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WORKING ARTISTS AND THE GREATER ECONOMY
Brooklyn, NY · EIN 450785519 · Form 990EZ · FY2024 · NTEE A25 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Micro (<$100K) · wageforwork.com
revenue
$74K
expenses
$81K
net assets
$-908
employees
—
program ratio
82%
mission · from form 990

The organization's mission is to bring attention to, and address, the economic inequalities that exist in the arts.

profile · synthesized from sources

Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) is a New York City-based nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by artists and curators to address economic inequities in the arts. It advocates for fair compensation for artists' labor and promotes systemic change through certification and public awareness. The organization is artist-run and focuses on ensuring artists are paid for their contributions to the cultural sector.

named programs · 2 · from sources

What they call their work

W.A.G.E. Certification
A voluntary certification program that recognizes nonprofit arts institutions in the U.S. that meet W.A.G.E.'s standards for artist compensation.
WAGENCY
A fee calculator and payment advocacy tool that helps artists determine fair compensation for their work and negotiate with institutions.
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Musician Advocacy and Labor Representation 1 activity
    • Advocacy for fair artist compensation
      Advocates for addressing economic inequalities in the arts by promoting fair compensation for artists through public awareness and policy engagement.
  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
    • Operation of W.A.G.E. Certification program
      Runs a certification program that designates arts institutions meeting fair payment standards for artists; maintains a public list of W.A.G.E. Certified institutions and manages multi-year certification cycles with varying operational periods.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$74K
Contributions & grants$50K67%
Program service revenue$25K33%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$81K
Program expenses82%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$48K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$4K
Cash$5K
Investments$0
Liabilities$425
Net assets$-908
Liquid reserves0.7 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -38.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Lise Soskolne Executive Director 40 $48K
board members · 4
  • Brian Kuan Wood — Director
  • Jasmine Amussen — Director
  • Kabir Carter — Director
  • Sara Reisman — Director
relationships · 1

Who they work with

  • UNESCO Government — Recognized by UNESCO in the November 2023 report on implementing the 1980 Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist.
strategies · 2

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Artist-Led Advocacy for Systemic Equity
    methodology: artist-led_advocacy
    By centering artist-led governance and advocacy, the organization addresses systemic inequity in the arts because empowering artists as decision-makers challenges exploitative structures and produces more just outcomes.
  • Fair Compensation as Recognition and Redistribution
    methodology: fair-compensation-as-recognition
    By ensuring fair payment for artistic labor, the organization fosters mutual respect and converts cultural value into financial equity because recognition through remuneration affirms artists' worth and rebalances power in cultural institutions.