Midway Contemporary Art
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
MIDWAY CONTEMPORARY ART IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF AND REFLECTION UPON VISUAL ART. MIDWAY FACILITATES SIGNIFICANT NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD AND PRESENTS AUDIENCES WITH INTIMATE ACCESS TO VISUAL CULTURE.
- Income
- $1.2 million
- Spending
- $856,099
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- -25.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 84%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 28
- Highest pay
- $132,946, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 50 out of 100. Higher than 20% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 41% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 28% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2513 of 14 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no 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.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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, 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)
- $701,791 spent. EXHIBITIONS:OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, MIDWAY HAS ORGANIZED MORE THAN 100 SOLO AND GROUP EXHIBITIONS. WE ARE COMMITTED TO COMMISSIONING AND DEVELOPING NEW PROJECTS, OFTEN WITH ARTISTS WHO HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY EXHIBITED IN THE MIDWEST OR, IN MANY CASES, IN THE UNITED STATES. AS A NON-COLLECTING ORGANIZATION, MIDWAY CENTERS ARTISTS IN EVERY ASPECT OF ITS PROGRAMMING. WE COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH THEM TO PRESENT THEIR WORK AND SHAPE MEANINGFUL AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT, WHILE PROVIDING THE TIME, SPACE, AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO DEVELOP AMBITIOUS NEW PROJECTS.IN AUGUST 2024, WE REOPENED OUR NEWLY RENOVATED PERMANENT HOME WITH AN INAUGURAL EXHIBITION BY NEW YORK-BASED ARTIST GRANT MOONEY, FEATURING COMMISSIONED SCULPTURES PRIMARILY FABRICATED IN THE TWIN CITIES DURING MULTIPLE SITE VISITS. IN NOVEMBER, WE PRESENTED AN EXHIBITION OF NEW WORKS BY NORTH MINNEAPOLIS BORN ARTIST CAMERON PATRICIA DOWNEY. MIDWAY ALSO HOSTED GALLERY CONVERSATIONS WITH BOTH MOONEY AND DOWNEY IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE EXHIBITIONS. MANY OF OUR PUBLIC PROGRAMS ARE INITIATED BY THE PRESENTING ARTISTS AND OFFER VISITORS AND THE COMMUNITY A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR CREATIVE PROCESS AND THE WORKS ON VIEW. LIBRARY:LAUNCHED IN 2007, MIDWAY'S LIBRARY IS ONE OF THE REGION'S MOST COMPREHENSIVE ART AND ARCHITECTURE RESOURCES, WITH OVER 13,500 TITLES INCLUDING MONOGRAPHS, CATALOGS, PERIODICALS, AND RARE PUBLICATIONS NOT AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE IN MINNESOTA. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WITH NO MEMBERSHIP OR APPOINTMENTS REQUIRED, IT SERVES AS A VITAL RESOURCE FOR ARTISTS, STUDENTS, SCHOLARS, AND VISITORS. ITS ACCESSIBILITY HAS MADE IT A POPULAR DESTINATION FOR RESEARCH AND INSPIRATION. EACH YEAR, 500-1,000 TITLES ARE ADDED TO THE COLLECTION, MANY FROM INTERNATIONALLY BASED SMALL PUBLISHERS AND OTHERS SELECTED FOR THEIR DIRECT CONNECTION TO OUR CURRENT EXHIBITIONS. FORMERLY NON-CIRCULATING, THE LIBRARY LAUNCHED A SUCCESSFUL LENDING PROGRAM IN SUMMER 2020 IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC-AN INITIATIVE THAT HAS CONTINUED AND EXPANDED DUE TO STRONG COMMUNITY INTEREST. MIDWAY'S INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IS CLOSELY INTEGRATED WITH OUR LIBRARY, WHERE INTERNS ARCHIVE NEW ACQUISITIONS IN OUR ONLINE DATABASE AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE OF A SMALL ARTS NONPROFIT. VISUAL ARTS FUND:THE VISUAL ARTS FUND IS A GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED IN 2016 BY MIDWAY CONTEMPORARY ART WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS. MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL IS ONE OF THIRTY-SIX METRO AREAS INCLUDED IN WARHOL'S REGIONAL REGRANTING PROGRAM, WHICH IS AIMED AT PROMOTING VIBRANT ARTISTIC ACTIVITY IN CITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE VAF SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF ESTABLISHED VENUES THAT ENGAGE THE PUBLIC WITH VISUAL ART AND MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE OCCUR. SINCE ITS LAUNCH, THE PROGRAM HAS AWARDED $641,000 TO 64 PROJECTS, BENEFITING HUNDREDS OF LOCAL ARTISTS IN THE TWIN CITIES.IN 2024, SIX $10,000 GRANTS WERE AWARDED TO PROJECTS RANGING FROM AN ARTIST-RUN GALLERY AND MOBILE RESIDENCY TO MUTUAL AID PRINTMAKING WORKSHOPS AND AN EXHIBITION BY OROMO MINNESOTAN ARTISTS. EACH GRANT CYCLE INCLUDES INFO SESSIONS, A GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP, A PUBLIC PROJECT PRESENTATION NIGHT, AND A MEET-AND-GREET WITH PAST AND CURRENT GRANTEES. NEW GRANTEES ALSO ATTEND A TAX INFO SESSION TO LEARN BEST PRACTICES FOR MANAGING GRANT FUNDS. MIDWAY OFFERS THESE FORMS OF MENTORSHIP WHILE GRANTING ARTISTS FULL AUTONOMY IN REALIZING THEIR PROJECTS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 November 6, 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 2024.
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 August 2000.
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 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.