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Minnesota Fringe Festival

EIN 41-1734179 · Minneapolis, MN

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair53 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

MINNESOTA FRINGE CONNECTS ADVENTUROUS ARTISTS WITH ADVENTUROUS AUDIENCES BY CREATING OPEN, SUPPORTIVE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DIVERSE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.

Income
$695,282
Spending
$698,975
Spent on programs
80%
Reserves
2 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 66%
Employees
41
Volunteers
134
Highest pay
$86,108, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 53 out of 100. Higher than 21% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 2.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 62% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 38% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    80% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 20 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 79% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    16 of 16 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 (2)
  1. $532,788 spent. THE 2025 MINNESOTA FRINGE FESTIVAL TOOK PLACE IN 11 THEATERS THROUGHOUT MINNEAPOLIS. THE 32ND ANNUAL EVENT FEATURED 99 SHOWS WITH 558 PERFORMANCES, FILLING ROUGHLY 25,000 SEATS, AND PAYING ARTISTS OVER $185,000. AUDIO DESCRIPTION, ASL INTERPRETATION, OPEN CAPTIONING SERVICES WERE PROVIDED AT NO ADDITIONAL COST IN ORDER TO ENSURE AUDIENCES WITH DISABILITIES COULD FULLY PARTICIPATE.
  2. $24,181 spent. ARTS SUPPORT SERVICES INCLUDE: FISCAL SPONSORSHIPS OF MINNESOTA BASED PERFORMING ARTS PROJECTS OR ORGANIZATIONS WITH A NONPROFIT PURPOSE ALIGNED WITH THE MISSION OF MINNESOTA FRINGE AND ACCESSIBILITY EQUIPMENT RENTALS TO SUPPORT ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES OF FELLOW ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND SMALL THEATER COMPANIES.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 October 13, 2026.

  2. 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 November 6, 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 October 13, 2026.

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

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

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since October 1993.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 November 4, 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.