Arts Orange County
EIN: 33-0668009
Mission
Arts Orange County is the leader in building appreciation of, participation in and support for the arts and arts education throughout Orange County, California.
Ruling year
1995
Principal Officer
Mr. Richard Stein
Main address
17620 Fitch Avenue, Suite 255
Irvine, CA 92614 USA
EIN
33-0668009
Arts and culture
Arts councils
Population served
Adults
Families
People of Latin American descent
Economically disadvantaged people
Unemployed people
NTEE code
Arts Council/Agency (A26)
Other Art, Culture, Humanities Organizations/Services N.E.C. (A99)
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 other documentsWhat we aim to solve
Arts Orange County operates traditional arts council programs and provides consulting and project management services to the field. As the leading advocate for the arts in Orange County, it focuses strongly upon building public will that results in increased resources for the sector. COVID-19 magnified the need and Arts Orange County pivoted to advocate vigorously on the federal, state and local level, resulting in more than $7.7 million in relief funds being made available to artists and arts organizations. Arts Orange County distributed directly more than $2.1 million of that amount through an OC Arts and Culture Resilience Fund it created in collaboration with the Orange County Community Foundation and under contract with the County of Orange.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Orange County Imagination Celebration
A month-long festival of free and low-cost arts experiences for children and families in Orange County, California, celebrating its 34th Anniversary in 2019.
Dia del Nino/Day of the Child
In 2012, through a grant from The James Irvine Foundation, Arts Orange County initiated this two day festival of arts for underserved children and families. More than 30 distinct arts experiences are offered, including performances by children, community members and professional artists, along with hands-on workshops and other creative opportunities in the visual arts, literary arts, spoken word and theatre. The festival currently attracts more than 10,000 attendees annually and is held at OC Fair & Event Center.
SparkOC.com
Orange County's comprehensive arts & cultural events resource includes hundreds of events listings at more than 600 venues and producing/presenting organizations.
Creative Edge Lecture
The Creative Edge Lecture features prominent thought-leaders on the subject of creativity in all human endeavor. Past speakers have included U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, Daniel H. Pink, Sir Ken Robinson, Randy Nelson, Tom Kelley, John Maeda, Sarah Lewis and Charles Limb. It is presented in collaboration with the Orange County Department of Education and 4th District PTA.
VOICES: Veterans Storytelling Project
Begun in 2015 through a pilot grant from the California Arts Council (CAC), this project is a collaboration between Arts Orange County and Heroes Hall Veterans Museum at OC Fair & Event Center. Veterans are recruited through visits to group homes and through communications issued by a variety of local veterans service organizations. Participants attend six weekly workshops in which they are encouraged to share their stories. These are organized & crafted into an evening of theatre in which most of the participants appear on stage to tell their stories. The program is supported in part through grants from California Arts Council, Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation, The William Gillespie Foundation and Orange County Community Foundation.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of free participants in conferences
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Work status and occupations
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of conferences held
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Work status and occupations
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of competition winners declared
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Related Program
Orange County Imagination Celebration
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Total number of free admissions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People of Latin American descent, Children and youth, Adults
Related Program
Dia del Nino/Day of the Child
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Includes virtual
Total number of free performances given
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, People of Latin American descent
Related Program
Dia del Nino/Day of the Child
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Includes virtual
Number of works exhibited temporarily
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Orange County Imagination Celebration
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of different periodicals published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Both are digital
Number of entities served by expertise
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Work status and occupations
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
Population(s) Served
People of Latin American descent
Related Program
Dia del Nino/Day of the Child
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
Arts Orange County is committed to sustaining all of its current programs and activities, however, it is pursuing a new initiative that is intended to transform the funding landscape for all of the arts throughout Orange County: "Re-Create: The Orange County Arts & Arts Education Sustainability Initiative." Its purpose is to address the entire lack of public funding for the arts in Orange County as well as to revitalize private philanthropy for the arts, which eroded considerably during COVID. The initiative will require significant investment of time and effort by ArtsOC's Board and staff, and will take place over the period of three to five years. Additionally, ArtsOC is firmly committed to achieving and promoting racial and cultural equity internally and within the overall arts community, and in 2020 established a Board task force, a racial & cultural equity statement and plan, and has implemented several objectives within the plan to date. This included the appointment of ten new Board members in 2020-21, bringing ArtsOC's Board composition in line with the diverse demographics of Orange County's general population.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Arts Orange County benefits greatly from having stability and diversity among its Board and staff, which represent a broad spectrum of interests, knowledge and skills. The "Re-Create" initiative will be the first time that all of these human resources will be mobilized together to work in a singular effort. Seed funding already obtained is enabling ArtsOC to begin its planning process, and additional grants and private philanthropy are being sought to make possible successive phases of the effort. The endeavor is being carefully and methodically pursued in order to lay the groundwork for success.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The initial phase of the "Re-Create" initiative achieved new urgency and success as a result of COVID, prompting vigorous advocacy efforts that led to significant new investments of public funding in the arts sector. It reinforced with government and the business community that ArtsOC is both the natural organization to be shepherding these efforts and regranting fund and is capable of doing so with the professionalism and accountability required. While the funds secured and administered were specific relief for COVID impacts, the groundwork has been established for there to be a continuing role for ArtsOC to serve in this capacity and a continued compelling case for the funds being made available for it to do so.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2020, the California Arts Council contracted with ArtsOC, and the County of Orange and City of Santa Ana contracted with ArtsOC's OC Arts & Culture Resilience Fund for the distribution of more than $1 million in COVID relief grants to artists, nonprofit arts organizations and arts-related businesses. In 2021, the County of Orange contracted with ArtsOC to manage and distribute an addition $1 million in COVID relief to the arts community.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Arts and culture organizations Arts leaders Community leaders Elected officials Program participants and attendees Employees Artists
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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
-
What significant change resulted from feedback?
