The Academy of Vocal Arts

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231352001
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2022
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2157351685
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Performing Arts Schools

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,653,019
Expenses
$4,539,027
Assets
$54,219,823
Liabilities
$2,321,266

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

Leadership & pay

36 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SCOTT GUZIELEK (PRESIDENT/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • SCOTT GUZIELEK (PRESIDENT/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR): $190,161 total reported compensation
  • CONSTANTINA CHRISTOU (CFO): $163,532 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTOFER MACATSORIS (MUSIC DIRECTOR): $162,299 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of the academy of vocal arts (ava) is to be the world's premier institution for training young artists as international opera singers. Through rigorous instruction and coaching, and by presentations of resident artists from around the world in fully

What it reported doing in 2024

Admission into ava's four-year program is determined by highly competitive annual auditions. Those who are accepted receive tuition-free intensive training.(continued on schedule o.)the academy of vocal arts presented full opera productions, recitals, and events in the 2024-25 ava opera theatre season. October's new artists recital, where first-year resident artists were introduced, started the season followed again by the annual giargiari bel canto competition. The season officially opened with gounod'sfaust. January saw two performances of jubilate!, our popular annual concert of sacred music. The winter opera was mozart's cosi fan tutte. This year's highlight was our 90th anniversary celebration and gala, brava philadelphia! Held at the kimmel center for the performing arts in march. The season concluded with mascagni's l'amico fritz and the annual farewell recital and graduation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 62% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 90% 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

SUPPORTED - 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: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.6%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 72.6%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.4%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.95; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.8%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -1% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.6% of revenue deployed · 72.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 29 of 29 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $190K · 36 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.