Uptown Players Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
364591959
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Dallas, TX, USA
Phone
2142192718
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Theater

Reported finances

Revenue
$938,104
Expenses
$1,060,215
Assets
$1,308,819
Liabilities
$932,768

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRIAN JANSEN (President)
  • Phil Perry (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHARLES CRAIG LYNCH (EXEC. PRODUCER): $78,808 total reported compensation
  • JEFFREY A RANE (EXEC. PRODUCER): $70,768 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of Uptown Players is to present professional theatre that meets a rising demand in the LGBTQ+ community for audiences to see their life experiences Represented on stage. Our diverse productions represent the LGBTQ+ community attitudes, mindsets and prospectives about their lives and current situation. We also provide the LGBTQ+ community an opportunity to examine itself and to develop confidence, self-awareness, and pride. We provide a safe place for LGBTQ+ patrons and their allies to fellowship, educate and entertain through plays and musicals that create a greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts.

What it reported doing in 2025

During 2025, uptown players produced six live productions: we are continuous, broadway our way 2025, xanadu the musical, everybodys talking about jamie, imagine, and star of wonder: a carol ann christmas. The program service expenses were production expenses that included theater rental, royalty payments, labor for cast, crew, directors, and designers, lighting, sound, sets, costumes, props, travel, and ticketing expenditures. Uptown players, inc. Productions are also supported by approximately 125 volunteers who help provide labor in various capacities in support of the theater.the theater has won over 25 leon rabin awards and 30 theater critics forum awards in its first twenty-three seasons. It has also been named the best theater company by the dallas voice readers, by the dallas observer and by d magazine. Uptown players has been featured on television on good morning Texas and daybreak on wfaa, Texas today on kxas, fun on the run on cw33, and last call on fox4.

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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 80
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.8%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 73.9%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $169.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 90; 90th 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • 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%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.23; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.71; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.1%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 21.3% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.8% of revenue deployed · 73.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 12 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $783K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $79K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.