Project Canvas

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
814027974
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Aurora, IL, USA
Phone
6308629621
Rating
59
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$604,303
Expenses
$725,946
Assets
$1,826,299
Liabilities
$2,449,512

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Scott D Hodge (President)

People named in this filing

  • Scott D Hodge (President)
  • Tammy K Helfrich (Treasurer)
  • Ben Thomas (Secretary)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Project Canvas exists to provide a space for people to be able to gather and accomplish their dreams. By creating this space, we draw resources, people and revitalization to downtown Aurora. We will be a creative destination that fuels creativity, inspires its participants and provides a social setting that connects people. We serve people from Aurora and the surrounding communities, helping to bring additional revenue into the city, while also empowering people to become who they've been created to be.

What it reported doing in 2025

The building has completed construction, allowing for the mission to be accomplished. Project Canvas exists to provide a space for people to be able to gather and accomplish their dreams. By creating this space, we draw resources, people and revitalization to downtown Aurora. We will be a creative destination that fuels creativity, inspires its participants and provides a social setting that connects people. We serve people from Aurora and the surrounding communities, helping to bring additional revenue into the city, while also empowering people to become who they've been created to be.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 97% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 86% 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

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 0
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 75.5%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 62.9%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 0 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -20.1%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.52; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.34; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 27.1% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 75.5% of revenue deployed · 62.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 0 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $456K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2017 to 2025
  • 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.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.