Vibrant Places Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
872882720
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Jacksonville, FL, USA
Phone
9043530890
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution

Reported finances

Revenue
$188,000
Expenses
$94,187
Assets
$500,027
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Martha Lanahan (Dir., President, Treasurer)
  • Nathaniel P Ford (Dir., Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Mari Kuraishi (Dir., Secretary): $554,374 total reported compensation
  • Sondra Fetner (Managing Director (began 5/25)): $187,666 total reported compensation
  • Martha Lanahan (Dir., President, Treasurer): $30,000 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 Organization was formed for the purpose of supporting and creating vibrant and welcoming public spaces. The Organization aims to activate cross-sector collaboration and citizen-led approaches to promoting increased access to public spaces, related enriching programming, and grantmaking activities.

What it reported doing in 2025

Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park is currently Vibrant Places, Inc.'s primary focus, as a premier example of place-centered investments driving an increased sense of community belonging. The Park was constructed in the historic LaVilla neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida, where it honors two of Jacksonville's most famous residents, James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson. The Johnson brothers wrote "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," often called the Black National Anthem, at their home in the LaVilla neighborhood between 1900 and 1905.Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park was designed by world-renowned MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" recipient Walter Hood. The park incorporates elements of the Johnson brothers and LaVilla's cultural and built history while making space for a more inclusive future.The vision for Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing park comes after years of planning, input meetings, and discussions with community stakeholders about how to best revitalize LaVilla, a once bustling and vibrant neighborhood alive with arts, culture, and entrepreneurship.Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park is designed to be a destination for residents and visitors to learn about Jacksonville's dynamic history and participate in programs and activities that allow everyone to feel they belong. The Park is activated regularly through partnerships with the City of Jacksonville and individual activators, with an expansive view of the opportunities for vibrant programming at the Park. Park activations are curated by a community-led Vibrant Places Collective, who help to ensure the LaVilla community's voice is reflected in the programming at the Park.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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.

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 revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 50.1%; rating input score 50
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 60%; rating input score 60; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: 49.9%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.31; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 223.4%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 33.3% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -13.4% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -21.3% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 50.1% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $94K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $554K · 6 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 12 of 12 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 50/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 0/100.