Sjc Cultural Events Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
923558059
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
St Augustine, FL, USA
Phone
9046155955
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Performing Arts Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$39,906,602
Expenses
$39,643,981
Assets
$19,648,414
Liabilities
$10,426,463

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GABRIEL PELLICER (CEO & PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • GABRIEL PELLICER (CEO & PRESIDENT): $374,179 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTOPHER M CULPEPPER (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $146,517 total reported compensation
  • LAUREN CARPENTER (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $142,225 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Sjc cultural events inc., (sjcce) is the locally led, community focused, nonprofit organization that enriches st. Johns county and live music enthusiasts from around the globe through authentic cultural programming. Sjcce strives to promote educational and community-tailored events to support, enhance, and expand appreciation for the arts. We follow the core guiding principle of being "community owned, community operated, community led". Sjcce manages and operates the st. Augustine amphitheatre, ponte vedra concert hall, sing out loud festival and fort mose jazz & blues series.

What it reported doing in 2024

Sjcce produces year-round live music and cultural programming serving residents and visitors throughout northeast Florida. The st. Augustine amphitheatre, a 4,800-capacity outdoor venue, hosted 74 concerts during the fiscal year featuring nationally and internationally touring artists. The amphitheatre also served as a year-round community gathering place, hosting approximately 70 community events, including nonprofit gatherings and the weekly farmers market, which supports local farmers, artisans, and small businesses while providing regular public access to the site. (continued on schedule o)in august 2025, ponte vedra concert hall reopened following a 14-month renovation designed to expand audience capacity, enhance production capabilities, and improve guest amenities. Following reopening, the venue resumed live music programming and community events. Sjcce also produces sing out loud festival, a month-long celebration of live music held across multiple venues throughout st. Augustine. The festival includes free and ticketed performances featuring local, regional, and national artists. The festival welcomed tens of thousands of attendees and contributed to cultural tourism while maintaining strong participation from local musicians and community partners. Sjcce also presents the fort mose jazz & blues series, an annual concert series held at fort mose historic state park. The series celebrates the cultural legacy of fort mose, the first legally sanctioned free african settlement in what is now the united states. Through live performances and educational context, the series highlights the historical significance of the site while providing cultural programming that connects music, history, and community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 97% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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 revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 93.6%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.19 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.7%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.5; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.53; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.6% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -8.9% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -20.5% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94% of revenue deployed · 93.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $37.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $374K · 13 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $18.8M reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 7/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Document-retention policy not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.