The Film Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
954244945
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
3234365060
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Film, Video

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,034,461
Expenses
$1,562,099
Assets
$5,973,880
Liabilities
$2,060,893

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LESLI LINKA GLATTER (PRESIDENT)
  • MARGARET BODDE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARGARET BODDE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $228,972 total reported compensation
  • JENNIFER AHN (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $182,969 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 film foundation (tff) is a non profit organization established in 1990 dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with the archives and studios, the foundation has restored over 1000 films, (continue on schedule o)which are made publicly accessible through screenings and programs at festivals, museums, and educational institutions around the world. Tff's world cinema project has restored 64 films from 31 countries representing the rich diversity of world cinema. The foundation's free educational curriculum, the story of movies (som), teaches young people, over 10 million to date, about film language and history.

What it reported doing in 2024

The film foundation (tff) was created in 1990 by martin scorsese to raise awareness and funds for the preservation and restoration of our cinematic history. Joining scorsese on the board of directors are leading filmmakers committed to advocating and supporting film preservation. Tff is aligned with the directors guild of america.tff has helped to preserve and restore over 1000 films, including a diverse group of features, documentaries, newsreels, shorts, home movies, experimental, and silent films.the foundation established the world cinema project (wcp), to preserve, restore and share neglected works by (continue on schedule o) filmmakers from regions all across the globe. To date, 64 films have been restored and screened exposing a new generation to classic cinema and educate audiences on the importance for its preservation. As part of the wcp, the foundation created the african film heritage project to locate, restore and preserve significant african titles in partnership with the pan african federation of filmmakers and unesco. In addition, the wcp provides training for students and archivists through its restoration film school held at partnering institutions around the world.crucial to the foundation's mission is providing access to all the titles it helps to preserve and restore. In 2024, there were more than 900 screenings presented bith virtually and in person, at museums, archives, festivals, repertory theaters, and universities.the foundation maintains a conservation collection for films restored with its funding. Held at the academy film archive, 35mm prints, 70mm prints, and digital cinema packages are added to the collection when restoration work is completed.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.5%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 85%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 23.2%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.82; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.4%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.5% of revenue deployed · 85% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 22 of 22 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $229K · 24 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.