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Humanities Iowa FY2020 filing

Tax-deductible

Ames, IA501(c)(3)Arts & Culture EIN 23-7374180Revenue $759K in FY2020

On file with the IRShumanitiesiowa.orgPo Box 881, 50010-0881 · Ames, IATax-exempt since Jun 1976Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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The mission of Humanities Iowa is to promote understanding and appreciation of the people, communities, culture, and stories of importance to Iowa and the nation. Humanities Iowa (hi) is committed to bringing the Humanities to the public through grant making, publications, interactive programming and events. Founded in 1971, hi is an affiliate of the national endowment for the Humanities (neh) in washington, d.c. We provide grants and partnerships to other non-profit organizations that further the Humanities in the state, and we conduct our own programs that support the Humanities across Iowa. Each year we serve over 250,000 iowans with programming and projects like our speakers bureau. We have a strong commitment to sharing and supporting the Humanities with all iowans, and to bringing the Humanities to life.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
84¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$129K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

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FY2020 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
1 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $246K a year · 105% of revenue · last 5 filings
Concern: a surplus in 1 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
84%
of spending
Looks good: 84% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$129K
to officers and key staff · 18% of spending
Fine: pay to officers and key staff is 18% of spending; 15% to 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
8 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $1.0M in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Looks good: 7.9 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $231K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$238K
13% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 13% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
11
of 11 voting members
Looks good: 11 of 11 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$759K
Spent
$702K
To programs
84%
Net assets
$1.5M
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$759K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$759K
FY2021$78K
FY2022$123K
FY2023$99K
FY2024$115K
Expenses
$702K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$702K
FY2021$525K
FY2022$378K
FY2023$442K
FY2024$357K
Net assets
$1.5M
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.5M
FY2021$1.4M
FY2022$880K
FY2023$624K
FY2024$428K

From the FY2020 Form 990 (year ending October 2020) · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jun 1976.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

84 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 84% · $592K Management & general 14% · $100K Fundraising 2% · $11K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

12 people listed on the 990; $129K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2019); the FY2020 filing did not itemize Part VII
$128,560Pt VII · Sec A
Linda Shenk
Vice-Preside
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Steve Siegel
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Kurt Meyer
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Heather Plucar’s $106K as Executive Di is at the 90th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2215 $100K–1M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Dr Christopher Rossi———$64,280$128,560
Heather Plucar$105,824$103,893$82,324——

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See Humanities Iowa executive salaries →

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Promotes understanding and appreciation of Iowa's culture and stories through grants and public programs.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $592K · in their own filed words · FY2019
01

Humanities iowa sponsored over 100 public history programs across the state in 2020, most conducted vitually - programs that showcased iowa's wealth of home grown knowledge and talent to over 624,000 people. Humanities iowa remains committed to making extraordinary programming available to all iowans.

$592Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Federation of State Humanities CouncilsFY2025$231K
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$231K
Grants paid · 46 grants · $589K · 2019–2023
Individual RecipientFY2023$15,000
Iowa Poetry AssociationIA · FY2023$10,000
Sioux City Art CenterFY2023$10,000
Iowa Museum AssociationIA · FY2022$20,000
Iowa Writers HouseFY2022$20,000
Ankeny Community NetworkFY2022$10,000
Mainframe StudiosIA · FY2022$10,000
Des Moines Metro Opera INCIA · FY2022$10,000
Seed Savers ExchangeFY2022$9,500
Linn County Historical SocietyIA · FY2022$7,500
Iowa State UniversityIA · FY2022$7,500
Hawkeye Community CollegeFY2021$39,400
Tolerance Week INCSD · FY2021$15,000
Des Moines Metro Opera INCIA · FY2021$12,500
German American Heritage CenterIA · FY2021$10,000
Figge Art MuseumIA · FY2021$10,000
Dubuque Arts CouncilIA · FY2021$10,000
Siouxland Institute of Film INCIA · FY2021$9,750
See all 46 grants →

By the numbers

The FY2020 990, line by line.

