Salvage Vanguard Theater

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
742759503
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
4195035548
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$108,196
Expenses
$105,719
Assets
$77,656
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHLEEN TAYLOR (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $30,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Salvage Vanguard Theater (SVT) serves as a hub for Austin artists, audiences, and arts organizations. SVT produces transformative, high-quality artistic experiences that foster experimentation and conversation.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024 svt hosted two mainstage productions, co-produced a variety show & gallery for austin studio tour, and two community gatherings across three venues. In may, we presented uk artist, rachel mars older better letters at crashbox, partnering with ut austin performance philosophy biennial conference. We shared additional international exchange as we worked with guest prague-based artist alyssa dillard on three different events alongside dialogue and planning throughout the year. Her work explores identity, social expectations, and evolving personhood. In august we shared a summer sauna: garden party edition which featured local artists alongside dillard and served as a primer for the austin december premiere of her work. In november we partnered with thee gay agenda for austin studio tour for no body passes, an ode to trans and gender-expansive expression which celebrates otherness through togetherness via a gallery and variety show at rogge ranch house. In december we held a listening party featuring live music from dillard and local musician henna chou at future front house in december before the mainstage show opened. We closed the year with an immersive us premiere production of dillards marie antoinette walks down an elegant hallway knowing everyone hates her, our final performance at rogge ranch house, our venue since 2019.

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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 67.5%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: $19.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th 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: 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: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 2.3%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.73; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 28.9%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -14.7% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -12.2% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66% of revenue deployed · 67.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $71K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $30K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 45/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.