Better Business Bureau Report for
Snow City Arts Foundation

Better Business Bureau Report issued July 2010
Better Business Bureau Report expires July 2012


Does not meet one or more standards
This charity does not meet one or more of the 20 standards for Charity Accountability. Find out more...


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Charity Contact Information

Name: Snow City Arts Foundation
Address: 1653 W. Congress Pkwy. #599J
  Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: 312-942-6991
Web Address: www.snowcityarts.com
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Better Business Bureau Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1998, Illinois
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: To provide arts education to hospitalized children.

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Snow City Arts Foundation does not meet the following Standard for Charity Accountability.

Standard 18: Privacy for Written Appeals & Internet Privacy - Address privacy concerns of donors by (a) providing in written appeals, at least annually, a means (e.g., such as a check off box) for both new and continuing donors to inform the charity if they do not want their name and address shared outside the organization, (b) providing a clear, prominent and easily accessible privacy policy on any of its websites that tells visitors (i) what information, if any, is being collected about them by the charity and how this information will be used, (ii) how to contact the charity to review personal information collected and request corrections, (iii) how to inform the charity (e.g., a check off box) that the visitor does not wish his/her personal information to be shared outside the organization, and (iv) what security measures the charity has in place to protect personal information.

Snow City Arts Foundation does not meet this Standard because the privacy policy on this website, www.snowcityarts.com does not indicate:

  • What security measures are in place to protect personal information that is collected.
Snow City Arts Foundation meets the remaining 19 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

Founded in 1998, Snow City Arts is a pioneering program that provides arts, cultural, and educational programming to hospitalized children unable to attend school because of serious illness. These children – most of whom who are chronically- and terminally-ill, long-term patients – have their lives disrupted by the need for such treatments as chemotherapy or dialysis. Living with cancer, organ failure, or other serious illnesses, the lives of these kids now revolve around hospitals and machines rather than friends and school. Additionally, of the approximately 1,600 kids we work with annually, 80% of them are public aid patients, 90% are minorities, and over 40% use English as their second language. Fortunately, for any of the 161,000 children that find themselves hospitalized in Illinois each year and that are admitted to one of our program sites – Rush University Medical Center, Children’s Memorial Hospital, or John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County – Snow City Arts turns a time of healing into a time of learning through our programming. Snow City Arts provides four distinct workshops in Music, Creative Writing, Visual Arts, and Theater. Every day, our staff of Artists-in-Residence spends time teaching a child to write or read literature, paint and draw, how to play the guitar or piano, read sheet music, learn computer skills, or – through our Young Directors Program – even how to create a short film. Moreover, Snow City Arts sets itself apart from other hospital-based arts programs by putting the focus on learning.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, Snow City Arts Foundation's program expenses were:

  
Other salaries and wages 498,045
Office expenses 71,000
Payroll taxes 35,040
Conferences, conventions, and meetings 11,445
Payments of travel or entertainment expenses for any federal, state, or local public officials 4,167
Occupancy 3,047
Insurance 1,416
Total Program Expenses: $624,160
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Paul Sznewajs, Executive Director
Compensation*:

Chair of the Board: Peter Schmitz
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Business

Board Size: 12

Paid Staff Size: 17

*Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
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Fund Raising

              

Method(s) Used:

direct mail
Fund raising costs were 23% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $80,458, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
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Tax Status

              

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
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Financial

              

The following information is based on Snow City Arts Foundation's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.

Source of Funds  
Contributions, gifts, grants, etc. 587,190
Government grants 50,874
Fundraising events 29,584
Total Income $667,648


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 90%  Fund Raising: 3%  Administrative: 7% 

Total income   $667,648
  Program expenses $624,160
  Fund raising expenses 18,715
  Administrative expenses 48,703
 
Total expenses   $691,578
Expenses in Excess of Income   (23,930)
Beginning net assets   237,037
Ending net assets   248,242
Total liabilities   0
Total assets   $237,511


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An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.

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