irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $119KTHE ARTIVISM FELLOWSHIP IS A FOUR-MONTH RESIDENCY PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES FINANCIAL SUPPORT, MENTORSHIP, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION WORKSHOPS FOR A SMALL GROUP OF ARTISTS-ACTIVISTS LOOKING TO USE THEIR TOOLS TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
- #2 $76KTHE THEATER OF CHANGE (TOC) METHODOLOGY BRINGS TOGETHER THEATER ARTISTS, LAW/POLICY STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS, AND DIRECTLY IMPACTED CHANGE AGENTS WITH FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE WITH SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES THAT CALL FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE. TOC ENABLES THESE GROUPS TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER AND EXPAND THEIR CAPACITY, COMMUNITY, AND IMPACT. PARTICIPANTS ULTIMATELY COLLABORATE AS EQUAL PARTNERS TO CREATE ARTS-BASED PERFORMANCE PIECES THAT HAVE AN ACTIVISM STRATEGY TO ADVANCE CHANGE IN THESE AREAS AND POLICIES.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Artivism Fellowship
A four-month residency program providing financial support, mentorship, workshops, and community for artists-activists using their work to advance social change.
Arts in Action Festival
A multi-day festival convening over 40 arts and advocacy organizations for workshops, panels, performances, and collaboration at the intersection of art and justice.
Impact Projects
Collaborative initiatives pairing artists and advocates to address specific policy issues such as incarceration, immigration, and housing equity through narrative-driven campaigns and performances.
Stage Left Festival
An annual play festival featuring new socially engaged works paired with advocacy organizations, transforming theater into a space for dialogue, solidarity, and community action.
Theater of Change (TOC)
A methodology that brings together theater artists, law students, policy professionals, and directly impacted individuals to co-create performance pieces with activism strategies aimed at transforming systems of injustice.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
-
Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 3 activities
- Artivism Fellowship residency programRuns a multi-month fellowship (ranging from four to seven months) that provides artist-activists with financial support, mentorship, educational workshops in law and policy, and networking opportunities to develop art for systemic change. The program has operated under slightly varying durations and structures across years, including four-month and five-month iterations.
- Coalition-building and convening across sectorsBuilds and facilitates coalitions among artists, law students, policy advocates, and individuals with lived experience of incarceration or oppression through structured programs, fellowships, and impact projects aimed at advancing systemic change.
- Theater of Change programFacilitates collaborative projects between artists, law and policy students or professionals, and individuals directly impacted by incarceration or immigration systems to co-create performance pieces paired with real-world advocacy strategies. The program has included initiatives such as a course at Columbia Law School and a 2025 iteration focused on justice-driven storytelling with impacted organizations.
-
-
Documentary Film Production 2 activities
- Arts-based advocacy campaignsDesigns and leads public advocacy campaigns that use storytelling, performance, and narrative media to advance racial justice and address systemic racism and mass incarceration. Examples include the Gasping for Justice campaign amplifying witness statements from incarcerated individuals during the pandemic and a video project amplifying testimonies of migrant children detained at the U.S./Mexico border.
- Narrative and documentary media productionProduces original documentary and narrative media to highlight justice issues, including a short documentary about G.S.T.A.R.Z., an incarcerated step team at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, and The Viral Monologues, which connected high-profile artists and playwrights to amplify stories of incarcerated individuals and their families during the pandemic.
-
-
New Play Development Programs 1 activity
- Annual new play festival and public performancesProduces an annual new play festival featuring five plays that engage audiences in real-time advocacy actions, as well as public events like the “Night of Artivism” showcase, which presents work developed by fellows during the residency. Also co-hosted developmental workshops and public readings of plays addressing immigration and incarceration.
-
-
Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Arts in Action FestivalHosts an annual multi-organization arts advocacy festival convening over 40 groups for workshops, panels, performances, and collaboration opportunities. Events have included both one-day (2021) and two-day (2022) formats.
-
-
Annual Impact and Evaluation Reporting 1 activity
- Impact reporting and organizational researchPublishes annual impact reports summarizing organizational activities, community feedback, and key accomplishments, such as the 2025 impact report.
