AMERICAN BLUES THEATER
We Do Our Part
AMERICAN BLUES THEATER
EIN: 80-0448191
as of September 2024
as of September 09, 2024
Mission
American Blues Theater is an Ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic American stories that ask the question: "What does it mean to be American?"
Ruling year
2009
Exec. Artistic Director
Gwendolyn Whiteside
Main address
5627 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659 USA
EIN
80-0448191
Theater
Education services
Community service
Population served
Adults
Children and youth
NTEE code
Theater (A65)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Theatrical programs
American Blues serves over 30,000 patrons annually through productions and additional programmatic activities. American Blues produces classic American plays and musicals as well as presenting contemporary work. The theater is dedicated to new work development, exemplified through the nationally recognized Blue Ink Award, the annual "The Ripped Festival", and commissions, workshops, and staged-readings. The commitment to arts education is paramount as the theater's free, innovative arts education program serves nearly 4,000 Chicago Public School students annually.
Where we work
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
American Blues Theater has four major goals:
1) to provide exceptional mainstage productions to Chicago audiences using the American Blues Theater Ensemble theater-making practice
2) to partner community service with each mainstage production
3) to provide quality arts education to Chicago Public Schools and other surrounding communities.
4) to operate fiscally responsible and never run a deficit.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
American Blues Theater adopted a three-year strategic plan to ensure our goals are met. Administration and the Board of Directors review monthly through targeted committees and bi-monthly at the Board of Directors' meetings. The strategic plan divides the art and business and provides both qualitative and quantitative metrics.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
American Blues Theater is carefully managed and never run a deficit. The administration is growing so quickly that we'll add a Managing Director in FY17. The additional full-time senior staff employee will join the Producing Artistic Director and General Manager.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Currently, American Blues Theater is an itinerant theater. Blues wishes to find a long-term venue to produce their work.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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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
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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, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2023 info
9.81
Months of cash in 2023 info
21.8
Fringe rate in 2023 info
9%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
AMERICAN BLUES THEATER
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
This snapshot of AMERICAN BLUES THEATER’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $337,694 | $97,417 | $696,266 | $3,131,457 | -$18,727 |
| As % of expenses | 26.7% | 10.9% | 105.2% | 349.0% | -2.1% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $328,194 | $88,231 | $687,080 | $3,122,456 | -$26,628 |
| As % of expenses | 25.8% | 9.7% | 102.4% | 344.6% | -3.0% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $1,306,979 | $889,036 | $1,081,341 | $2,614,006 | $3,269,869 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -66.0% | -32.0% | 21.6% | 141.7% | 25.1% |
| Program services revenue | 35.8% | 32.2% | 8.6% | 4.8% | 4.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 8.9% | 11.3% | 2.1% | 6.4% | 3.5% |
| Government grants | 2.6% | 3.1% | 30.1% | 8.3% | 2.8% |
| All other grants and contributions | 51.6% | 46.6% | 55.5% | 77.2% | 89.9% |
| Other revenue | 1.1% | 6.8% | 3.7% | 3.2% | -0.2% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $1,262,941 | $897,001 | $661,786 | $897,175 | $886,260 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 18.1% | -29.0% | -26.2% | 35.6% | -1.2% |
| Personnel | 27.2% | 36.1% | 46.9% | 38.8% | 38.7% |
| Professional fees | 37.5% | 31.0% | 22.2% | 34.3% | 32.4% |
| Occupancy | 12.1% | 15.7% | 7.2% | 10.6% | 11.3% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 1.7% |
| Pass-through | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10.1% | 0.6% | 1.0% |
| All other expenses | 22.9% | 16.5% | 13.6% | 15.1% | 14.9% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $1,272,441 | $906,187 | $670,972 | $906,176 | $894,161 |
| One month of savings | $105,245 | $74,750 | $55,149 | $74,765 | $73,855 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $62,645 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,944,990 | $405,151 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $1,377,686 | $980,937 | $788,766 | $2,925,931 | $1,373,167 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 7.2 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 21.8 |
| Months of cash and investments | 33.8 | 47.8 | 83.9 | 56.5 | 75.3 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 8.4 | 13.1 | 30.3 | 45.0 | 40.0 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $757,200 | $597,642 | $379,959 | $522,498 | $1,611,416 |
| Investments | $2,803,912 | $2,974,488 | $4,249,199 | $3,702,653 | $3,950,015 |
| Receivables | $0 | $5,700 | $120,991 | $92,981 | $1,087,605 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $69,500 | $70,689 | $74,274 | $2,019,265 | $2,424,416 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 48.0% | 60.2% | 69.6% | 3.0% | 2.8% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.0% | 1.9% | 0.1% | 8.7% | 6.3% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $917,697 | $1,005,928 | $1,693,008 | $4,815,464 | $4,788,836 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $2,695,006 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $2,695,006 | $2,589,655 | $3,122,456 | $965,360 | $3,677,255 |
| Total net assets | $3,612,703 | $3,595,583 | $4,815,464 | $5,780,824 | $8,466,091 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Exec. Artistic Director
Gwendolyn Whiteside
Gwendolyn Whiteside is a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater and has served as Exec. Artistic Director since 2010. Under her leadership, she created the nationally-recognized annual Blue Ink Award, implemented community service into the company's vision, and adapted the arts education program for Chicago Public Schools which serves over 4,000 students annually. She led American Blues through its reorganization in 2009, building the operational budget from zero to $1 million. She secured the company's first-ever operating reserve and endowment. Whiteside served numerous panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and sat on the national Board of Directors for Network of Ensemble Theaters and League of Chicago Theatres. She's a graduate of Northwestern University (BS), The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MFA), and a Kellogg Executive Scholar in Nonprofit management (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University).
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
AMERICAN BLUES THEATER
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
AMERICAN BLUES THEATER
Board of directorsas of 01/23/2024
Board of directors data
Keith Karlson
Keith Karlson
Gwendolyn Whiteside
Kimberlee Herold
Manny Buckley
Editha Rosario
David Coffin
Rama Ranganathan
Michael Levinson
Chris Motogawa
Jeremy Zednick
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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 ? Yes -
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? Yes
Organizational demographics
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
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/23/2023GuideStar 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
- 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.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- 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 measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- 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.
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- Letter of Determination
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
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