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FIRST STAGE MILWAUKEE

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Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

FIRST STAGE MILWAUKEE

EIN 39-1634828 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A65Z)

What they do

FIRST STAGE MILWAUKEE, INC. DOES BUSINESS AS FIRST STAGE. OUR MISSION is to ENRICH THE LIVES of CHILDREN and FAMILIES BY CREATING EXCEPTIONAL THEATER EXPERIENCES THROUGH OUR THREE MAIN ACTIVITIES:1) OUR PROFESSIONAL THEATER PRODUCTIONS ENGAGE, ENLIGHTEN, and ENTERTAIN.2) OUR THEATER ACADEMY TRAINING FOSTERS LIFE SKILLS (E.G. CONFIDENCE, RESPECT, FRIENDSHIP, SUPPORT, MOTIVATION, ETC.) WHILE IT TEACHES STAGE SKILLS. 3) OUR DYNAMIC THEATER-IN-EDUCATION PROGRAMS PROMOTE LEARNING THROUGH THEATER.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check
Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $67.30 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders26 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

82.43%of revenue went to mission work67.3% of expenses · Program services
10.46%of revenue went to fundraising8.5% of expenses
$122.45spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.
29.56%of revenue went to management and office costs24.1% of expenses
$0.79in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.
48.9%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

  1. Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
  2. What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
  3. Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $1,122,453 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $141,519 for JEFF FRANK (EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$5,000,483
Mission workProgram services$4,122,12182.43% of revenue67.3% of expenses
ManagementOffice and general costs$1,477,96629.56% of revenue24.1% of expenses
FundraisingAsking for donations$522,84910.46% of revenue8.5% of expenses
Total expenses$6,122,936122.45% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails
2024CurrentExpense mix: 67.3% mission · 24.1% management · 8.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 122.45% of revenue
2023Expense mix: 76.3% mission · 14.2% management · 9.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 111.21% of revenue
2022Expense mix: 71.3% mission · 22.3% management · 6.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 125.56% of revenue
2021Expense mix: 73.1% mission · 18.2% management · 8.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.77% of revenue
2020Expense mix: 70.8% mission · 17.4% management · 11.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 64.52% of revenue
2019Expense mix: 82.6% mission · 10.2% management · 7.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 102.89% of revenue
2018Expense mix: 84.2% mission · 9.8% management · 6.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 110.35% of revenue
2017Expense mix: 86.6% mission · 7.7% management · 5.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 108.55% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$5,000,483
Expenses$6,122,936
Annual shortfall $1,122,453 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$4,122,121 · 67.3% of expenses
Management and office costs$1,477,966 · 24.1% of expenses
Fundraising$522,849 · 8.5% of expenses
See all reported dollar amounts
Revenue$5,000,483
Expenses$6,122,936
Assets$4,836,113
Income$5,159,353
Contributions$2,443,527
Mission work (program services)$4,122,121
Fundraising$522,849
Management and general$1,477,966
Stocks and bonds$2,598,156
Accounting fees$18,335
People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation
JEFF FRANKEXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $141,519Base $111,454 · Other $30,065
DANIEL GRAMBOWPART YEAR MANAGING DIR · 40 hrs/week $141,071Base $111,612 · Other $29,459
KATE SCHMITTDIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION · 40 hrs/week $106,273Base $76,814 · Other $29,459

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (26)

JEFF FRANKEXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

DANIEL GRAMBOWPART YEAR MANAGING DIR

KATE SCHMITTDIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

JEFF SPENCEPRESIDENT

TIM LANTZVICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNANCE

SHANTANU SINGHDIRECTOR

SCOTT STIVERSONTREASURER

SALLY CARTWRIGHTDIRECTOR

MELISSA NELSENDIRECTOR

LEIF BERGQUISTDIRECTOR

LAURA ORRDIRECTOR

JUSTIN MERTZDIRECTOR

JULIA MAGNASCODIRECTOR

JOHN EASH-SCOTTDIRECTOR

JEREMY TARDYDIRECTOR

ALEXIS DAHMERDIRECTOR

JACK MILLERDIRECTOR

IAN GONZALEZDIRECTOR

ELLEN BASTING DIZARDSECRETARY

DANIELLE MACHATADIRECTOR

DANIEL MALONEYDIRECTOR

CORRIE PRUNUSKEDIRECTOR

COLLEEN BOTTINGDIRECTOR

CHRISTINE BESTOR TOWNSENDVICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE

ASHLEY WROBLEWSKIDIRECTOR

ANNALIESE SCHAEFERDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since
January 1989
Location
325 W WALNUT ST, MILWAUKEE, WI 53212-3868
County
Milwaukee
In care of
% DEB MOODY
Primary officer
SCOTT STIVERSON, TREASURER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(414) 267-2940

Filing and classification

Latest tax year
2024
Tax period began
July 1, 2024
Return type
990
Tax preparer
RITZ HOLMAN LLP
NTEE classification
Arts, Culture & Humanities (A65Z)

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About this report: Information comes from public nonprofit records and may show the latest filing available.

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