Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain
Legal name: Oklahoma Arts Institute Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 731021165
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Oklahoma City, OK, US
- Phone
- 405.605.7500
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts Education
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,754,690
- Expenses
- $1,866,862
- Assets
- $2,300,169
- Liabilities
- $334,724
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT WARD (PRESIDENT &)
Highest reported compensation
- ROBERT WARD (PRESIDENT &): $114,412 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To provide exceptional multidisciplinary arts experiences that develop individual talent and inspire a lifelong passion for the arts.
What it reported doing in 2024
The Oklahoma summer arts institute (osai) is an intensive, two-week residential academy for serious, disciplined and motivated high school students ages 14 to 18. Every year, approximately 230 students are selected through a competitive, statewide audition process to study with nationally renowned artists in the fields of acting, creative writing, dance, orchestra, chorus, drawing and painting, photography, and film and video. The program's multi-disiplinary structure sets osai apart from other arts programs in the nation. In addition to studying a chosen field for at least six hours a day, students are exposed to a rich variety of art forms and learning experiences. Students and faculty attend and participate in performances, faculty lectures, gallery openings, poetry readings, and recreational activities. The talent and creativity of students and faculty, combined with the mystique of the quartz mountain area in southwest Oklahoma, create a powerful synergy. Expected outcomes of osai include: 1) during the two weeks, students will focus intensively on their own artistic discipline while gaining a heightened awareness of and appreciation for other art forms; 2) small class sizes will ensure a true mentor relationship between students and world-renowned faculty artists with whom they would not otherwise have the chance to work; 3) students will develop connections that result in long-term friendships and a nationwide network; 4) students will show improved confidence after the program and a clearer understanding of the discipline required to succeed in their chosen art form; 5) students will become future audience members and supporters of the arts, and they will gain an appreciation and understanding of all art forms; 6) by providing performances, lectures and demonstrations that are free and open to the public, osai will promote awareness of and interest in the arts by all oklahomans, particularly those residing in southwest Oklahoma. Oai is committed to raising full scholarships for all osai students. Tour de quartz is a statewide outreach program that serves local communities and the entire state by showcasing student artwork produced during osai. Tour de quartz celebrates Oklahoma's artistic talent, raises awareness about oai and its programs, and helps develop arts audiences in many communities.
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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 40
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88.6%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 83%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.24 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -6.4%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.23; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.1%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -11.3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -10.4% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 88.6% of revenue deployed · 83% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $114K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 22/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 50/100.