Manhattan Theatre Club

Legal name: Manhattan Theatre Club Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237086643
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, US
Phone
(212) 399-3000
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Theater

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$41,077,291
Expenses
$34,673,873
Assets
$100,513,079
Liabilities
$47,588,456

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

Leadership & pay

41 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRIS JENNINGS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • Thomas F Secunda (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Carolyn Meadow (Artistic Director): $563,584 total reported compensation
  • CHRIS JENNINGS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $424,803 total reported compensation
  • kate martinez (Chief Development Officer): $203,186 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Manhattan Theatre Club is dedicated to the production of new plays and the development of artists.

What it reported doing in 2024

Manhattan Theatre Club's mission since 1972 has been to develop and present new work in a dynamic, supportive environment; to identify and collaborate with the most exciting new as well as accomplished artists; and to produce a diverse repertoire of innovative, entertaining, and thought-provoking plays and musicals by American and international writers. Since 1989, MTC Education, which uses the power of live theatre and playwriting to awaken minds, ignite imaginations, open hearts, and change lives, has also been an important part of our work. In the year ending June 30, 2025, Manhattan Theatre Club ("MTC") produced a robust slate of plays for which 159,923 tickets were issued: the Broadway premiere of "Eureka Day" by Jonathan Spector and the Broadway premiere of "Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends" at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway; and the world premiere of "Vladimir" by Erika Sheffer, the world premiere of "Dakar 2000" by Rajiv Joseph, and the world premiere of "We Had A World" by Joshua Harmon Off-Broadway at NY City Center. In the same year, MTC commissioned 8 new plays, held 34 developmental readings and workshops, continued institutional work towards becoming an anti-racist organization, and reached 3,044 students and lifelong learners, many of whom were experiencing live theatre for the first time, through the portfolio of programs run by MTC Education.

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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.8%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 80%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.6%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.9; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.47; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 67.8% of revenue deployed · 80% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 32 of 34 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $27.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $564K · 41 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $12.3M reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 39/100.