BraveMaker exists to elevate brave voices. Through the curation and creation of bold, meaningful films, we educate, entertain, and build community experiences that spark transformative conversations rooted in diversity, inclusion, and social impact.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
86¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 75 volunteers and 1 employee.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · 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
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $12K a year · 3% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
86%
of spending
Looks good: 86% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$132K
to officers and key staff · 27% of spending
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 27% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
3 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 3.4 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
5
named funders · $44K
Looks good: 5 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$7K
5% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 5% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
3
of 4 voting members
Looks good: 3 of 4 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$551K
+19% vs prior year
Spent
$498K
To programs
86%
Net assets
$143K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$551K
FY2025▲ +19%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$248K
FY2021$409K
FY2022$306K
FY2023$325K
FY2024$464K
FY2025$551K
Expenses
$498K
FY2025▲ +20%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$278K
FY2021$343K
FY2022$334K
FY2023$364K
FY2024$414K
FY2025$498K
Net assets
$143K
FY2025▲ +59%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$42K
FY2021$108K
FY2022$77K
FY2023$39K
FY2024$90K
FY2025$143K

From the FY2025 Form 990 · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 2018.

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

Where the money goes

86 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 86% · $427K Management & general 13% · $63K Fundraising 1% · $7K

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

4 people listed on the 990; $132K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
$132,000Pt VII · Sec A
VP / Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Anthony Gapastione’s $132K as President is at the 97th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2216 $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 · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Anthony Gapastione$132,000$132,000$132,000$132,000$132,000$137,077

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.

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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 15aNo

Programs and updates

Creates and shares brave films to spark conversations about diversity and inclusion.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $427K · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

Film Production and Fiscal Sponsorship

Through the production of original films and fiscal sponsorship of independent filmmakers, BraveMaker supports the creation of provocative, life-changing media that fosters cultural dialogue and meaningful social impact.

$263Kprogram expense
02

Film Festival, Screenings and Community Engagement

BraveMaker hosts an annual film festival alongside monthly screenings, workshops, and community events designed to bring audiences together around essential conversations and lifes most meaningful questions.

$158Kprogram expense
03

Education and Workshops

BraveMaker provides ongoing arts education through weekly screenwriting, acting, and film production workshops designed to equip emerging and working artists with practical skills and collaborative opportunities.In 2025, BraveMaker trained 42 actors and facilitated the production of three short films and two feature films, supporting…

$7Kprogram 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 · FY2024
See all 5 funders →
Grants paid · 1 grant · $8K · 2022–2022
Unitemized GrantFY2022$7,790

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$551K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$393K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$158K
Investment incomeLn 3$59
Money outPt IX
$498K
Ln 25
Programscol B$427K
Managementcol C$63K
Fundraisingcol D$7K
Owns and owesPt X
$143K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$140K
Total assetsLn 16$150K
LiabilitiesLn 26$7K
PeoplePt VI, VII
4
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a4
IndependentVI 1b3
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$393K
Government grantsLn 1e$6K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$4K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$158K
Investment incomeLn 3$59
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$551K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$140K
SavingsLn 2$0
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$140K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$10K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0
Other assetsLn 15$2
Total assetsLn 16$150K
LiabilitiesLn 26$7K
Net assetsLn 32$143K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 51
VolunteersI 675
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
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 FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$87K$140K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$5K$10K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$1K$0
Total assetsLn 16$93K$150K
LiabilitiesLn 26$4K$7K
Net assetsLn 32$90K$143K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$386$386
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$132K$99K$26K$7K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$0
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$10K$8K$2K$505
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$2K$2K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$293$293
Advertising and promotionLn 12$11K$10K$1K$100
Office expensesLn 13$10K$2K$8K
Information technologyLn 14$0
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$4K$4K
TravelLn 17$12K$12K$304
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$0
InterestLn 20$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$1K$1K$282$71
InsuranceLn 23$3K$3K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$302K$289K$13K
All other expensesLn 24e$9K$6K$3K
Total functional expensesLn 25$498K$427K$63K$7K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $551K$498K$53K$143K 990 PDF
FY2024 $464K$414K$50K$90K 990 PDF
FY2023 $325K$364K−$40K$39K 990 PDF
FY2022 $306K$334K−$28K$77K 990 PDF
FY2021 $409K$343K$67K$108K 990 PDF
FY2020 $248K$278K−$31K$42K 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 FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $550,641 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $298,363$392,857
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $165,608$157,725
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $59$59
I-11 Other revenue$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $464,030$550,641
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $196$386
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $142,099$142,099
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $272,126$355,468
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $414,421$497,953
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $49,609$52,688
Part VI · Governance 3 of 4 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body4
VI-1b Independent voting members3
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
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
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $550,641 across 11 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $175 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1e Government grants$5,800
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$387,057
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$4,074
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$392,857
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $157,550$157,550
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $59$59
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events$0
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $157,784$550,641
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $497,953 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $386$386
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $99,000 · Management $26,400 · Fundraising $6,600$132,000
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wages$0
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefits$0
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $7,574 · Management $2,020 · Fundraising $505$10,099
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal fees$0
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $1,830$1,830
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesManagement $293$293
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $9,805 · Management $1,245 · Fundraising $100$11,150
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $2,006 · Management $7,675$9,681
IX-14 Information technology$0
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $4,219$4,219
IX-17 TravelPrograms $12,076 · Management $304$12,380
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetings$0
IX-20 Interest$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $1,058 · Management $282 · Fundraising $71$1,411
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $3,419$3,419
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $289,294 · Management $12,877$302,171
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $6,168 · Management $2,746$8,914
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $427,367 · Management $63,310 · Fundraising $7,276$497,953
Part X · Balance sheet $150,145 assets, 18 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $86,632$140,163
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investments$0
X-3 Pledges and grants receivable$0
X-4 Accounts receivable$0
X-8 Inventories for sale or use$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred charges$0
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $1,411$0
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $5,317$9,980
X-12 Other securities$0
X-13 Program-related investments$0
X-14 Intangible assets$0
X-15 Other assets$2
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $93,360$150,145
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $3,659$7,357
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $3,659$7,357
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $89,701$142,788
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $89,701$142,788
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $93,360$150,145
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $142,788 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$550,641
XI-2 Total expenses$497,953
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$52,688
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$89,701
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$399
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$142,788

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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