Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland

What it reported doing in 2024

Founded in 1968 by marjorie talalay, nina sundell, and agnes gund as the new gallery, moca was established to introduce cleveland audiences to emerging and experimental contemporary art. Over nearly six decades, the organization has evolved into a nationally recognized, non-collecting contemporary art museum, presenting and commissioning new and recent work by more than 4,000 artists and engaging millions of audience members through exhibitions, programs, communications, and outreach. Since opening its university circle building in 2012, moca has served as a key cultural anchor within one of cleveland's most active cultural, educational, and healthcare neighborhoods.in early fy25, moca articulated three impact objectives to align with our updated mission, vision, and values and to express the consistent goals that guide our work across fiscal years. Their definitions describe both what moca does and the outcomes we seek to achieve. Against these objectives, we establish specific metrics to measure success, identify opportunities for improvement, and strengthen areas of impact. Our exhibitions, engagement initiatives, special events, partnerships, strategic communications, and outreach efforts are how we pursue these goals. Together, these objectives guided moca's work throughout 2025 and defined the outcomes of our efforts:1. Pursue the "whys" of our shared world: create opportunities for mutual exploration and productive exchange in order to foster new connections, increase cognitive flexibility and learning agility, and uplift our collective humanity.key 2025 initiatives included more than 20 moca saturday workshops, developed with partners such as designexplorr and stem-focused high schools, that supported hands-on creativity for families. Moca also delivered 15 off-site programs in schools and community centers, including collaborative youth projects with the center for arts-inspired learning's teen council. Partnerships with organizations such as linking employment, abilities and potential (leap) and the cuyahoga county board of developmental disabilities supported the co-creation of inclusive programs, including sensory sundays and paid internships for individuals with disabilities. In addition, moca piloted wheels of wonder at university hospitals rainbow babies & children's hospital, providing hands-on art experiences and museum access for immunocompromised children and their families.2. Push the boundaries of artistic excellence: advance experimentation by artists and audiences in order to strengthen the capacity for innovation and creative problem solving, expand concepts of quality and meaning, and model strong imagination for change.highlights from 2025 included dear, an exhibition co-presented with birthing beautiful communities that celebrated the role of doulas in advancing health equity. Moca presented solo exhibitions by harminder judgehis first us museum exhibitionand gala porras-kim, mounted shortly after her heinz award recognition and before her subsequent designation as both a us artists fellow and macarthur fellow. The museum also presented kelli connell's double life, developed in partnership with progressive, which explored identity and selfhood through more than two decades of collaboration with a single model. In partnership with progressive, moca additionally hosted the public debut of beverly semmes' monumental installation the dresses. Summer exhibitions by clotilde jimnez and erykah townsendboth artists' first museum exhibitionsfeatured new commissions and nationally debuting works. Jimnez's project will continue beyond the exhibition through the grotto, an experimental opera that moca will present in partnership with a leading music organization in 2027. Finally, maggie menghan chen's body building exercise combined performance, spirituality, and the connective power of digital culture to create an audience-interactive artwork centered on optimism, solidarity, and joy. Presented for the first ti

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 59%; rating input score 59
• Fundraising efficiency: $1.91 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -82.3%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.47; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5.2%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -3.6% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -3.9% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings