Wallingford Public Access Association Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To provide a brave, safe, creative space for a diversity of expression within our community of Wallingford, CT, and beyond, with media tools and space for media creation and distribution, inclusive of story performance, advocacy, concurrent with a public art gallery integrated throughout the building on related themes. Our studioW facility offers professional-grade equipment and production space, enabling anyone to develop high-quality digital content for community access television and their preferred distribution platforms. We are the home of the Nelson Carty Ford Memorial Art Gallery serrated to encourage social action and TeenTigerTV Youth Training and Empowerment program.Bylaws: to empower the people of Wallingford and beyond to uplift the community through story, conversation, and content creation by operating a community-centric digital media center and public art gallery. Goal: To operate a community-based media center, inclusive of a television studio...
- Income
- $323,459
- Spending
- $132,641
- Spent on programs
- 92%
- Reserves
- 20.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 83%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 72
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 20.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 59% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 142% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1592% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 54 out of 100. Higher than 22% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
5 of 250 of 8 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, 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 (4)
- $89,689 spent. A30 Maintained civic media infrastructure serving 16000 Wallingford households dozens of nonprofits and local businesses. Make TV our core program provides professional staff to train volunteer producers and facilitate media production and distribution. Annual outcome data filed with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority PURA includes 168 hours of weekly programming and 456 programs produced in studioW with nearly 4000 media assets managed annually. The facility operates 6 days 55 hours per week. Recognized for Overall Excellence by a New England peer association in 2025 all services are provided entirely free of charge to the public. WPAA does not sell merchandise or charge fees for its services ensuring equitable access to media tools for all residents.
- $15,326 spent. A99 Art and Culture Program Democracy Is A Creative Practice. This initiative hosts storytelling and performance events featuring TV simulcast and onsite attendance. The organization manages an integrated art gallery showcasing photography sculpture upcycled and fine art designed to inspire community engagement and social action. We support festival and competition entries for youth and adult creators and host media making events focused on public interest stories and local history. The program actively engages the community in book publishing and documentary filmmaking. Award winning at the regional and national levels since 2025 all program activities and gallery access are provided free of charge to the public to ensure equitable participation in the creative process.
- $17,424 spent. O99 Youth Training and Empowerment Program TeenTigerTV. This initiative recently honored with the Rika Welsh Award for a decade of community impact provides comprehensive media development for socially and economically disadvantaged youth. The core program consists of an intensive six week summer session 16 hours per week supplemented by extended hours during the school year. In 2025 the program served 12 core summer participants and 35 youth through specialized workshops and a new year round weekly drop in pilot extension. By offering professional grade training and mentorship entirely free of charge TeenTigerTV ensures that financial barriers do not prevent local youth from gaining critical 21st century digital literacy and storytelling skills.
- S41 Community Development and Fiscal Sustainability Initiative. In response to declining cable franchise revenue the organization executed a Strategic Plan to ensure long term mission sustainability. A key achievement included securing Program Related Investments through Capital for Change comprised of low interest operational loans and a long term no interest mortgage loan. These fiscal strategies developed with stakeholder input directly enable the organization to sustain its service to underserved populations. This commitment is physically manifested in our permanent art collection and gallery which utilizes advocacy through art to highlight the lived experiences of the unhoused and socially challenged members of our community bridging fiscal management with social justice.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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 October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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 October 13, 2026.
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 October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since November 1994.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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 21, 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.