MIDDLE EASTERN NORTH AFRICAN THEATER MAKERS ALLIANCE INC Middle Eastern North African Theater Makers Alliance

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
934929285
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2025
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Rating
52
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Cultural, Ethnic Awareness

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$715,031
Expenses
$49,199
Assets
$676,539
Liabilities
$8,534

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Torange Yeghiazarian (Trustee): $4,000 total reported compensation
  • Deborah Eliezer (Trustee): $1,500 total reported compensation
  • Denmo Ibrahim (Trustee): $1,500 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

MENA Theater Makers Alliance amplifies the voices of Middle Eastern and North African theater makers and expands how stories from and about our communities are told on U.S. stages. We will take space, make opportunities, champion artists, and build relationships with other marginalized communities and allies to build a more vibrant American theater.

What it reported doing in 2025

During the fiscal year ending 12/31/25, Middle Eastern North African Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA) carried out program service activities in furtherance of its exempt purpose, which is to amplify the voices of Middle Eastern and North African theater makers and expand how stories from and about our communities are told on U.S. stages. The organization's primary program activity was to design and plan its first awards program and to hire its first paid staff member, a General Manager. The General Manager will administer programs and provide operational support. Program activities included two week-long board retreats, one in Minneapolis and one in Portland, to develop and design the awards program and plan its implementation. These activities served approximately 14 board members and approximately 200 community members, a majority of whom were of Middle Eastern or North African descent, who attended two public events programmed by host organizations. Programming was delivered in person in Minneapolis and Portland. During the fiscal year, MENATMA also conducted six online board meetings and several committee meetings to further develop program details, including the implementation timeline, outreach plan, and selection process. The program was finalized in November, with a launch date of January 2026. Board members reviewed 18 applications for the General Manager position and interviewed the top three candidates. The General Manager was hired in December with a January 2026 start date. These program development and capacity-building activities were necessary to support mission-aligned services and were made possible through major funding from First Peoples Fund, Alternate ROOTS, and the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures. This work relates to MENATMA's membership in the National Arts Partners, a 12-member collective of arts service organizations assembled by The Wallace Foundation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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

MIXED - 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 16
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 1.2%; rating input score 1
  • Program expense ratio: 17.3%; rating input score 17
  • Fundraising efficiency: $178.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 90; 90th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • 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: 93.1%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.75; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: Limited

Growth

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

Details

  • Where the money goes: 1.2% of revenue deployed · 17.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $9K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $4K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 1/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.