Public Assistants Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Public Assistants (PA) is a community design lab, and media production studio working to counter systemic inequity and neglect with solutions guided by creativity and collaborative, community based artmaking. PA works to create and support an ecosystem of Black and POC LGBTQi+ artists from New York City and social practice art forms that strengthen disenfranchised communities and reconsider traditional systems and practices of art and art making
- Income
- $62,154
- Spending
- $119,114
- Spent on programs
- 59%
- Reserves
- 4.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 74%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 8
- Highest pay
- $31,500, founder
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 44 out of 100. Higher than 16% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.8 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 23% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 92% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 72% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1559% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Weak: 41 out of 100. Higher than 17% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Independent board
5 of 250 of 7 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
0 of 10Did not give 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.
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, 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 (4)
- $15,100 spent. Mural Program- Each year, PA takes on a selected number of community-based mural projects. This past year PA achieved 2 murals, one for a collaboration project with MOMA via artist DonChristian Jones assisted by artist Victor Saint Hilaire and 50 students. and another in Queensbridge Park, Bronx with the artist Victor Saint-Hilaire supervising 16 student participants. This project is earned income and planning and partial funding began in the later part of the last fiscal year
- $40,899 spent. Artist Support - The Divine Fellowship, made possible with the support of Ford Foundation supports eight selected QTBIPOC artists working through social impact projects each year, through stipends, a residency program upstate, retreats, and access to the tools and resources of our shop. Beyond this fellowship, PA supported over ten other artists across their respective creative and community based projects. This funding is spread over two fiscal years. funding was received in the prior year and posted as receivables for this fiscal year.
- $14,722 spent. Collaborative community based art installation with MOMA,
- Public Assistants provided printing, publishing, and production services for QTBIPOC artists working at the intersections of community storytelling, cultural memory, and social imagination. The program offered access to fabrication tools, mentorship, and collaborative studio space to support the creation and distribution of new artistic works. These services expanded equitable access to cultural production and advanced the organization's mission to serve as a hub for community-rooted artistic practice. These services were provided with volunteer assistance.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 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? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 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 July 2021.
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.