THE ARTS CONNECTION INC
Linking Learning and the Arts
THE ARTS CONNECTION INC
EIN: 13-2953240
as of September 2023
as of September 18, 2023
Mission
To address the educational challenges of the 21st-century, ArtsConnection’s research-based arts programs create socially just learning environments. Our programs support literacy, communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. ArtsConnection’s partnerships include and strengthen the diverse voices of NYC’s children and youth, cultivating their arts and academic skills for success in a changing world.
Ruling year
1980
Executive Director
Ms. Rachel Watts
Main address
45 West 34th Street Suite 1210
New York, NY 10001 USA
EIN
13-2953240
Arts education
Elementary education
Secondary education
Out-of-school learning
Population served
Children and youth
Ethnic and racial groups
Low-income people
Students
NTEE code
Arts Education/Schools (A25)
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?
arts education
ArtsConnection is one of the largest and most comprehensive arts education organizations in the country, offering and valuing a multiplicity of art forms through culturally sustaining curricula led by professional artists trained in arts education pedagogy. Our student programs provided during the in-school and out-of-school-time (OST) hours, family engagement initiatives, artist and teacher professional development, and research into the efficacy of our work all contribute to a comprehensive approach, nationally recognized for its quality, design, and impact across diverse learning communities. Organizational achievements include 13 major, multi-year research grants received since 2001 from the U.S. Department of Education, recognition unprecedented in the field of arts education.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
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 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 the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
0.80
Months of cash in 2022 info
0.8
Fringe rate in 2022 info
19%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
THE ARTS CONNECTION INC
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Sep 01 - Aug 31
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: Sep 01 - Aug 31
This snapshot of THE ARTS CONNECTION INC’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 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $239,427 | -$224,990 | $240,505 | $787,941 | $185,832 |
| As % of expenses | 4.4% | -4.3% | 5.4% | 19.5% | 4.0% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $205,545 | -$230,012 | $228,505 | $771,386 | $164,026 |
| As % of expenses | 3.7% | -4.4% | 5.1% | 19.1% | 3.5% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $5,196,905 | $6,811,718 | $4,826,526 | $5,165,768 | $4,436,089 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 22.0% | 31.1% | -29.1% | 7.0% | -14.1% |
| Program services revenue | 31.2% | 26.1% | 20.5% | 23.0% | 29.7% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 25.4% | 46.7% | 37.4% | 39.1% | 41.9% |
| All other grants and contributions | 43.4% | 27.2% | 42.1% | 37.9% | 27.4% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $5,449,988 | $5,263,848 | $4,436,401 | $4,032,702 | $4,663,639 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 10.6% | -3.4% | -15.7% | -9.1% | 15.6% |
| Personnel | 70.9% | 72.5% | 77.3% | 71.6% | 74.0% |
| Professional fees | 11.1% | 9.1% | 8.3% | 13.5% | 11.5% |
| Occupancy | 5.3% | 5.9% | 5.8% | 4.1% | 6.6% |
| Interest | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Pass-through | 1.0% | 1.9% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| All other expenses | 11.3% | 10.3% | 7.5% | 9.7% | 6.8% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $5,483,870 | $5,268,870 | $4,448,401 | $4,049,257 | $4,685,445 |
| One month of savings | $454,166 | $438,654 | $369,700 | $336,059 | $388,637 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $300,000 | $34,320 | $570,127 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $20,871 | $15,000 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $5,938,036 | $5,728,395 | $5,133,101 | $4,419,636 | $5,644,209 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| Months of cash and investments | 1.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 0.2 | -0.4 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $505,172 | $238,646 | $364,555 | $570,557 | $327,777 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $1,429,658 | $2,782,008 | $1,286,464 | $2,103,746 | $1,448,758 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $210,148 | $231,017 | $246,017 | $265,635 | $310,223 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 98.5% | 91.8% | 91.0% | 90.4% | 84.4% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 31.3% | 24.5% | 47.0% | 44.5% | 41.2% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $73,451 | -$159,954 | $70,530 | $201,167 | $342,963 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $1,303,416 | $2,515,894 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $105,250 | $105,250 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $1,408,666 | $2,621,144 | $960,317 | $1,460,127 | $899,028 |
| Total net assets | $1,482,117 | $2,461,190 | $1,030,847 | $1,661,294 | $1,241,991 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Ms. Rachel Watts
Executive Director Rachel Watts is a multidisciplinary arts educator who has focused on creating and advocating for meaningful and equitable programming for young people during her 20 years in the Arts Education and Youth Development fields. She assumes the new leadership position after serving ArtsConnection as Director of Teen Programs and DEI Initiatives. She has held multiple leadership positions in the field, including Director of Education at Ballet Hispanico, Director of The MYC Youth Center in San Rafael California, where she created a state- of-the-art facility focused on developing teen leadership skills through the arts and technology. She has taught undergraduate students in the Art Education Program at City College in Harlem and serves on the board of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable where she Co-Chairs the Advocacy Committee. She is currently a doctoral student in the CUNY Graduate Center Urban Education program.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
THE ARTS CONNECTION INC
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
THE ARTS CONNECTION INC
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
THE ARTS CONNECTION INC
Board of directorsas of 05/10/2023
Board of directors data
Ms. Debra Peltz
Compass Realty
Term: 2007 -
Mr. Robert Pruzan
Centerview Partners
Term: 1996 -
Patricia M Carey
Debra Harounian Peltz
Robert A Pruzan
Lynne S Katzmann
Lisa Plepler
Linda LeRoy Janklow
Theodore S Berger
Robert W Downes
Ada Ciniglio
David Monn
Emily Ford
Douglas Schoen
Jawad Haider
Josephine Magliocco
Nduka Nwankwo
Iris Lior Posternack
Tibisay Salerno
Amy Sung
Louise Hartwell White
Laurie Cumbo, Ex-Officio
NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
Caroline Kim
InSung Cho
Marcella Gift
Erica Sutton Friedman
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
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/20/2021GuideStar 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.
Contractors
Fiscal year endingProfessional fundraisers
Fiscal year endingSOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G
Solicitation activities
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