The Pierians Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
412237992
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2008
Location
Columbia, MD, USA
Phone
8046442400
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$39,521
Expenses
$32,587
Assets
$101,947
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CARA WALKER (President)
  • KAREN RAWLINS (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • CARA WALKER (President)
  • KAREN RAWLINS (Vice President)
  • CORINNE MOODY (2ND VICE PRES)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide support for artistic projects, art education programs, and emerging artist in the performing, visual and literary arts, in localities where chapters of the pierians incorporated are located.

What it reported doing in 2025

The Foundation received $10,000 from the Clarisse B. and Morris A. Mechanic Foundation to support community-based artistic initiatives in Baltimore City. Chapter Foundation & Outreach - Developed a trsining series for chapters on fundraising, outreach models, foundation goels and chapter involvement and initiatives. Mentorship & Leadership Development - Advanced the Pierians Legacy Mentorship initiative of pairing experienced Pierians and arts professionals with emerging artists, students and administrators. Signature Events - Continued commitment to the 'Artist Ball and the Foundation Gala to raise program funds and showcase our commitment to artistic excellence. Internship and Youth Engagement - The Foundation worked with two interns from Western School of Technology, to promote the Foundation through social media.Scholarships Gave $9,800 in scholarships

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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filed totals do not add up and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 75.9%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 88.4%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 17.5%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.13; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.6% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 75.9% of revenue deployed · 88.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $29K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 19 people listed
  • Consistency: 16 of 17 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 44/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.