The Dance Exchange Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521076232
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Takoma Park, MD, USA
Phone
3012706700
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$446,197
Expenses
$758,350
Assets
$620,758
Liabilities
$361,845

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • MARY C MEADOR (EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTO): $84,480 total reported compensation
  • SILVIA ROBERTS (EXECUTIVE MANAGING DIRECTO): $84,480 total reported compensation
  • STEPHEN CLAPP (CREATIVE PRODUCER): $76,800 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Fueled by generosity and curiosity, we expand who gets to dance, where dance happens, what dance is about, and why dance matters.

What it reported doing in 2024

Creative tools and practices: sharing art-making techniques and tools with local, national, and international artists and choreographers through weekly classes, public events and interactive experiences. Using practices from the dance exchange toolbox, liz lerman's critical response process and cassie meador's moving field guides, dance exchange engages participants of all ages in discussions about creative research that bridges artists, scientists, community members, historians and teachers.

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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 14
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 75.9%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -70%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.58; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.4%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.6% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 75.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $575K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $84K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 35/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.