CIRCA Pintig
the power of the arts to reflect the immigrants' experience
CIRCA Pintig
EIN: 31-1815061
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
CIRCA (Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts) aims to solve: -Underrepresentation of immigrant and Asian American stories in the arts -Lack of community education on immigrant and Asian American issues and cultures -Need for advocacy on behalf of immigrant and Asian American communities -Preservation of diverse cultural heritages -Limited opportunities for immigrant and Asian American artists -Social issues affecting immigrant and Asian American communities For over 33 years, CIRCA has been addressing these challenges through community theater, educational programs, and outreach initiatives. We work to increase visibility, foster understanding, and promote social change within and beyond immigrant and Asian American communities.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Game of Trolls: Revisted. A musical about Martial Law
A play that was originally staged by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) and is now adapted into the Filipino American context. It tells the story of Heck, a troll whose lack of attachment to any belief makes him the perfect keyboard warrior for Bimbam, the manager of a call center that runs an online pro-martial law campaign. Heck uses his trolling skills to unleash callous words against anyone who critiques the horrors of martial law. Ghosts of Martial law victims haunt him from the internet cloud as the fear of their stories being erased from history lurks in the chaotic world of digital media. The encounters force him to reflect on his own beliefs and his relationship with his mother, a former Martial Law activist.
Game of Trolls: Revisited
Nov 30, Dec 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 | Fridays @8pm, Saturdays @3pm & 8pm, Sundays 3PM
Klausner Auditorium (in Nazareth Family Center), 1127 N. Oakley, Chicago, IL
Monthly Beats
Circa Pintig's Monthly Beats is a dynamic, year-round initiative that keeps our organization at the heart of community life. This innovative program transforms each month into a unique "beat" – a rhythm of diverse events, workshops, and activities that pulse with creativity and community spirit. By offering a consistent yet varied calendar, Monthly Beats ensures we remain an active, vibrant presence, creating ongoing opportunities for engagement, learning, and artistic expression in our community.
Wellness through Asian American Narratives and Theater (WAANT)
Wellness through Asian American Narratives and Theater (WAANT), a groundbreaking collaborative initiative aimed at addressing mental health and disability awareness within Asian American communities. Our program seeks to create a safe, supportive space for individuals to share their stories, experiences, and perspectives. Our goal is to harness the power of narratives and theater to spark meaningful conversations, break down stigmas, and encourage understanding and empathy. The program enagged 20 storytellers, along with 12 Community Artists Interviews, and engaaged with 4 teaching aartists to facilitate theatre workshops with the college course DHD 420. Multiple partnerships were creaated, expansion of volunteer program, and full house attendance during the culminating production in April 2023.
Daryo's All American Diner Production
Written by Conrad A. Panganiban, Daryo’s All-American Diner is about the resilience seen through the lens of a Filipino family who struggles to keep a business open at the height of the pandemic. The play sets the tone for how a traumatic act of violence can lead to an act of grace as family and friends come together during a time of crisis. Winner of Broadway World's BEST PLAY 2023. Produced in partnership with the Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE), the play is double-billed with CDE’s production of The Wasteland went on stage in 2023 on May 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20, Friday-Saturday, 8pm at The Auditorium of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster in Chicago.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
League of Chicago Theatres 2024
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of new grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
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?
