efficiency: $49.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 30.7%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.85; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.44; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 49.1% of revenue deployed · 70.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $243K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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 49/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.