Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network
Amplifying the arts through connection
Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network
EIN: 83-1282144
as of November 2025
as of November 14, 2025
Mission
To support and strengthen the collective power of artists, culture bearers and the creative sector to cultivate vibrant communities.
Ruling year
2018
President
Amy Gillard
Main address
414 E Eighth St Unit 201B
Traverse City, MI 49686-2670 USA
EIN
83-1282144
Arts services
Population served
Adults
Artists and performers
NTEE code
Arts Service Activities/Organizations (A90)
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 reports Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
In a sector full of isolated and siloed operators, we are creating an interconnected web of relationships to serve as a strong foundation for a healthy arts ecosytem.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Art & Culture Summit
The Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Summit is an annual gathering that connects artists, nonprofit leaders, community builders, and creatives from across the region. Designed to foster inspiration, collaboration, and professional growth, the Summit features workshops, performances, keynote sessions, and mentorship opportunities. Focused on strengthening the creative sector, the event amplifies connection, builds capacity, and celebrates the vibrant arts and culture ecosystem of Northwest Michigan.
Level Up
Professional development workshops designed for arts and culture professionals, including arts administrators and independent artists.
Caffeinated Conversations
This program is designed to go beyond the traditional networking event to facilitate real, meaningful relationships through robust topical discussion. These engaging sessions start with some social time, followed by discussions guided by curated facilitators with a unique perspective on a specific, timely topic. Engage with peers in the creative community around themed conversations that respond to the evolving needs of the arts and culture sector.
Stakeholder Engagement
The Network convenes and engages the region’s arts and cultural stakeholders with each other, the creative sector and local communities in meaningful involvement with each other and the network overall, Stakeholders including artists, performers, writers, musicians, historians, museums, galleries, theatres, performing venues, creative entrepreneurs and arts and cultural organizations. Activities will include developing a membership structure, recruiting members and prospective resource partners, offering networking and social activities, building professional relationships, identifying opportunities and serving as the regional convening entity for arts, culture and the creative sector.
Where we work
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Michigan (United States)
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Hours of expertise provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This figure includes time spent providing 1-on-1 consultations with artists and arts organizations, presenting at workshops and trainings, facilitating roundtables, panels, and Caffeinated Conversations, mentoring at the Summit, delivering custom support and strategic guidance to members, offering technical assistance (such as grant support and organizational development), and planning and executing programs that directly serve our creative community.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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?
The Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network aims to strengthen the regional arts ecosystem by building meaningful relationships, increasing access to support and resources, and amplifying the work of artists and organizations. We focus on grassroots connection, capacity-building, and cross-sector collaboration to help the creative community thrive across rural and urban areas in northwest lower Michigan.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We build grassroots relationships by meeting people where they are—listening first, offering hands-on support, and creating spaces where artists and organizations feel seen, valued, and connected. Through consistent communication, one-on-one guidance, skill-building opportunities, and peer-led conversations, we foster trust and mutual investment across the creative sector. Our programs are designed to be responsive, inclusive, and relational—intentionally small-scale at times—so that deeper connections can form. Over time, these relationships create a strong, interconnected network that strengthens the entire arts ecosystem from the ground up.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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 get the people we serve to respond to requests for 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, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, Organization is small, new and underfunded
Financials
Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2024 info
19.32
Months of cash in 2024 info
3.3
Fringe rate in 2024 info
7%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 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: Oct 01 - Sep 30
This snapshot of Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network’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 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $28,118 | $20,300 | $8,358 | $17,103 | -$4,164 |
| As % of expenses | 29.2% | 18.0% | 6.4% | 12.2% | -1.9% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $28,118 | $20,300 | $8,358 | $17,103 | -$4,164 |
| As % of expenses | 29.2% | 18.0% | 6.4% | 12.2% | -1.9% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $103,231 | $133,324 | $138,494 | $156,841 | $188,734 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 200.3% | 29.2% | 3.9% | 13.2% | 20.3% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 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 | 57.1% | 65.7% | 77.5% | 77.6% | 47.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 42.9% | 34.3% | 22.5% | 22.4% | 53.0% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $96,264 | $113,024 | $130,136 | $139,738 | $224,546 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 400.7% | 17.4% | 15.1% | 7.4% | 60.7% |
| Personnel | 0.0% | 26.5% | 23.1% | 21.5% | 36.3% |
| Professional fees | 48.8% | 20.2% | 22.0% | 21.9% | 26.1% |
| Occupancy | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 6.5% | 3.1% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 42.3% | 49.1% | 51.3% | 47.2% | 26.5% |
| All other expenses | 8.9% | 4.2% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 8.1% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $96,264 | $113,024 | $130,136 | $139,738 | $224,546 |
| One month of savings | $8,022 | $9,419 | $10,845 | $11,645 | $18,712 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $104,286 | $122,443 | $140,981 | $151,383 | $243,258 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 3.6 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 3.3 |
| Months of cash and investments | 3.6 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 3.3 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 3.9 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 6.6 | 3.9 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $28,743 | $47,418 | $53,489 | $45,322 | $62,627 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $2,875 | $4,500 | $6,787 | $32,057 | $14,585 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5.2% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $31,618 | $51,918 | $60,276 | $77,379 | $73,215 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $31,618 | $51,918 | $60,276 | $77,379 | $73,215 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
President
Amy Gillard
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network
Board of directorsas of 4/29/2025
Board of directors data
Amy Gillard
Harbor Springs Festival of the Book
Term: 2023 - 2025
Amy Gillard President
Harbor Springs Festival of the Book
Brett Sinclair INTERIM TREASURER
Chad Lindsey DIRECTOR
Cindy McSurely
Kari de Boer
Rebecca Childs
Traverse Symphony Orchestra
Tyler Palsrok
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
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
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- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2024, 2023, 2022
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