Southwest Minnesota Arts Council

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
416168522
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Marshall, MN, USA
Phone
5075371471
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts Council/Agency

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,045,262
Expenses
$1,061,214
Assets
$719,921
Liabilities
$280,064

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KRISTINE SHELSTAD (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • MARK WILMES (TREASURER)
  • MARK THODE (DIRECTOR)
  • KRISTA HARTMAN (DIRECTOR)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide funds and services to promote and support the arts in the 18 counties of southwest Minnesota.

What it reported doing in 2024

Technical assistance- services provided by smac to sw Minnesota are information and referral services to promote the growth and development of artists, staff and volunteer assistance for the organizational and leadership development of local arts groups, and presentation of technical assistance and networking conferences for artists, cultural organizations and schools. Information is provided via phone, email, mail, website, social media, and in-person contact. Smac staff travels throughout the region to meet with constituents on request. Smac staff also works with statewide arts organizations to coordinate workshops and meetings within the smac region that will benefit smac region residents. Smac's e-newsletter contains feature articles, grant awards, upcoming deadlines, and other opportunities. It containts no advertisements. The e-newsletter was sent via email to approximately 1,500 people per issue and is also posted on the smac website.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 89% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 66% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 91.4%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $46.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 88.6%; rating input score 89; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -1.5%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.68; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.39; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93% of revenue deployed · 91.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $970K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 17 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 42 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 42 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.