Artistic Recovery Therapies
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Artistic Recovery Therapies provides therapeutic art therapy programming to the public. Our mission is to facilitate recovery, promote empowerment, and enhance the quality of life through therapeutic engagement with the creative arts.
- Income
- $195,816
- Spending
- $139,075
- Reserves
- 17.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Highest pay
- $69,250, treasurer/dev. director
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 91% of charities in its peer group (mental health, under $250k).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 17.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 29% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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 December 31, 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 (1)
- $80,698 spent. Artistic Recovery Therapies (ART) provides free, professionally-led art workshops in diverse media, including clay, painting, and fiber arts, all led by a licensed mental health counselor with a gradate degree in art therapy. In 2025, ART facilitated 40 workshops, providing a total of 640 direct contact hours of programming to community participants. By pairing local artists with individuals in recovery or seeking therapeutic creative outlets, our programming fostered skill-building and social connection. ART also worked with 8 volunteers from Western Washington Univeristy, providing over 600 hours of hands-on experience to students in WWU's Psychology undergraduate and graduate programs. ART Groups meet in the Artistic Recovery Therapies studio, which is located on the top floor of the historic National Bank Building in downtown Bellingham. This bright, colorful space is filled with welcoming places to sit, relax, and work on art, and boasts amazing views of Bellingham Bay and Lummi Island. We also have a clay room with a pottery wheel, slab roller, and kiln. Our Therapeutic ART Groups bring people together to explore creativity, learn art skills and build community, all while working on different projects that they can take home with them. Therapeutic ART Groups are developed and facilitated by Richard Evans, co-founder and Executive Director of Artistic Recovery Therapies and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with more than 20 years experience working in behavioral health settings. He has a master's degree in Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy from Antioch University in Seattle, and is the owner of Mindful Arts LLC, where he provides art therapy in English and Spanish. During group, our therapist is assisted by student volunteers from Washington University's Psychology Department. Volunteers have a background in art, are pursuing (or have recently attained) a degree in psychology, and have an interest in pursuing a career in expressive art therapy or an area of behavioral health. Therapeutic ART Groups at Artistic Recovery Therapies help build confidence and community. Because our groups are open to all, we attract a diverse group of participants that bring varied backgrounds, ages, socioeconomic statuses, and life experiences...retirees, college students, individuals experiencing unstable housing situations, social workers, educators, parents, healthcare workers, and residents of a domestic violence shelter, just to name a few. Though their backgrounds may be varied, there's a common thread that brings our participants together... exploring their creativity while gaining skills to help improve mental health. Anyone is welcome to sign up for Therapeutic ART Groups. We work with therapists at Northwest Regional Council who direct potential participant-artists our way and have had referrals from behavioral health therapists and social workers in Whatcom County. What happens in a Therapeutic ART Group? Our sessions start with an activity that's designed to help participants get to know each other. Then, the therapist leads a guided warm-up art activity that serves as a calming way to relax and let stress and anxiety slip away, as participants work on a different project each week, all guided by the art therapist. These may consist of painting, clay, beading, collage, fiber art, drawing, and more. All activities have a focus on gaining new skills, building confidence, promoting relaxation, and improving mental health. Our participant-artists provide positive feedback, noting reduced stress and anxiety during and after group, as well as a strong feeling of community and support.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since January 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.