Project Bandaloop

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
954618614
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
7757719069
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Dance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,469,937
Expenses
$1,630,906
Assets
$2,725,790
Liabilities
$2,679,578

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Thomas Cavanagh (Executive Dir.): $115,608 total reported compensation
  • Melecio Estrella (Artistic Dir.): $109,917 total reported compensation
  • Jeanne Pfeffer (Development Dir.): $100,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

BANDALOOP celebrates the human spirit, nature, and communities through dance that uses climbing technology to expand and challenge what is possible. At the vanguard of vertical performance, BANDALOOP seamlessly weaves dynamic physicality and intricate choreography to turn the dance floor on its side. Founded in 1991 by Amelia Rudolph and now under the artistic direction of Melecio Estrella, the work re-imagines dance, activates public spaces, and inspires wonder and imagination in audiences around the world. BANDALOOP trains dancers and youth at home and on tour, and has performed live for over a million people.

What it reported doing in 2025

Education program: project bandaloop teaches the general public, multidisciplined performers, dancers and youth at home in the bandaloop studios and on tour, as a leader in vertical dance education. The organization trains, and hires teachers to share the joy of vertical dance with students at home, abroad and in artist-in-residence programs.throughout all these engagements, bandaloop inspires wonder and imagination.in oakland and on tour. Under the direction of melecio estrella as artistic director as well as under the leadership of thomas cavanagh as executive producer, the work of dance on wall continues to offer hope and inspire joy for the general public in cities around the us and for the world.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 68% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 85
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 87.4%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 9; 9th 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: 90%; rating input score 90; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -11%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.67; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.98; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97% of revenue deployed · 87.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 10 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $116K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.