National Independent Venue Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
850802980
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
4345474277
Rating confidence
Limited
Sector
Chambers of Commerce & Business Leagues

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,714,382
Expenses
$2,158,491
Assets
$1,159,485
Liabilities
$495,429

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANDRE PERRY (PRESIDENT)
  • AUDREY FIX SCHAEFER (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JIM BRUNBERG (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • STEPHEN PARKER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • STEPHEN PARKER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $171,817 total reported compensation
  • LAUREN KEHRLI (HEAD OF MRKTG & BRAND STRAT.): $134,808 total reported compensation
  • CODY COWAN (COO (UNTIL 9/2024)): $107,328 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

As the nation's live entertainment association, our mission is to cultivate, elevate, and advocate for a sustainable and equitable ecosystem of independent performance venues, festivals, and promoters.

What it reported doing in 2024

Advocacy: niva engages with federal, state, and local policymakers to protect and strengthen the independent live entertainment industry and advocate on behalf of independent venues, promoters, festivals, and performing arts centers across the country. In fy 2025, niva engaged on legislation across 24 states and continued leading the fix the tix coalition, a broad alliance of live event industry organizations and professionals working to combat price gouging, speculative ticketing, deceptive marketing, hidden fees, and other harmful practices impacting fans, artists, and independent businesses. To further support these advocacy efforts, niva launched the state of live, the first comprehensive national economic impact study focused on the independent live entertainment sector. Released on june 23, 2025, the report quantifies the industry's economic contributions, examines the challenges threatening its sustainability, and provides critical data to inform policymaking and public awareness efforts. The study empowers niva members with state and localized economic impact data and industry insights to strengthen advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local level and reinforce the essential role independent live entertainment plays in communities and local economies across the country.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 81% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 20.5%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.54; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.43; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.2%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: -5.8% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments
  • Leadership: top reported pay $172K · 14 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $342K reported
  • Consistency: 13 of 13 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 25/100.