Established a Racial & Cultural Equity Task Force on the Board of Directors
-
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 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
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2020 info
4.39
Months of cash in 2020 info
12.1
Fringe rate in 2020 info
9%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Arts Orange County
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
Arts Orange County
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
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
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of Arts Orange County’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.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $27,727 | $53,186 | -$4,194 | $11,593 | -$10,811 |
| As % of expenses | 5.0% | 11.6% | -0.9% | 2.3% | -2.0% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $27,727 | $52,748 | -$4,194 | $11,593 | -$10,811 |
| As % of expenses | 5.0% | 11.5% | -0.9% | 2.3% | -2.0% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $579,609 | $510,556 | $470,231 | $507,887 | $515,432 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 10.3% | -11.9% | -7.9% | 8.0% | 0.0% |
| Program services revenue | 15.9% | 29.0% | 19.0% | 25.6% | 28.5% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 4.8% | 5.3% | 2.9% | 5.0% |
| Investment income | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 1.0% | 0.7% |
| Government grants | 33.5% | 16.0% | 15.8% | 15.8% | 13.5% |
| All other grants and contributions | 50.2% | 50.2% | 59.8% | 54.6% | 52.9% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | -0.6% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $555,649 | $458,810 | $461,894 | $497,264 | $530,490 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 4.8% | -17.4% | 0.7% | 7.7% | 0.0% |
| Personnel | 49.2% | 38.4% | 41.1% | 39.4% | 44.6% |
| Professional fees | 9.1% | 11.6% | 9.5% | 4.8% | 0.0% |
| Occupancy | 7.2% | 10.2% | 8.3% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 34.5% | 39.8% | 41.1% | 50.5% | 50.2% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $555,649 | $459,248 | $461,894 | $497,264 | $530,490 |
| One month of savings | $46,304 | $38,234 | $38,491 | $41,439 | $44,208 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $601,953 | $497,482 | $500,385 | $538,703 | $574,698 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 4.4 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 9.0 | 12.1 |
| Months of cash and investments | 8.7 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.7 | 17.5 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 7.4 | 10.4 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 12.8 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $203,787 | $255,778 | $283,213 | $371,688 | $532,909 |
| Investments | $200,655 | $200,654 | $221,202 | $236,337 | $242,590 |
| Receivables | $159,349 | $154,645 | $132,591 | $54,750 | $204,575 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $39,152 | $39,152 | $39,152 | $0 | $39,152 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 4.3% | 3.2% | 4.4% | 4.2% | 17.9% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $343,684 | $396,432 | $392,238 | $403,831 | $567,596 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $70,655 | $70,654 | $91,202 | $106,337 | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $130,000 | $130,000 | $130,000 | $130,000 | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $200,655 | $200,654 | $221,202 | $236,337 | $242,590 |
| Total net assets | $544,339 | $597,086 | $613,440 | $640,168 | $810,186 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Principal Officer
Mr. Richard Stein
Richard Stein - A forty year veteran theatre artist and arts administrator, Rick was on the earliest committee formed to inaugurate an arts council for Orange County, in 1989. Prior to his appointment at Arts Orange County in August, 2008, Rick transformed the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach into a major resident professional theatre over the course of 17 years as its Executive Director, growing it from an annual budget of $700,000 to $7 million, and producing more than 100 plays, including two national touring productions. There he also directed many notable productions, including several premieres. Rick came to Orange County in 1987 to serve as Managing Director of the Grove Shakespeare Festival in Garden Grove following a five year stint as Director of Lincoln Theater at the University of Hartford (Connecticut). He holds degrees from Columbia and Syracuse Universities and returned to Columbia for post-graduate study on a National Endowment for the Humanities summer fellowship. Rick was sent to Korea on a cultural exchange by the International Theatre Institute-US, has served on the executive committee of the League of Resident Theatres, and