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Storyville Center for the Spoken Word
Also known as The Moth
Storyville Center for the Spoken Word reported $11.3 million in revenue and $12.3 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $79.10 went to program services, $14.45 to management and general costs and $6.45 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 61.8% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $255,667 (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER). 16 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 17% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $12MFor context, the median across 876 covered arts, culture & humanities charities: $79.98 programs, $13.89 management, $6.13 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $11MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.1% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 14.5% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 6.4% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.20 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 35.4% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 1.6% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 61.8% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $255,667 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.08% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 16 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 7.3 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 14 of 14 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseMoth storyslamopen-mic storytelling events where anyone in the audience can put their name in a hat to tell a 5 minute story on a theme. The stories are judged by teams of audience members and the winner is determined at the end of the evening. In 2024 the slam series was produced in 26 cities nationwide plus london and melbourne, for a total of 436 shows and 4,360 stories
Moth mainstagecurated storytelling programs around the country focused on a particular theme. Storytellers develop a 10-12 minute story with moth artistic staff. In 2024, there were 41 mainstage shows with 205 stories told in cities, reaching an audience of approximately 82,000
Podcastthe moth podcast releases free stories each week from our archive. It was downloaded more than 43 million times in 2024
Highest reported compensation
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $231,184 | $0 | $24,483 | $255,667 |
| DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $145,892 | $0 | $66,184 | $212,076 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL AND ADMIN OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $183,661 | $0 | $22,798 | $206,459 |
| DIRECTOR OF MOTHWORKS PROGRAM Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $140,791 | $0 | $53,058 | $193,849 |
| EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $164,487 | $0 | $22,658 | $187,145 |
| CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $163,195 | $0 | $12,339 | $175,534 |
| SENIOR DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $137,308 | $0 | $31,736 | $169,044 |
| SENIOR DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $136,509 | $0 | $21,304 | $157,813 |
16 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Storyville Center for the Spoken Word (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $638K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b14 · 14 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 555
- Volunteers Part I, line 6320
Private foundation grants it received
15 private foundations reported grants to Storyville Center for the Spoken Word totaling $1.7M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Storyville Center for the Spoken Word's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Storyville Center for the Spoken Word, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Storyville Center for the Spoken Word spent in 2024, $79.10 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in New York
Questions people ask
How much of Storyville Center for the Spoken Word's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Storyville Center for the Spoken Word reported that 79.1% of its $12.3 million in expenses went to program services, 14.5% to management and general and 6.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Storyville Center for the Spoken Word pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Storyville Center for the Spoken Word reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $255,667, for the role of CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Storyville Center for the Spoken Word get its money?
Of $11.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 35.4% came from contributions and grants (including 1.6% from government grants) and 61.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Storyville Center for the Spoken Word a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 13-3880953 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202523089349302817 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202412849349301461 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202322969349300817 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202243129349304379 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202132359349301123 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202022309349301737 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 13-3880953: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.