The Dairy Center for the Arts

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841149609
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Boulder, CO, USA
Phone
3034407826
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts Service Organizations and Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,423,239
Expenses
$2,466,099
Assets
$12,083,716
Liabilities
$415,675

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LISA ALBRIGHT (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MELISSA FATHMAN (EXECUTIVE DI): $141,280 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 dairy arts center connects a dynamic and diverse community to create inspiring and engaging experiences in the performing, cinematic, and visual arts.

What it reported doing in 2024

The dairy arts center is the largest multi-disciplinary arts center in boulder. The 42,000 square foot facility houses three theaters, four visual art galleries, a spacious lobby, full concessions, 65 seat cinema, 3 ballet studios, and 26 music studios. The dairy arts center provides professional live performance support to more than 100 local arts organizations including ticketing systems, box office services, building maintenance, theatrical support, concessions and theater venue, studio and office rentals. "dairy presents" provides additional programming designed to supplement artistic content provided by the many renting arts organizations and includes: music concerts, comedy, magic, education and community events, visual art exhibitions, and a full slate of foreign and independent films screened in our art house cinema. Expenses for programs include: artist fees; compensation for program director, theater tech directors, visual arts curator, art exhibit installers, box office staff, marketing director, cinema staff, and concessions staff; ticketing platform, ticket printers & supplies; and all expenses in support of overall facility and tech maintenance to include all theaters, public spaces, gallery spaces, and a portion of our tenant spaces.

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.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 78
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.4%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 77.2%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd 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: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 28%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.9; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.4% of revenue deployed · 77.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $141K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.