has been a contributing writer to AMERICAN THEATRE magazine. He’s a past Chair of the John Wayne Airport Arts Commission, past President of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals-Orange County Chapter, and past co-Chair (twice) of National Philanthropy Day-Orange County. He is Immediate Past President of California Arts Advocates and Californians for the Arts, statewide organizations promoting the interests of the arts community. He has been a guest lecturer at University of California, Irvine, California State University, Fullerton, and California State University, Long Beach, and was a commencement keynote speaker at the Laguna College of Art and Design. He has served as a panelist or site visitor for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, California Arts Council, Western States Arts Federation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Riverside Arts Council, Fund for the Arts of Louisville, Kentucky, and the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, for which he also produced its State Arts Awards. Although his career has largely been in the theatre, Rick’s first post after finishing graduate school was as Executive Director of a local arts agency, Oswego County Council on the Arts, located in Fulton, New York.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Arts Orange County
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Arts Orange County
Board of directorsas of 02/19/2023
Board of directors data
Rick Smetanka
Partner-in-Charge, Audit & Business Advisory Services Group, Haskell & White LLP
Term: 2013 -
Rick Smetanka
Partner-in-Charge, Audit & Business Advisory Services Group, Haskell & White LLP, Irvine
Susan K. Hori
Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, Costa Mesa
John Forsyte
President, Orange County’s Pacific Symphony, Santa Ana
Robert J. Klein
First Vice President-Investments, Wells Fargo Advisors, Newport Beach
Mary Lyons
Community Volunteer
Paula Tomei
Managing Director, South Coast Repertory, Costa Mesa
Tim Shaw
Tiffany Ana Lopez
Dean, University of California, Irvine-Claire Trevor School of the Arts
Al Mijares
Orange County Superintendent of Schools
Ellen Breitman
Retired Education Curator, Newport Harbor Art Museum (now Orange County Museum of Art)
Thuy Vo Dang
Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
Sara Guerrero
Founder & Artistic Director, Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble
Jerry Mandel
President, Irvine Barclay Theatre
Ernesto Maldonado
Vice President Specialized Banking/Head of Third Party Escrow, Enterprise Bank & Trust
Mechelle Lawrence Adams
Executive Director, Mission San Juan Capistrano
Debora Wondercheck
Arts & Learning Conservatory
Tina Van Dam
Managing Attorney, Manning Gross + Massenburg, Irvine
Edmund Velasco
President, Orange County Musicians Union, Local 7, American Federation of Musicians
Jennifer Frias
Director/Curator, Nicholas & Lee Begovich Gallery, California State University, Fullerton
G. Patrick Gandy
Founder & Executive Producer, The Silence is Broken
Monica Guillena, MSW
Administrative Director, Hispanic Education Endowment Fund
Kim Le
Owner, Pacific Conservatory & Executive Director, Pacific Foundation for the Arts
Harish Murthy
Executive Director, Ektaa Center
Jacque Tahuka Nunez
Owner, Journeys to the Past
Cheer Pan
Executive Director, Pan America Chinese Dance Alliance & Director of Cultural Engagement, South Coast Chinese Cultural Center
Marlene Pena-Marin
Artistic Director, Relámpago del Cielo Grupo Folklórico & Director, Ballet Folklórico Dance Conservatory, Orange County School of the Arts
P. Alberto Sandoval
Senior Director, Community and Government Relations, University of California, Irvine
Walter Yenkosky
Chief Operating Officer, OC Music & Dance
Marleena Barber
Director, Orange County Arts and Disability & Consultant, Orange County Department of Education
Logan Crow
Executive Director, The Frida Cinema
Board leadership practices
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 ? 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
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/29/2021GuideStar 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.
GuideStar Pro Reports
Report successfully added to your cart!
Want more data?
A GuideStar Pro report containing the following information is available for this organization:
- Email contact information
- Financial trends metrics for five most recent years 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015*
- Letter of Determination
- Officer and/or Employee data for 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
- Board of Directors data for 2023
- *with the ability to download the data for 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
Download it now for $125.
Need the ability to download nonprofit data and more advanced search options?Consider a Pro Search subscription.