Center for Latter-Day Saint Arts Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O
- Income
- $438,859
- Spending
- $825,604
- Spent on programs
- 70%
- Reserves
- 10.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 89%
- Employees
- 3
- Volunteers
- 59
- Highest pay
- $144,410, executive director
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
Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 53% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.5 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 88% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 22% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1570% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 29 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: 71 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 259 of 9 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.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
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, 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 (3)
- $285,730 spent. The Intersection of Cultural Relevance and Divine Creativity: The Artists Residency at the Center The second Residency cohort joined us in New York October 9-14, 2024: * Vanessa Cook, Switzerland, choreography * Dylan Findley, Ohio, music composition * Michelle Nixon, Utah, visual art * Isaac Richards, Utah, literature * Justin Wheatley, Utah, visual art * Darlene Young, Utah, poetry They were chosen by a notable jury: Tacey M. Atsitty, Richard Bushman, Rose Datoc Dall, Nancy Heuston, Susan Elizabeth Howe, Jared Oaks, and Aaron Toronto. The artists spent one week sharing a townhouse in New York City, advancing work on discipline-specific projects of their own design, participating in group outings including a Broadway show, a walking tour through art galleries in Chelsea, guest speakers, communal meals, and professional development activities. As one 2024 resident reflected, "for me was the people... The biggest highlight of the residency for me was the people...The connections I made were truly meaningful and inspiring. I especially enjoyed the conversations we had while traveling to different events or winding down in the evenings. Sharing experiences like a Broadway musical or exploring new foods added an extra layer of connection. Beyond that, I also cherished the creative space the Residency gave me -time to try new things and dedicate myself fully to my project. My favorite painting moment was painting on the street; despite the risk, it was exhilarating and rewarding." Artist Professional Development The Center championed and connected artists through workshops and virtual webinars, including: * Masterclass for vocal students from BYU and UTSA with Rachel Willis-Srensen and Darrell Babidge, her mentor and chair of voice at The Juilliard School * Webinar with Ben Taylor on Portfolio Preparation * Webinar with Jackie Leishman and Steve L. Peck on cross-disciplinary collaboration * "One Plus One Equals Three," special virtual workshop for Artists Residency applicants Work & Wonder: 200 Years of Latter-day Saint Art Retrospective Exhibition This landmark exhibition at the Church History Museum included 120+ works representing three centuries of Latter-day Saint art and objects and ran from September 26, 2024 through March 1, 2025. For nearly 200 years the rich doctrine, history, and culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have inspired artists to create artworks of diverse and profound expression. As the Church nears the bicentennial of its organization in 1830, this exhibition presented a broad survey of the visual art created by individuals connected to the faith. This exhibition was the largest and most comprehensive attempt to show the variety of works by Latter-day Saint artists around the world from the Church's founding to the present. It included imagery from a broad array of backgrounds, materials, and styles and invited audiences to consider both the historical traditions and future trajectories of Latter-day Saint art. Rather than telling a story chronologically or geographically, the exhibition was organized into four thematic sections: Memory and Archive; Individual and Church; Sacred Spaces; and Identity. Work and Wonder: 200 Years of Latter-day Saint Art was curated by Heather Belnap, Ashlee Whitaker Evans, and Bront Hebdon, organized by the Church History Museum and the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts, and made possible by the generous support of Center donors. Leadership support for the exhibition was provided by The Kahlert Foundation, The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, and the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation. In total, 91,100 people visited the exhibition. Materializing Mormonism: Trajectories in Contemporary Latter-day Saint Art An exhibition at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum in Mesa, Arizona, showcased a broad spectrum of contemporary art created by artists affiliated with and adjacent to the faith. These objects explore ideas such as community and belonging; natural and built environments; worldmaking; peculiar "Mormon" iconography; and the body as a privileged and yet contested site. Together, these artworks demonstrate the vibrancy and complexity of artistic dialogues in recent Latter-day Saint visual culture and seek to expand visitors' expectations of fine art inspired by this increasingly worldwide faith. The exhibition ran from May 10, 2024 to August 4, 2024 and was attended by nearly 5,000 guests.
