PLATINUM2024

Spark Creative Lab Inc

Valuing Artists, Reimagining Community, Purely OKC

aka SPARK! Creative Lab   |   Oklahoma City, OK   |  http://www.sparklahoma.org

Mission

SPARK! Creative Lab is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to to rethinking public engagement with the arts, expanding the creative capacity of Oklahoma City, exploring cultural creative expression, and valuing artists & cultural workers.

Notes from the nonprofit

Thank you, Beautiful Human, for taking the time to research SPARK!

Ruling year info

2022

Executive Director

Nicole Poole

Main address

408 NW 33rd St

Oklahoma City, OK 73118 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

87-3915781

NTEE code info

Arts Service Activities/Organizations (A90)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

YIELD: WE BELONG TO THE LAND

SPARK! Creative Lab is an artist-driven organization dedicated to contributing to the common good of our community by rethinking public engagement with the arts, expanding the creative capacity of Oklahoma City, exploring multicultural creative expression, and valuing artists & cultural workers. At this moment in our lives, we see a need for brave, safe spaces to process, heal and find common ground in our shared humanity.
“YIELD/We Belong to the Land '' is an artist-initiated, 10-week public placemaking project designed to strengthen connections between a place and its people during a time of isolation, division and uncertainty. YIELD explores the overlapping spaces between the Humanities, community and creativity, and seeks to center us in the here and now by learning about the land beneath us and the human experience that has shaped our current, shared reality.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Ethnic and racial groups
LGBTQ people
Economically disadvantaged people
Artists and performers

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits 2023

Creative Change Coalition 2023

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Total number of free performances given

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total free seats filled for open rehearsals

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total number of open rehearsals

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total number of free seats filled for performances

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of free registrants to classes

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total number of classes offered

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

In addition to our free workshops with Capitol Hill High School and the OKC Phil, our public jam sessions are educational opportunities for artists and community members.

Total number of works developed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of professional artists employed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

2022 was an opportunity for us to increase the quality of our engagement and employment for artists, which necessitated decreasing the quantity of artists served.

Total number of filmmakers supported

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total number of audience members

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total dollars paid to artists

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Paying competitive wages to local artists is at the core of our organization!

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

While we are in the midst of Strategic Planning, a few top level goals are:

Expand opportunities for community engagement with the arts
Increase resources for artists
Grow Board of Directors
Develop earned income opportunities
Expand donor base

SPARK! is working towards reduced inequalities in our community by:
Prioritizing minority-owned businesses for vendor contracts;
Developing Spanish-language translations for our public-facing materials;
Hiring student ASL interpreters for public events;

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Spark Creative Lab Inc
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Spark Creative Lab Inc

Board of directors
as of 01/21/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Scott Reed

MidFirst Bank

Term: 2021 - 2024

Ty Hardiman

Alva Roofing

Frank Reid

Independent Engineer

Moira Lynch

MidFirst Bank

Laura Rice

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center

Dini Homesy

University of Central Oklahoma

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 12/20/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or other sexual orientations in the LGBTQIA+ community
Disability status
Person with a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/14/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.