Milwaukee Rep Theater

Legal name: Milwaukee Repertory Theater Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
390946025
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Milwaukee, WI, US
Phone
414-224-1761
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$26,509,388
Expenses
$16,470,772
Assets
$126,721,311
Liabilities
$15,036,699

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

Leadership & pay

51 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JUDY HANSEN (PRESIDENT)
  • ADAM J PECK (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
  • KERRYANN HAASE MINTON (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHAD BAUMAN (EXECUTIVE DIR.): $366,294 total reported compensation
  • MARK P CLEMENTS (ARTISTIC DIR): $359,161 total reported compensation
  • MELISSA VARTANIAN-MIKAELIAN (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $203,728 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To create positive change in our community through world-class theatrical experiences that are representative of Milwaukee's rich diversity.

What it reported doing in 2024

Milwaukee rep education & engagement programs aim to use theater as an agent of cultural and positive change in our communities and in our schools by eliminating barriers and dismantling assumptions about what our art form can do. Collectively we create positive change in our city through our unique position as a cultural organization that has the capacity to bring people together in a creative way. On stage. In our schools. Behind the scenes. In the lobby or across the table, we're individuals who care about making our region meet its full potential.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% 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 total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 55.8%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 79.2%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.61 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th 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: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: NotApplicable
    • 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: 37.9%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.69; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.7%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.7% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 55.8% of revenue deployed · 79.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 43 of 43 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $13M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $366K · 51 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.4M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 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: 8 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.