CIRCA, the Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts, also known as CIRCA Pinitg, has been dedicated to serving immigrant communities, particularly Filipino-Americans, for 33 years. Our organizational goals encompass a range of initiatives aimed at empowering and celebrating immigrant experiences through the arts. We strive to promote Filipino-American and immigrant arts, providing platforms like our Fil-Am theatre festival to increase visibility and opportunities for artists. CIRCA is committed to fostering community engagement, preserving cultural heritage, and offering valuable resources to support immigrant integration. Through our programs, we aim to educate the broader community about immigrant experiences, advocate for immigrant rights, and nurture emerging artists from diverse backgrounds. By blending arts with community service, CIRCA works tirelessly to create an inclusive environment that celebrates cultural diversity, promotes understanding, and supports the vibrant tapestry of immigrant communities in our area.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
CIRCA-Pintig (Center for Immigrant Resources and Community Arts-Pintig) can implement a multi-faceted strategy to realize its mission of supporting immigrant communities through arts and resources. By forging collaborative partnerships with other nonprofits and community organizations, CIRCA-Pintig can expand its reach and impact. Diversifying funding streams, including seeking support from arts-focused foundations, will help ensure financial sustainability. Developing community-based pilot programs can address specific immigrant needs while demonstrating impact to potential funders. Investing in capacity building and implementing robust impact measurement systems will strengthen the organization's effectiveness and appeal to stakeholders. Targeted outreach using multilingual materials and culturally sensitive programming will enhance CIRCA-Pintig's engagement with diverse immigrant communities. Integrating arts education, civic engagement, and advocacy components into programs can foster cultural exchange and community involvement. Adopting flexible programming approaches and leveraging technology will allow CIRCA-Pintig to reach wider audiences across various settings. Supporting emerging immigrant artists through mentorship programs or residencies will cultivate new talent and perspectives. Finally, exploring cross-sector collaborations with fields like healthcare, education, or economic development can create more holistic support systems for immigrant communities. By strategically implementing these approaches, CIRCA-Pintig can enhance its ability to empower and celebrate immigrant experiences through the arts while providing valuable resources and advocacy.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
CIRCA-Pintig has significantly enhanced its organizational capabilities in recent years, positioning itself well to implement these strategic initiatives. The organization has demonstrated remarkable financial growth over the past five years, nearly quintupling its annual revenue. This substantial increase in funding provides a more robust foundation for program expansion and sustainability. The financial progress has been accompanied by an increase in paid staff, allowing for greater operational capacity and expertise. CIRCA-Pintig has also strengthened its community presence by building more partnerships, which enhances its ability to reach and serve diverse immigrant populations. The expansion of work in schools represents a critical avenue for arts education and cultural engagement with younger generations. By continuing to support community artists, CIRCA-Pintig maintains its connection to the grassroots artistic community while simultaneously increasing the frequency and regularity of its programming. These developments collectively indicate that CIRCA-Pintig has not only grown in size and resources but has also strategically positioned itself to have a broader and more consistent impact in line with its mission of supporting immigrant communities through arts and resources.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Building on its impressive growth and achievements, CIRCA-Pintig is poised for an exciting next phase of development. While maintaining its core programming, community engagement initiatives, and unwavering support for community artists, the organization is setting its sights on even greater impact. A key priority is establishing a permanent home for CIRCA-Pintig, which will serve as a hub for continued artistic expression, cultural preservation, and community support. This physical space will anchor the organization's efforts and provide a stable foundation for expanding its reach. Simultaneously, CIRCA-Pintig aims to significantly boost its grant funding by targeting larger, more substantial grants. This financial strategy will be bolstered by fostering deeper collaborations and solidarity work with sister organizations that share aligned missions. By joining forces with like-minded groups, CIRCA-Pintig can amplify its voice, extend its influence, and create more comprehensive support systems for immigrant communities. These strategic moves - maintaining current successes, securing a permanent space, increasing funding, and strengthening partnerships - position CIRCA-Pintig to elevate its role as a vital cultural and community resource, ensuring sustained and growing impact in the years to come.
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?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Financial data
CIRCA Pintig
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 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.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Ginger Leopoldo
Founding member and Artistic Director for CIRCA Pintig, The Center for Immigrant Resources (CIRCA) was founded in 2001 by Pintig members in need of a safe space where youth and children can explore their creativity and cultural heritage. Through theater workshops and performances, CIRCA together with Pintig artists provided opportunities of self-expression and art skills building for youth and children giving them a space to connect with their heritage and know its critical position within the diverse cultural landscape of the communities they come from.
Now celebrating its 33rd anniversary season, we are theatre-makers that continue to be a honing ground for artist-teachers, ONWARD!
CIRCA Pintig
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
CIRCA Pintig
Board of directorsas of 08/29/2024
Board of directors data
Gemma Esmalla
AMITA Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center Chicago
Term: 2018 -
Divine Calo
Countryside Bank
Term: 2018 -
Anna Guevarra, PhD
University of Illinois at Chicago
Connie C. Triggiano
Rey Belen
Ashley Dequilla
Foline Roos
Narni Yoder
Gemma Esmalla
Divine Calo
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
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/29/2024GuideStar 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 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.