Sanchez Art Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Creating Community through Art. We accomplish our mission by providing free exhibitions of emerging and established California and west coast artists, education and engagement designed to make art accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds and affordable art studios.
- Income
- $362,041
- Spending
- $341,680
- Spent on programs
- 94%
- Reserves
- 15.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 88%
- Employees
- 5
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 15.5 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 5% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 6% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 18% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1594% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 16 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 79% 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
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a 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.
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 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 (3)
- $224,832 spent. Exibition Program The year began with exciting concurrent exhibitions including well known multi-media artist Thomas Campbell, with an exhibition titled Shape Shifting and other astral lint balls curated by Susan Hillhouse Leask. Campbells renown stretches across societal cultures including art, surf and skateboarding. Over 200 attending the opening night reception and 70 returned for the closing talk, even on Super Bowl Sunday. In the East Gallery, a moving show, Citizen Joy: Views of Democracy highlighted through a variety of visual art mediums, what we all benefit from living in a democratic republic. Community events welcomed attendees to both share at a communal table to offer their vision of democracy and have it documented on a tablecloth, and also to create individual right birds portraying the value of both our rights and what we appreciate about the services we receive from the federal government,from parks and libraries, to the post office public art programs, peaceful protest and voting. In the West Gallery, the Art Guild of Pacifica got into the theme with a members show titled Ode to Joy. Over the course of the year, the galleries brought inspiration to 5,200 (duplicated) visitors, while two exhibitions (Citizen Joy, Views of Democracy and the 2024 Left Coast Annual Juried Exhibition) also provided the opportunity to view from anywhere with a network connected device via the Sanchez Art Center Virtual Galleries. Sanchez Art Center expands opportunities to artists from a broader geographic area to share their work each year, with the Left Coast Annual (LCA), for artists in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, and through the intense creative journey of the 5050 Show, where artists create 50 small works over 50 days, being open to artists throughout California. The 2025 LCA Juror Carin Adams, Senior Curator of Art, Oakland Museum of California, selected 50 pieces out of over 800 submitted. In remarks about the selections, Adams noted, Reflecting the diversity of the Left Coast was the guiding principle for jurying this exhibition. The result is the confluence of distinct stories and individual practices with artworks representing varying degrees of abstraction and representation in a multitude of media. Paired with the 2025 Left Coast.Annual were the 2024 LCA Awards winners, sharing the work of three female artists at various states of their career: Kimiko Kogure, Kayley Jane Dykman and Sally K Smith, selected by 2024 juror Janna Keegan, Associate Curator, contemporary art and programming, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.The 17 th Annual 5050 Show, juried for the first time by a duo of gallerists, Melissa Kreisa and Rose Sellery, co-directors of M. K. Contemporary Art in Santa Cruz, dove into the 185 entries to create the show. Recollections of place and expression of emotions were strong themes in the show. Grounding oneself through nature and studies of light and water, mingle with explorations of people through portraiture. Concern for the planet and current events also threaded their way through the exhibition.Additional exhibitions in the Main Gallery included: William Rhodes, Throughlines, looking back reaching forward, curated by TaVee Lee with Transmission Gallery in Oakland. Lee notes of Rhodes more than 30 year artmaking career, In considering the arc of his work over time, one can readily recognize the intertwining ideas evident in his various creative pursuits; the legacies of African culture, the enduring impact of enforced migration through enslavement, the value of generational experience and the importance of creating community in the face of tremendous challenges, all while reaching toward a hopeful future. A duo show of ceramic works by Maria Porges Nancy Selvin titled Contained was curated by Philip E. Linhares. The works shown were inspired by traditional forms from many countries and periods in history, as well as the personal lived experiences of the artists, and was featured nationally with the Museum of Ceramic Art-New York (MOCA-NY). Finally, the Main Gallery also shared the work of emerging artist Zander Bice with incredibe large scale works created with color pencil. About their work, the artist noted, The two focuses of my work portraits of friends and family and inventive drawings depicting an imagined world that parallels American life eschew identity in favor of portraying an (albeit exaggerated) shared reality.The East Gallery again presented a local favorite, with a show of the award winning photographers from the 2024 Fog Fest Photography Contest. A powerful invitational exhibition, Living through History,featured the work of three artists Robin L Bernstein, Lidia Hasenauer and James Shefik. Following the tradition of art as a mirror held up to society, raising awareness and confronting power structures, these artists works meld the history we are living in today with the past, reflecting on themes of environmental chaos, disinformation, immigration, (in)justice, and the atrocities of war, capped with the hope for peace. The themes and works exhibited in Living Through History were powerful, commanding attention and thought, and may raise feelings of acute unease. Visitors expressed strong emotions as they were invited to find the exquisite beauty in the pieces while being confronted with the challenge of viewing the show with an openness of mind and potentially leaving with a fullness of heart that we dont need to repeat history, if we can rise above it. It was joyful with the final group show in the East Gallery to share Soft Power with the work of Sanchez Studio Artists. The title of the exhibition bring forth the recognition that artists, through their work either quietly and/or in bold statements of strength create community through their art by providing a depth of emotions for us to explore, the opportunity to delve into complex issues together, the offering of building connection and understanding, as well as inspirin
- $48,318 spent. 19 studios leased to 30 artists meeting selection criteria; rates are below market and lease terms are limited.
- $47,055 spent. Arts Education and Community Engagement Sanchez Goes to School, Sanchez Art Centers award-winning program, again provided a full 15 art lessons for each TK 5 th grade student at Sunset Ridge Elementary School. Conducted during the school day and provided nearly 350 students hands on art making and an introduction to a variety of contemporary and historic artists and artworks. Bringing art to the classroom has been critical as children have continued to work through challenging societal times. Six summer camps were held, providing week-long sessions with 72 children, ages 4 15, participating. Two scholarships were given to ensure opportunity for those who might not otherwise be able to The programming included nature art camp, mixed media/printmaking, introduction to creativity from painting to assemblage, and filmmaking. Sanchez Art Center participated in large community events held for Earth Day and Pride Week, bringing hands on activities to both events. At Earth Day, attendees created pelican masks, and at Pride, flags were made to be installed on the Sanchez campus. The Pacific Coast Fog Fest was another successful community event, with over 60,000 in attendance, even with one drizzly day over the two day weekend. The entries into the Fog Fest Photography Contest were on display, along with two huge coloring posters for folks to drop in and create together; attendees of all ages took part, from 3 80. SAC studio artists and visiting AGP members welcomed over 500 visitors to Open Studios in May, engaging with the community-at-large about their artistic practice in their workspaces. Additionally, several studio artists held a number of small group workshops either in their studios or in the Mary Harris Arts Education room, in a program of crafter noons, covering diverse mediums such as hand carved stamps, stencil prints, mixed media and jewelry making (reaching around 55 adults). Handmade Pacifica, an outdoor artisan/maker faire brought another 500 people to the center in July, providing the opportunity for local creators to share about their work and the visitors to buy locally made products. SAC staff continued in the role of providing guidance to artist about the approval process for public art projects as a member of the City of Pacificas Public/Art Mural Subcommittee.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 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 September 2025.
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 September 1999.
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.
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