Download 990
from philanthropy.org
1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$759K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$734K
Investment incomeLn 3$22K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$4K
Money outPt IX
$702K
Ln 25
Programscol B$592K
Managementcol C$100K
Fundraisingcol D$11K
Owns and owesPt X
$1.5M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$463K
Total assetsLn 16$1.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$238K
PeoplePt VI, VII
12
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a11
IndependentVI 1b11
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$734K
Government grantsLn 1e$724K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$4K
Investment incomeLn 3$22K
Total revenueLn 12$759K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$457K
SavingsLn 2$6K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$463K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$1.0M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$3K
Other assetsLn 15$250K
Total assetsLn 16$1.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$238K
Net assetsLn 32$1.5M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 53
VolunteersI 620
Fiscal year endsHeaderOctober
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY20End FY20
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$110K$463K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$999K$1.0M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$11K$3K
Total assetsLn 16$1.6M$1.8M
LiabilitiesLn 26$119K$238K
Net assetsLn 32$1.5M$1.5M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$294K$294K
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$17K$17K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$129K$94K$31K$4K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$119K$87K$29K$4K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$23K$17K$6K$694
Other employee benefitsLn 9$13K$9K$3K$390
Payroll taxesLn 10$20K$14K$5K$587
Accounting feesLn 11c$15K$11K$4K$448
Office expensesLn 13$24K$17K$6K$715
TravelLn 17$5K$4K$1K$151
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$7K$7K
InsuranceLn 23$8K$6K$2K$235
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$28K$21K$7K$35
Total functional expensesLn 25$702K$592K$100K$11K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest $115K$357K−$242K$428K 990 PDF
FY2023 $99K$442K−$343K$624K 990 PDF
FY2022 $123K$378K−$255K$880K 990 PDF
FY2021 $78K$525K−$447K$1.4M 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $759K$702K$57K$1.5M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $759,087 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $807,119$733,761
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $7,180$3,700
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $20,550$21,626
I-11 Other revenue$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $834,849$759,087
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $302,319$311,553
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $328,177$303,492
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $145,658$87,064
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $776,154$702,109
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $58,695$56,978
Part VI · Governance 11 of 11 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body11
VI-1b Independent voting members11
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $759,087 across 6 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$724,092
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$9,669
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$733,761
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $3,700$3,700
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $21,626$21,626
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $25,326$759,087
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $702,109 across 13 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $294,140$294,140
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $17,413$17,413
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $93,849 · Management $30,854 · Fundraising $3,857$128,560
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $87,068 · Management $28,625 · Fundraising $3,578$119,271
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $16,884 · Management $5,551 · Fundraising $694$23,129
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $9,475 · Management $3,115 · Fundraising $390$12,980
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $14,273 · Management $4,692 · Fundraising $587$19,552
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $10,908 · Management $3,586 · Fundraising $448$14,942
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $17,438 · Management $5,734 · Fundraising $715$23,887
IX-17 TravelPrograms $3,684 · Management $1,211 · Fundraising $151$5,046
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationManagement $7,427$7,427
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $5,733 · Management $1,885 · Fundraising $235$7,853
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $20,991 · Management $6,883 · Fundraising $35$27,909
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $591,856 · Management $99,563 · Fundraising $10,690$702,109
Part X · Balance sheet $1,784,495 assets, 15 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $80,847$457,223
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $29,267$6,204
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $190,562$2,718
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $35,892$32,700
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $10,506$3,080
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $998,773$1,032,570
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $250,000$250,000
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $1,595,847$1,784,495
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $10,522$455
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $108,042$237,066
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $118,564$237,521
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,225,378$1,296,974
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $251,905$250,000
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $1,477,283$1,546,974
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $1,595,847$1,784,495
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,546,974 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$759,087
XI-2 Total expenses$702,109
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$56,978
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$1,477,283
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$17,634
XI-7 Investment expenses−$4,921
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$1,546,974

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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