Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
132792668
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Wheatley Heights, NY, USA
Phone
6316437900
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Performing Arts Schools
Affiliation
Judaism

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,954,935
Expenses
$9,733,607
Assets
$8,661,813
Liabilities
$1,262,857

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN USDAN (PRESIDENT)
  • ROBERT NEDERLANDER JR (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • LAUREN BRANDT SCHLOSS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • LAUREN BRANDT SCHLOSS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $340,078 total reported compensation
  • VICTORIA ELLERBE (COO): $193,197 total reported compensation
  • JESSICA LISS (DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT): $156,546 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We invite people of all ages to experience the natural beauty of our campus and the transformative power of the arts. Usdan was founded on jewish values that inspire us to make the world more just and more beautiful. When we welcome the diverse group of passionate young artists here each summer the heart of usdan comes alive. Our goal is to instill in our community a desire and drive to contribute creatively to the world now and for the rest of their lives.

What it reported doing in 2024

Usdan is the nation's preeminent not-for-profit day camp for the arts. The camp has been profiled in the New York times and time magazine, and has been named a "best of" camp by timeout ny/kids and ny metro parents. Usdan's parents and students describe usdan as "magical," "transforming, and "inclusive." nestled in a 140-acre forested oasis, usdan's mission is to invite people of all ages to experience the natural beauty of our campus and the transformative power of the arts. Since 1968, usdan has welcomed approximately 1,400 students each summer from across long island and nyc to participate in rigorous educational programs in theater, dance, music, visual arts, creative writing, nature and sustainability, chess, and recreation taught by world-class instructors and professional artists. (continued on schedule o)usdan's student population represents all different races, religions, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Roughly a third identify as neuro-divergent, broadly defined. The impact of usdan's 50,000 alumni extends far beyond the region with the vast majority of alumni becoming educators or practicing artists.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 82% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 74% for direct work, and 26% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.8%; rating input score 88
  • Program expense ratio: 80.8%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.38 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 10; 10th 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: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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: -8.7%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.89; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.3%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 87.8% of revenue deployed · 80.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $7.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $340K · 16 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $306K reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.