The Virginia Arts Festival Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 541786140
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Norfolk, VA, USA
- Phone
- 7572822800
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Arts, Culture, and Humanities N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $19,485,044
- Expenses
- $12,372,172
- Assets
- $67,022,063
- Liabilities
- $2,238,405
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
31 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT W CROSS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- ROBERT W CROSS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $282,408 total reported compensation
- J SCOTT JACKSON (GENERAL MANAGER): $262,030 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 mission of the Virginia arts festival is to bring world-class performing arts to our citizens and visitors, impact the lives of students through outstanding educational programs, commission new works of national and international significance, and make a tangible difference in hampton roads through regional partnerships and cultural tourism.
What it reported doing in 2024
During the period of july 1, 2024 through june 30, 2025, the Virginia arts festival produced 72 events: 62 ticketed performances and 10 free events. There were more than 53,600 patrons attending ticketed events and more than 28,200 attending free events with visitors from 45 states and Washington, d.c. And 9 international countries. There were 10 sold out performances . The education department had 103 events (comprised of masterclasses, open dress rehersals, and performances), with local student participation of 27,943, from 140 schools in 18 city/districts.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 63% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 61
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 91
- Sustainability: 84
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 52.6%; rating input score 53
- Program expense ratio: 79.2%; rating input score 79
- Fundraising efficiency: $14.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 36.5%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.42; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.4%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.3% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 52.6% of revenue deployed · 79.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 29 of 29 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $9.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $282K · 31 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.5M reported
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 53/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 48/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.