BUFFALO FINE ARTS ACADEMY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

BUFFALO FINE ARTS ACADEMY

EIN 16-6001555 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A510)

What they do

THE BUFFALO FINE ARTS ACADEMY WAS INCORPORATED IN 1862 to PROMOTE, CULTIVATE and GENERALLY FOSTER ART IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. IT is THE PARENT ORGANIZATION of THE BUFFALO AKG ART MUSEUM, ONE of THE COUNTRYS MOST PROMINENT ART MUSEUMS, AS WELL AS AN IMPORTANT CULTURAL and EDUCATIONAL CENTER for WESTERN NEW YORK. THE MUSEUM is DEDICATED to SERVING BOTH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY and WIDER ART AUDIENCE THROUGH A RECOGNIZED and ACTIVE PROGRAM of COLLECTING, EDUCATING, EXHIBITING and INTERPRETING ART WORKS, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE CREATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS of THE 20TH and 21ST CENTURIES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $43.90 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders44 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

46.00%of revenue went to mission work43.9% of expenses · Program services

8.70%of revenue went to fundraising8.3% of expenses

$104.67spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

49.97%of revenue went to management and office costs47.7% of expenses

$12.98in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

29.4%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $1,239,535 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $469,113 for JANNE SIREN (DIRECTOR). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$26,569,161

Mission workProgram services$12,221,88146.00% of revenue43.9% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$13,276,21449.97% of revenue47.7% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$2,310,6018.70% of revenue8.3% of expenses

Total expenses$27,808,696104.67% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 43.9% mission · 47.7% management · 8.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 104.67% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 53.5% mission · 40.2% management · 6.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 137.48% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 63.4% mission · 29.7% management · 6.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 31.10% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 62.9% mission · 31.3% management · 5.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 59.58% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 55.0% mission · 37.8% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 20.34% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 53.8% mission · 38.7% management · 7.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.01% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 64.6% mission · 30.5% management · 4.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 80.51% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 67.9% mission · 28.7% management · 3.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.67% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$26,569,161

Expenses$27,808,696

Annual shortfall $1,239,535 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$12,221,881 · 43.9% of expenses

Management and office costs$13,276,214 · 47.7% of expenses

Fundraising$2,310,601 · 8.3% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$26,569,161

Expenses$27,808,696

Assets$360,866,811

Income$81,077,619

Contributions$7,808,269

Mission work (program services)$12,221,881

Fundraising$2,310,601

Management and general$13,276,214

Executive compensation (total)$805,508

Investing fees$694,290

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

JANNE SIRENDIRECTOR · 35 hrs/week $469,113Base $427,154 · Other $41,959

JILLIAN JONESDEPUTY DIRECTOR · 35 hrs/week $176,089Base $155,000 · Other $21,089

MELISSA ARENACFO · 35 hrs/week $163,999Base $142,769 · Other $21,230

BRYAN GAWRONSKIDIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY · 35 hrs/week $153,026Base $121,908 · Other $31,118

CATHLEEN CHAFFEECHIEF CURATOR · 35 hrs/week $146,594Base $127,481 · Other $19,113

WILLIAM J ROBIDEAUDIRECTOR OF FACILITIES, PLANNING & MGMT · 35 hrs/week $145,534Base $135,785 · Other $9,749

CAROLYN KIRCHBERGER INTERIMDIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT · 35 hrs/week $123,523Base $106,600 · Other $16,923

ANDREA HARDENDIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES · 35 hrs/week $118,575Base $110,636 · Other $7,939

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (44)

JANNE SIRENDIRECTOR

JILLIAN JONESDEPUTY DIRECTOR

MELISSA ARENACFO

BRYAN GAWRONSKIDIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

CATHLEEN CHAFFEECHIEF CURATOR

WILLIAM J ROBIDEAUDIRECTOR OF FACILITIES, PLANNING & MGMT

CAROLYN KIRCHBERGER INTERIMDIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

ANDREA HARDENDIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

KEVIN D ROBINSONDIRECTOR

JODI JOHNSTON QUATROCHEDIRECTOR

LN HOPKINS MDDIRECTOR

MICHAEL LEE JOSEPHDIRECTOR

MONICA ANGLEDIRECTOR

NICOLE SWIFTDIRECTOR

NORTHRUP R KNOX JRDIRECTOR

PAMELA DINSMOREDIRECTOR

PETER FHUNTDIRECTOR

RACHEL STENCLIKDIRECTOR

ROBERT J BOJDAKDIRECTOR

ROBERTA S JOSEPHDIRECTOR

ROSCOE C HENDERSON IIIDIRECTOR

SUSAN OCONNOR BAIRDDIRECTOR

THOMAS R HYDEDIRECTOR

THURMAN THOMASDIRECTOR

WILL KERESZTES EDDDIRECTOR

FREDERICK G PIERCE IISECRETARY

ALICE F JACOBSPRESIDENT

AMY CAPPELLAZZODIRECTOR

ANN BONTEDIRECTOR

CARL GUSTAF EHRNROOTHDIRECTOR

CATHERINE B FOLEYVICE PRESIDENT

CHARLES W BANTADIRECTOR

CHRISTINE SABUDADIRECTOR

CHRISTOPHER J FEENEYASST. TREASURER

FRANCOIS ROCHONDIRECTOR

JONATHAN AMOIADIRECTOR

GRACE TATEDIRECTOR

HARRIS SCHWALBDIRECTOR

HELEN CAPPUCCINO MDDIRECTOR

JAMES W DERRICKDIRECTOR

JENNIFER BALBACHDIRECTOR

ADNAN H SIDDIQUI MDDIRECTOR

JODY B LIPPESDIRECTOR

JOHN R SANDERSONTREASURER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1940
Location: 1285 ELMWOOD AVENUE, BUFFALO, NY 14222
County: Erie
In care of: MELISSA ARENA CPA
Primary officer: MELISSA ARENA CPA, CFO

How to reach them

Phone(716) 882-8700

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: EFPR ADVISORY LLC
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A510)
IRS tax category: Fine Arts Schools