- $257,529 spent. Cultural Relevance Latter-day Saint Art: A Critical Reader The Center published its landmark volume of visual art of the Latter-day Saints from the nineteenth-century to the present, including art by, for, or about Mormons. Scholars from various disciplines, perspectives, and backgrounds contributed individual chapters with rigorous research and analysis of Latter-day Saint artistic production and culture. Together, the twenty-two chapters covered panorama paintings, quilts, architecture, sculpture, and cartoons, to film, gallery installations, indigenous works and more to offer a complex and comprehensive picture of Mormon visual art with unprecedented breadth and depth. Highlighting a broad range of critical approaches from scholars both inside and outside the faith tradition, this publication was the first of its kind about Latter-day Saint art. The volume was published by Oxford University Press on August 27, 2024, edited by Amanda Beardsley and Mason Kamana Allred, and featured a foreword from Center co-founders, Richard L. Bushman and Glen Nelson. Carnegie Hall Performance On April 9th, 2024, the celebrated soprano Rachel Willis-Srensen made her New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall as a guest of the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts. Willis-Srensen is a regular at leading opera houses around the world, from the LA Opera to Opera national de Paris. At Zankel Hall, Willis-Srensen sang works by Strauss and song cycles by Rachmaninoff, Beach, and Sibelius. She gave the world premiere of S. Andrew Lloyd's Amaranthine, winner of the 2022 Prize of The Ariel Bybee Endowment at the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts, an endowment created to honor the legacy of Metropolitan Opera mezzo Ariel Bybee (1943-2018). The Ariel Bybee Endowment at the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts The Ariel Bybee Endowment at the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts is delighted to announce the winner of the 2024 Prize: Music Education. Mia Black, a music educator currently living in Utah Valley and with multiple experiences living abroad is developing a curriculum for elementary-aged students through a book, titled American Harmon. American Harmony will function as an organized collection of folk songs to be used in a classroom setting organized by the story of immigration to America. The book will adhere to Kodaly music education theory, which suggests that students should learn music through the folk songs of their history and culture. Black, in particular, understands both the benefits and challenges of applying this theory to her work. Each unit will include songs, lessons and historical context to help elementary-aged students understand and celebrate the inherent multicultural nature of the United States. Folk music from local Native American cultures, Southern slave songs, Latin American music, Asian music, Irish music, and more will be included in the book. Of the broad inclusion of culture and ethnicity in the curriculum, Black says, "They should all have a place within American folk music - as they represent the diversity of our students that makes up our true American heritage." Claremont Graduate University Exhibition The Delicate Ties That Bind was a visual art exhibition held at Claremont Graduate University in the Peggy Phelps Gallery and East Gallery in Claremont, California from October 19, 2024 - November 1, 2024. It explored the precariousness of post-pandemic existence and assessed the complex and often fragile relationships that shape our lives now. These threads make up the nature of our reality and serve as metaphors for both a tattered society and the essential connections between us. They both have the power to hurt but also the power to heal. The exhibition delved into the intersections of social and geographic communities, religious institutions, political systems, environmental concerns, and personal connections. The Delicate Ties That Bind was curated by Megan Knobloch Geilman and sponsored by Chloe Ross. The seven participating artists held a connection to Southern California or Claremont Graduate University: Andrew Ballsteaedt, Richard Gate, Megan Knobloch Geilman, Kyla Hansen, Jackie Leishman, Alice Marie Perreault, and Samantha Zauscher. The exhibition opening featured a panel discussion with Amanda Beardsley and Mason Kamana Allred, co-editors of Latter-day Saint Art: A Critical Reader, published by Oxford University Press. The panel, moderated by Glen Nelson, was held October 19, 2024 in the Albrecht Auditorium on the campus of Claremont Graduate University. John Held, Jr. Exhibition Originally an exhibition for the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts in New York City, John Held, Jr. was curated by Glen Nelson, co-founder and director of special projects at the Center. The first exhibition of Held's work at the BYU Museum of Art, it celebrated his commercial work, paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, and sculpture, as well as his almost-entirely unknown body of fiction. The exhibition was on view at the museum from December 6, 2024-April 2025. The Center Studio Podcast The official podcast of the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts completed its 7th season in 2024, featuring 14 episodes with 18 featured guests. The in-depth interviews of artists and scholars on topics of art, are hosted by Glen Nelson.
- $34,138 spent. Divine Creativity Come Follow Me - Art Companion Our pioneering resource The Come Follow Me (Art Companion) continued to provide an artistic supplement to weekly Gospel learning for every age and to spark thoughtful discussion through the Book of Mormon, featuring 52 artistic creations throughout the year.
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 January 2018.
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.