Oaktown Jazz Workshops

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
943265018
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
5106491785
Rating
66
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$271,149
Expenses
$306,380
Assets
$219,336
Liabilities
$2,136

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • RAVI ABCARIAN (Executive Dir.): $65,971 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our purpose is to promote, preserve, and present this music so that all youth develop a sense of ownership and pride in jazz music as a uniquely American cultural tradition.Oak Town Jazz Workshop is classified as other performing arts company underNAICS CODE 711190

What it reported doing in 2024

Program service accomplishments of 2024: 48 Combo Workshops in these weekly, year-round workshops, young musicians learned to improvise instrumental solos while playing different types of jazz and blues tunes in a full band setting, with guidance from our faculty of professional musicians. 48 Performance Ensemble Workshops in these weekly, year-round workshops, young musicians improved their musicianship, developed their personal voices, and challenged themselves musically in a band setting. 20 Jazz Improvisation Classes in these 10-week courses that we held in the spring and fall, students learned about ensemble playing, ear training, melodic phrasing, and harmonic forms. 20 Music Theory Classes in these 10-week courses that we held in the spring and fall, students learned about modes, chord analysis, ear training, and composition. 3 Live Audio Reinforcement Classes in this 3-week winter course, students learned about microphone techniques for live concerts, digital and analog mix routing, and got hands-on experience using mixing board and speaker systems. 20 youth who were aging out of our programs were supported by our staff with letters of recommendation, guidance, loaned instruments, and support with their post-secondary college and career plans. 29 Community performances. Four music clinics hosted by internationally touring musicians. 13 Concerts featuring local and regional musicians. 65 Jazz in the Schools presentations at public schools.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 0
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.2%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 82.5%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -13%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.72; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 21.5%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 19.6% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.2% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.9% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93.2% of revenue deployed · 82.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 8 board members independent · 0 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $253K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $66K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • 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.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.