The Union for Contemporary Art Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 452274312
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2013
- Location
- Omaha, NE, USA
- Phone
- 4029333161
- Rating
- 87
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts Council/Agency
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,946,509
- Expenses
- $3,037,694
- Assets
- $9,406,000
- Liabilities
- $107,174
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
15 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BRIGITTE MCQUEEN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 5.31.2024))
- LAKESHA GREEN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (AS OF 6.1.2024))
Highest reported compensation
- BRIGITTE MCQUEEN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 5.31.2024)): $142,947 total reported compensation
- LAKESHA GREEN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (AS OF 6.1.2024)): $96,155 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 union for contemporary art strengthens the cultural and social landscape of our community by using the arts as a vehicle to inspire positive social change.
What it reported doing in 2024
Support for community: the union's abundance garden includes 960 square feet of raised garden beds, a geodesic dome greenhouse for seedlings and off-season growing, a small fruit-tree orchard, composting facilities, a performance space, and an outdoor classroom used for community events and the union's youth engagement programs. We have grown and freely distributed nearly 4000 lbs. Of produce since the garden opened in 2018. And, through community-driven projects that focus on neighborhood-level relationship building, the union's neighborhood arts initiative provides local artists with opportunities for professional growth and north omaha residents, of all ages, with an array of opportunities to actively engage in creative practices, neighborhood rejuvenation, and building more postiive community narratives through participation in the arts.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 37
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 67.7%; rating input score 68
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -56.1%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.1; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.9%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 18% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 24.5% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 67.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $143K · 15 people listed
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.