Northern Sky Theater Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 391666391
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2023
- Location
- Fish Creek, WI, USA
- Phone
- 9208546117
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts, Culture, and Humanities
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,586,037
- Expenses
- $2,316,602
- Assets
- $9,828,453
- Liabilities
- $184,720
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- HOLLY FELDMAN (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $75,193 total reported compensation
- MOLLY RHODE (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $71,353 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 mission of northern sky theater is to create, develop and present professional musical and dramatic productions which will further the knowledge and appreciation of the culture and heritage of the united states. Northern sky is dedicated to maintaining standards of artistic excellence; celebrating and illuminating the human condition; reaching a large audience of all ages, including families; and fostering a humanistic work environment with adequate and appropriate emotional, financial and creative support for all those associated with us.
What it reported doing in 2025
Northern sky theater develops, produces, and performs original musical productions. In 2025, 29,263 people attended 139 live performances at our summer amphitheater in peninsula state park, fish creek, wi, and at our indoor gould theater in the northen sky creative campus, also in fish creek, wi. About 15% of these attendees were students or children. This programming involved 60 artists. Northern sky produces all original work, and northern sky continued new play development in 2025, holding 5 readings and 2 workshops for musicals being readied for live production.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 58
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 64
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 59.6%; rating input score 60
- Program expense ratio: 65%; rating input score 65
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 10.4%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.24; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.3%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 59.6% of revenue deployed · 65% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 14 people listed
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 30/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.