The Sheldon Arts Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 431489756
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Phone
- 3145339900
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Performing Arts Centers
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,056,014
- Expenses
- $4,352,969
- Assets
- $21,524,041
- Liabilities
- $1,178,501
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
43 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PETER PALERMO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- PETER PALERMO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $221,670 total reported compensation
- JULIE PLOWMAN (DEPUTY DIRECTOR/DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $160,399 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Through the power of music and art, the sheldon ensures that all have access to unique, relevant and inventive experiences that change lives and strengthen our community.
What it reported doing in 2024
Musical and educational programs: the sheldon seeks to present quality music in many diverse genres. 41 in person concerts this year were successfully presented in the historic sheldon concert hall to approximately 15,587 patrons. The sheldon also seeks to introduce, build an appreciation for and in some cases advance the artistic capabilities of young people in both music and the visual arts. The sheldon's education programs reached a total of 14,505 students through a combination of 27 live performances, its streaming platform being downloaded directly to 1,929 students, in addition to educators visiting 4 schools with our sound studio program and an additional 33 schools with our solid (science of learning instrument design) program. These important education programs introduce children to a wide range of music - including jazz, folk, classical, blues, world music, and more, weaving in grade-relevant lessons in literacy, social studies, and st. Louis and american history. Our lewis & clark program was taken to mckendree college in lebanon, il. The all-star chorus, made up of 25 students, performed at the university of Missouri-st. Louis's touhill performing arts center, chorus america and the national museum of african american music in nashville, tn. The sheldon art galleries also introduces young people to a wide range of visual arts - including photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, and architecture through gallery talks.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 73% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 - 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 reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 87
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 69
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 67.4%; rating input score 67
- Program expense ratio: 73.5%; rating input score 74
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- 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: 13.9%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.94; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 67.4% of revenue deployed · 73.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 36 of 36 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $222K · 43 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $1.9M reported
- Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.