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Up Your Arts

EIN 82-2910014 · Southport, NC

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood80 out of 100GovernanceNot ratedThe short tax form does not cover thisImpact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Support creative and performing arts.

Income
$72,403
Spending
$72,542
Reserves
7.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 55%

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

Financial health

Good: 80 out of 100. Higher than 61% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 7.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 0% of income.

Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 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 (11)
  1. $4,438 spent. UYA co-sponsored "Raise Up Your Arts" with the City of Southport (and 17 individual sponsors who donated $250 each) and was held from December 2024-November 2025. This project selected 24 Brunswick County artists (out of a submission pool of more than 70) whose work was displayed on banners hanging from utility poles for six months, May 2025-November 2025, in downtown Southport. An estimated 40,000 people had ongoing visual access.
  2. $6,255 spent. UYA co-sponsored the 2025 Southport Plein Air Festival with the City of Southport on May 1-3, 2025. Over 75 artists registered for the event at $50 for two days or $75 for three days. At least 275 people attended grant-funded activities free of charge on the third day.
  3. $7,800 spent. UYA broadcasts a calendar of upcoming live performance events in Brunswick County with an email sent to over 3,000 email subscribers and over 2,700 Facebook followers free of charge, year-round, at a cost of approximately $650/month for digital services.
  4. $564 spent. UYA co-sponsored Banding Together: Relief for Western NC with the Spruce Pine NC Police Department to raise supplies and funds to benefit those affected by Hurricane Helene. A concert featuring local bands was held on Oak Island on November 3, 2024, uniting the community to raise over $16,800 and a truckload of supplies to support recovery efforts.
  5. $48 spent. NC Relief - Special open mic event where $3,000 was raised to support food truck relief to Western NC.
  6. $1,200 spent. UYA co-sponsored the annual Winterfest with the City of Southport December 13-14, 2024, providing musicians and audio equipment for the festivities.
  7. $50 spent. UYA co-sponsored Opera Sunday with the University of North Carolina Wilmington Music Department in collaboration with The Friends of the Library Southport & Oak Island. Eight operatic vocalists performed for an audience of over 150 people who attended this free open to the public event.
  8. $375 spent. UYA sponsored the Let's Sing Barbershop Quartet performance at the Southport Community Center on May 9, 2025. This event was free and open to the public.
  9. $1,550 spent. UYA was paid $300/night to sponsor a weekly open mic session at American Fish Company in October 2024 and a monthly session from April-October 2025. UYA paid a master of ceremonies @ $100/night + audio to manage the range of participating local musicians and @ $50/night to the provider of and player on a drum set.
  10. UYA co-sponsored the "Southport Concert Series" with the City of Southport, Downtown Southport, Inc. and Cape Fear Radio serving on a committee to plan the series and solicit and vet the musical acts. Performances were held on Thursday evenings at Franklin Square Park from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2025. UYA was in charge of managing the musical groups and directing on-site operations.
  11. UYA ran the community entertainment division of the 2025 North Carolina 4th of July Festival. This involved coordinating with City of Southport staff and festival committee members from January-July 2025, planning and selecting artists, program marketing, and managing the performances of 5 musical groups throughout the annual four-day festival with expected crowds of 50,000.

Source: Form 990EZ 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 October 13, 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 June 2018.

    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 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.