National Association of Black Storytellers Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521752103
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024
Location
Baltimore, MD, USA
Phone
4109471117
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Folk Arts

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$349,319
Expenses
$304,959
Assets
$190,206
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Chetter Galloway (Vice President)
  • Keopeia Merrill (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Vanora Legaux (Executive Dir.): $24,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. NABS promotes and perpetuates the art of Black storytelling-an art form which embodies the history, heritage, and culture of African Americans.

What it reported doing in 2025

The Adopt-A-Teller Program (AATP) served 1,087 students and 180 adults in 12 venues in Atlanta, GA. The Adopt-A-Teller Program performances were conducted by 21 experienced, dynamic, diverse, and nationally renowned storytellers who presented 24 cultural arts and educational services. The AATP conducted a free community family concert. Performances were conducted at public and charter elementary schools, libraries, community centers and a senior center. The storytellers shared their wealth of stories that celebrate African centered traditions from around the world. These stories improve listening, critical thinking, and oratory skills as well as enhance self-esteem and stimulate the desire to read.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 50
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.5%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 75.1%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 12.7%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.62; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.2% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.9% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.5% of revenue deployed · 75.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $229K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $24K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.