Justice Arts Coalition Inc
Public records raise at least one point you should look into before giving.
Points to look into
- Only 49% of its spending went to programs.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
JUSTICE ARTS COALITION (JAC) UNITES TEACHING ARTISTS, ARTS ADVOCATES, ARTISTS WHO ARE OR HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED AND THEIR ALLIES, HARNESSING THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THE ARTS TO REIMAGINE JUSTICE
- Income
- $334,465
- Spending
- $453,146
- Spent on programs
- 49%
- Reserves
- 11.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 93%
- Employees
- 3
- Volunteers
- 50
- Highest pay
- $69,052, founding director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2023, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 48 out of 100. Higher than 17% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 35% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 47% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1549% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2023, 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 257 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.
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 June 30, 2023, 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)
- $203,307 spent. ARTS PROGRAMMING AND ARTIST ENGAGEMENT: 2022 SAW THE EXPANSION OF CORRESPONDARTS, MARYLANDS FIRST MULTI-DISCIPLINARY DISTANCE LEARNING ARTS PROGRAM TO 75 PARTICIPANTS WITHIN 5 FACILITIES (FROM THE PREVIOUS YEARS 21 PARTICIPANTS IN 2 MARYLAND FACILITIES). JAC MAINTAINED ITS DIGITAL ARCHIVE ON OUR WEBSITE FEATURING MORE THAN 280 PORTFOLIOS OF VISUAL AND WRITTEN WORK, CURATED ONLINE GALLERIES, INTERVIEWS WITH ARTISTS, A NATIONAL PROGRAM DIRECTORY, RESOURCE LIBRARY, AND BLOG POSTS BY ARTISTS AND ADVOCATES INSIDE THE OUTSIDE OF PRISON. JAC LAUNCHED ARTSCONNECTS US, A SEMI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER MAILED TO NETWORK ARTISTS WHO ARE INCARCERATED. JAC ADDITIONALLY LAUNCHED THE RECORDING PROJECT WHICH, THROUGH RECORDED PHONE INTERVIEWS, ENABLES ARTISTS TO CONTEXTUALIZE THEIR WORK IN THEIR OWN VOICES AND CONTRIBUTE TO PUBLIC DISCOURSE. JAC ORGANIZED 7 EXHIBITIONS WITH PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS THIS YEAR, INTRODUCING 350+ WORKS OF MORE THAN 60 NETWORK ARTISTS TO DIVERSE NEW AUDIENCES.
- $19,436 spent. COMMUNITY EVENTS: THIS YEAR, JAC HOSTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT 9 ARTLINKS EVENTS IN AN EFFORT TO SHOWCASE THE TALENTS OF NETWORK ARTISTS AND PROVIDE AND AVENUE FOR THEM TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK. OVER 150 PATRONS VIEWED ARTISTS NEW WORK AND SHARED THEIR REFLECTIONS WITH THE ARTISTS THROUGH LETTER WRITING.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2023, 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? Caution.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2023. Organizations that miss three years of returns lose their exemption.
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 October 2020.
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.