Storefront for Art and Architecture Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
133525743
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2124315795
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Art Museums

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,086,726
Expenses
$1,549,730
Assets
$2,215,584
Liabilities
$716,616

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOSE ESPARZA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CHIEF CURATOR)
  • MARC TSURUMAKI (PRESIDENT)
  • TATIANA BILBAO (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOSE ESPARZA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CHIEF CURATOR): $152,726 total reported compensation
  • GUILLERMO RUIZ DE TERESA (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND CURATOR): $123,238 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Storefront for art and architecture amplifies the understanding of the built environment through artistic practice. Founded in 1982 by artists and architects in downtown New York, storefront has chronicled the changing urban landscape of the city over the years, and remains committed to producing and presenting work about diverse notions of place and public life.

What it reported doing in 2024

Exhibitions & programming the exhibitions program presents contemporary art and interdisciplinary installations that explore critical issues at the intersection of architecture, environment, and society. Through commissioned works and thematic exhibitions, the program engages the public in dialogue on topics such as climate change, cultural identity, and the built environment. During fy2025, the organization presented a series of exhibitions as part of its year- long swamplands initiative, examining the ecological and socio-political complexities of water systems.these exhibitions featured multimedia installations, research-based projects, and public-facing artworks addressing themes such as environmental infrastructure, extractivism, conservation practices, and community identity. Works included film, sound, sculpture, and site-specific installations that provided immersive and educational experiences, fostering public engagement and critical dialogue on global environmental and social issues.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 64.1%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -42.6%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.43; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.8%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93% of revenue deployed · 64.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $993K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $153K · 27 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.