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Passes our checks

Metro Theater Center Foundation

EIN 01-0838735 · Santa Rosa, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthNot ratedToo small or too little detailGovernanceNot ratedThe short tax form does not cover thisImpact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • It owes more than it owns.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

The Metro Theatre Center Foundation supports a wide range of arts and social issues through its grants and support programs. This includes a wide range of the arts, including filmmaking, theatre, individual grants to artists working on personal projects, as well as social issues. The Metro Theatre Center Foundation continues its commitment to the principle that the diverse voices of all people must be heard in film, television, literature and all forms of media.

Income
$6,350
Spending
$7,188
Reserves
-53.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 97%

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $5,720 spent. We have saved films that were not thought to exist, or thought to be lost. This includes 38 minutes of home movies of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. A report of the discovery was made on NBC's The Today Show. We have also found rare home movies of many celebrities from sports, politics and entertainment, including John Wayne, Bob Hope, Roy Rogers, Olivia de Havilland, Marilyn Monroe, and hundreds of others, all found in people's home movies, not even thought to exist. All of our films are in storage and available for viewing at the film archives of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood. We also work with The Library of Congress and The UCLA Film and Television Archives. In recent months we have acquired the N.A.S.A. film collection, featuring original camera negatives and materials from the earliest beginnings of the US space program in 1946, through the late 90s. They are now being scanned into digital files, and soon will be available for research and study.

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Worth knowing.

    Status was revoked on May 15, 2011 for not filing returns for three years, and reinstated on May 15, 2011.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since May 2014.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.