Northwest Institute of Literary Art
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 911901894
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2014
- Forms available
- Form 990 2014
- Location
- Freeland, WA, USA
- Phone
- 3603310307
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Humanities Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $584,611
- Expenses
- $748,886
- Assets
- $245,792
- Liabilities
- $267,467
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
People named in this filing
- ALLAN AMENT (BOARD CHAIR)
- DONALD HAYES (VICE CHAIR)
- LARRY CHEEK (BOARD SECRET)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The organization supports writers and promotes the literary arts through: 1. Master of fine arts college program; 2. Local classes and programs for the community; 3. Conferences with classes, critique, and networking with industry professionals; and 4. The soundings magazine that offers writers opportunities to publish small works.
What it reported doing in 2014
The northwest institute of literary arts (nila) master of fine arts program is the first to be offered, not by a college or university, but by an organization of writers. In this, it resembles many free-standing arts institutions offering degrees inmusic, art, dance, and theater. It is authorized by the washing state higher education coodinating board and is nationally accredited by the distance education and training council. The nila masters of fine arts program has three major objectives: to produce productive, publishing authors who are prepared for a life of writing; to prepare graduates to articulate their understanding of the process of writing through essays, informal or formal teaching, and other methods; to prepare graduates to participate in the local, regional and national community of writers. As a low-residency (or brief residency) program, the nila mfa program requires students to attend intensive ten-day residencies on whidbey island each august and january. Residencies are followed by sixteen-week, on-line semesters. The nila mfa program has a limited number of scholarships available. Application forms are available via the admission and registration forms link on the website.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 90% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- 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 available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 18
- Growth: 40
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 78.5%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 6; 6th 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: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -28.1%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.33; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.09; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -14% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 78.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $588K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2010 to 2014
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 6/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 18/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.