The American Stage Company Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
591777189
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
Phone
7278231600
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,434,433
Expenses
$3,724,839
Assets
$5,289,140
Liabilities
$405,115

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Helen Murray (Producing Artistic Director): $142,158 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Mission: Reinforce the power of live theater with high quality productions of compelling plays that excite and challenge a diverse audience. Passionate about the telling of meaningful stories that inspire audiences to lean forward and engage.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education/Outreach: American Stage Education inspires intellectual, social, and emotional growth through inclusive, accessible arts experiences rooted in the transformative power of storytelling. As part of our year-round programming, our Drama School serves students of all ages through classes in acting, musical theatre, and improv, where 146 participants built confidence, sparked imagination, and brought stories to life in a supportive, community-centered environment. We also offer a dynamic Summer Camp experience, where 330 young artists explored their creative voices through hands-on theatre training, from musical performance to puppetry and playwriting, culminating in joyful final sharings for families and friends. For over a generation, we have extended our reach into the community through our School Tour , bringing culturally relevant live theatre directly into local elementary schools. This year, 9,200 K5 students and families experienced the magic of live performance, many for the very first time. In addition, our Write On! program brings playwriting residencies into schools, where 150 students collaborated to create and develop their own original plays, discovering the power of their voices through storytelling. We also welcome students into our theatre through our Student Matinee program, where 250 middle and high school students experienced Mainstage productions, enriched by post-show talkbacks and workshops led by our teaching artists. Together, these programs reflect a deep and ongoing investment in our community, expanding access to the arts, nurturing creativity, and empowering the next generation of storytellers.

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.
  • 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 72.7%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 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: NotApplicable
    • 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: -53%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.42; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 72.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $142K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.