Words Beats and Life Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 270062812
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2026671192
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Performing Arts Centers
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,786,655
- Expenses
- $1,906,245
- Assets
- $279,802
- Liabilities
- $424,014
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
19 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Mazi Mutafa (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Mazi Mutafa (Executive Director): $88,462 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 Words Beats and Life is to transform individual lives and communities through Hip-Hop culture in all its forms: emceeing, deejaying, graffiti, street art, spoken word poetry, dance, beat production, and knowledge of self.
What it reported doing in 2024
Our Arts Education programming exposes students to new knowledge, techniques and methods, as well as provides opportunities to grow their knowledge and network through alternative winter and spring break activities. We also provide opportunities for young artists to practice what we teach through performances, and public art making, as well as encouraging these students to manage their own projects and events by participating in our Arts Management program. Our work in schools has been with young people in Middle School, High School and College, with participants ranging from 12-22. In community contexts, we work with people as young as 10 and with adults 23 and older. Despite popular misunderstandings about our culture, Hip-Hop is likely created, participated in, and celebrated by the most diverse set of people in terms of audiences, practitioners, supporters, and consumers. Our teachers, students, audiences, and selected master artists are diverse not just racially, ethnically, religiously, and economically but also in terms of age, gender, orientation, and ability status. Programs include the WBL Academy, Like a Boss: Arts Management Program, Walk It Like I talk It, Entrepreneurship Program. Finally we have our College and career mentorship program called College Material.
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.
- 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 19
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 81.8%; rating input score 82
- Program expense ratio: 76.7%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: $27.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th 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: 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: -6.7%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.15; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.52; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 22.2% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 81.8% of revenue deployed · 76.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $88K · 19 people listed
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 21/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.