Humanities Iowa FY2021 filing

Tax-deductible

Ames, IA501(c)(3)Arts & CultureEIN 23-7374180

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.
78¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$64K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
Is it a real charity?
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
Are gifts tax-deductible?
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Is it filing on time?
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 years looks good.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Is it financially stable?
1 of 5
years in the black
Concern: 4 of the last 5 filings show a deficit.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
How much reaches the programs?
78%
of spending
Looks good: 78% of spending went to programs; 75% or more looks good.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
What are leaders paid?
$64K
to officers and key staff · 12% of spending
Looks good: leaders' pay is 12% of spending; 15% or less looks good.
Pt VII · Sec A
Do they have reserves?
2 mo
of spending, in cash
Worth a look: 1.5 months of spending in cash; under 3 is worth a look.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Who is supporting them already?
1
named funder · $231K
Worth a look: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3 is worth a look.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Do they carry debt?
$192K
liabilities
Looks good: debts are 12% of assets; 50% or less looks good.
Pt X · Ln 26
Who oversees it?
11
independent of 11 voting board members
Looks good: 11 of 11 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodWorth a lookConcernTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$78K
-90% vs prior year
Spent
$525K
To programs
78%
Net assets
$1.4M
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$78K
FY2021▼ -90%
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$759K
FY2021$78K
FY2022$123K
FY2023$99K
FY2024$115K
Expenses
$525K
FY2021▼ -25%
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$702K
FY2021$525K
FY2022$378K
FY2023$442K
FY2024$357K
Net assets
$1.4M
FY2021▼ -12%
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.5M
FY2021$1.4M
FY2022$880K
FY2023$624K
FY2024$428K

From the FY2021 Form 990 (year ending October 2021) · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Status and standing

Is it real, and can you give to it?

Tax-deductible?
Yes
Per the IRS master file.
Can I give now?
No revocation on IRS record
Not on the IRS revocation list.
Filing up to date?
Last filed FY2024 — 3 yrs ago
Legal name (IRS)Hdr · item CHumanities Iowa
EINHdr · item D23-7374180
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
Ruling yearIRS BMFJun 1976
Latest filingForm 990FY2024 · Form 990
Principal addressHdr · item CAmes, IA
NTEE classificationIRS BMFArts & Culture (A70Z)
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.humanitiesiowa.org

Where the money goes

What each dollar paid for.

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.78 Management & general $0.20 Fundraising $0.02
Program services78%$407K
Management & general20%$106K
Fundraising2%$12K
Total functional expensesLn 25$525K

Financial health

Is it on solid ground?

Program efficiency
78%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
29.6mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
-576%
revenue over expenses, this year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2021 · Form 990
Total assets
$1.6M
FY2021▼ -13%
Total assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.8M
FY2021$1.6M
FY2022$975K
FY2023$671K
FY2024$438K
Total liabilities
$192K
FY2021▼ -19%
Total liabilities by fiscal year
FY2020$238K
FY2021$192K
FY2022$95K
FY2023$46K
FY2024$11K
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19−$447K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$1.6M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B78%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 311
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 411

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$65K
Total assetsLn 16$1.6M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$192K
Total net assetsLn 32$1.4M
Months of cash on handcomputed1.5

Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Investment income$40K · 51%
Contributions & grants$29K · 37%
Other revenue$7K · 9%
Program service revenue$2K · 2%
Investment income51%$40K
Contributions & grants37%$29K
Other revenue9%$7K
Program service revenue2%$2K
— government grantsLn 1e$12K
Total revenueLn 12$78K

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2021 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $1.3M · Operating expenses/yr $525K
29.6 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $407K · Total expenses $525K
78%
Management & General
Management & general $106K · Total expenses $525K
20%
Fundraising
Fundraising $12K · Total expenses $525K
2%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (2-yr avg) $11K · Solicited contributions (2-yr avg) $13K
$0.85 to raise $1 (2-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $29K · Total revenue $78K
37%
Government reliance
Government grants $12K · Total revenue $78K
15%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $2K · Total revenue $78K
2%
Investment reliance
Investment income $40K · Total revenue $78K
+51%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $2K · Total expenses $525K
0.4%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $78K · Prior year $759K
-90%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $1.4M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $78K · Expenses $525K
-576%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $1.6M
—
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $1.4M · Total assets $1.6M
88%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $1.2M · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $1.6M
79%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Dr Christopher Rossi · Reported title EXECUTIVE DI · Highest reported compensation $64K · Total expenses $525K
12%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $318K · Total expenses $525K
61%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 78%——
Overhead ratio 20%——
Fundraising cost ratio 42%——
Revenue growth -90%——
Legal fee ratio 1%——
Accounting fee ratio 2%——

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Leadership and pay

Who runs it, and what are they paid?

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2020); the FY2021 filing did not itemize Part VII
$64,280Pt VII · Sec A
Vice-Preside
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$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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Governance & Policies

Part VI
  • 11Voting board membersPt VI · Ln 1a
  • 11Independent board membersPt VI · Ln 1b
  • Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
  • Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
  • Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
  • Top official’s pay independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
  • Family or business ties among leadersPt VI · Ln 2No

Mission and programs

What it does.

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

Provided by the organization

This section is blank until Humanities Iowa claims this page.

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Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

1 program service account for $40K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2020.
01

Humanities iowa sponsored over 100 public history programs across the state in 2020 - programs that showcased iowa's wealth of home grown knowledge and talent to thousands of iowans and beyond. Humanities iowa remains committed to making extraordinary programming available to all iowans.

$40Kprogram expense

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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
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$231K
Grants paid · 46 grants · $589K · 2019–2023
Siouxland Public MediaFY2023$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
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
Figge Art MuseumIA · FY2021$10,000
Dubuque Arts CouncilIA · FY2021$10,000
See all 46 grants →

Filing history

Every return on file.

YearRevenueExpensesChangeFiling
FY2024 Latest $115K$357K+16% 990 PDF
FY2023 $99K$442K-20% 990 PDF
FY2022 $123K$378K+58% 990 PDF
FY2021 Viewing $78K$525K-90% 990 PDF
FY2020 $759K$702K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash

Not shown yet: ratings, outcomes, and peer benchmarks. A Form 990 doesn’t report them.

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2021IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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