-
-
Artist Support Grants 1 activity
- Rapid Response Artivism Micro-Grant programFunds individual artivists and collectives through $1,000 micro-grants to create narrative-based artivism projects addressing systemic racism and mass incarceration, with a two-month timeline for execution. The 2026 cycle plans to select three awardees.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$549K
Contributions & grants$585K107%
Program service revenue$5K1%
Investment income$9K2%
Other revenue$-51K
expenses
Total expenses$1.12M
Program expenses74%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising11%
Salaries & benefits$493K
Grants paid out$123K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$613K
Cash$441K
Investments$0
Liabilities$112K
Net assets$500K
Liquid reserves4.7 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue -35.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROBB NANUS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (TO 5/31/24) | 40 | $112K |
| BRITTON SMITH | PRESIDENT | 7 | $18K |
board members · 9
- ADRIENNE WARREN — BOARD MEMBER
- BEN WEXLER — BOARD MEMBER
- BETSY ZEIDMAN — TREASURER
- CAROLYN THARP — VICE CHAIR
- GLORIA ZARATE — BOARD MEMBER
- KATE BERRY — SECRETARY
- NAILA MCKENZIE — BOARD MEMBER
- RICHARD GRAY — CHAIR
- ZHAILON LEVINGSTON — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 29
Who they work with
- 24 Hour Plays Partner — Partnered to produce performances based on true stories of incarcerated individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Broadway Partner — Collaborates with storytellers from Broadway as part of coalition-building efforts.
- Broadway Advocacy Coalition Network — Tony Award-winning organization that leads the coalition
- Center for Institutional and Social Change Partner — Collaborated on the Flores Exhibits project at Columbia Law School.
- Columbia Law School Partner — Collaborated on the Theater of Change course focused on mass incarceration and immigration.
- Columbia Law School Partner — Collaborator in developing the Theater of Change methodology
- Formerly Incarcerated College Graduate Network Partner — Collaborated with BAC on the 2025 Theater of Change program.
- Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network Partner — Collaborated on a public service announcement promoting person-first language for system-impacted individuals.
- Freedom Agenda Partner — Community partner for the play "#NewSlaves"
- Goddard Riverside Partner — Co-hosted a weeklong workshop and public reading of a play about the U.S. immigration system.
- Immigrants' Rights Clinic Partner — Partnered on the Flores Exhibits project to influence immigration policy through narrative advocacy.
- Joseph S. Murphy Institute Partner — Supporting partner of the Stage Left festival
- LDSJ Partner — Supporting partner of the Stage Left festival
- One Fair Wage Partner — Community partner for the play "Novios"
- Polk + Co Partner — Public relations partner handling press inquiries for Broadway Advocacy Coalition
- Project Amplify Partner — Participated in a national campaign to bring visibility to testimonies of migrant children and young adults in detention.
- Releasing Aging People in Prison Campaign Partner — Collaborated on storytelling events and performances advocating for the release of aging incarcerated people.
- Safe Summers Program Partner — Collaborated with BAC on the 2025 Theater of Change program.
- Selection Committee of Artivists Partner — Committee of artivists with backgrounds in performance, creative writing, community organizing, and campaign strategy reviews grant applications.
- SigSpace Partner — Co-hosted an event showcasing storytelling in support of the Releasing Aging People in Prison Campaign.
- The National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls Partner — Collaborated with BAC on the 2025 Theater of Change program.
- Theater Workers for a Ceasefire Partner — Community partner for the play "Walid Elsady"
- Theatre Row Partner — Venue partner for the Stage Left festival
- Undue Medical Debt Partner — Community partner for the play "Narrowsburg"
- Waterwell Partner — Co-created a video project amplifying testimonies of migrant children detained at the U.S./Mexico border.
- Workers Justice Project Partner — Community partner for the play "How to Melt Ice"
- Working Theater Partner — Co-producer of the Stage Left festival
- Zealous Partner — Co-organized the Gasping for Justice campaign amplifying witness statements from incarcerated individuals during the pandemic.
- advocacy partners Partner — Fellows collaborate directly with advocacy partners during the fellowship program.
strategies · 3
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.
- Arts-Based Advocacy for Policy and Cultural Changemethodology: arts-based advocacyBy combining artistic expression, storytelling, and performance with civic engagement, we produce systemic and policy change because art shapes cultural norms and creates emotional resonance that activates audiences and sustains advocacy momentum.
- Centering Directly Impacted Leadership in Advocacymethodology: leadership-centeringBy placing decision-making authority in the hands of individuals directly impacted by mass incarceration and systemic racism, we produce more effective and authentic advocacy because lived experience provides critical insight into solutions and increases legitimacy and trust in the movement.
- Interdisciplinary Co-Creation for Social Changemethodology: interdisciplinary-co-creationBy fostering collaboration between artists, legal professionals, advocates, and directly impacted individuals, we produce more powerful and actionable advocacy campaigns because integrating diverse expertise and lived experience strengthens both narrative impact and policy relevance.