THE VIRGINIA ARTS FESTIVAL INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE VIRGINIA ARTS FESTIVAL INC

EIN 54-1786140 · Arts, Culture & Humanities N.E.C. (A99)

What they do

THE MISSION of THE VIRGINIA ARTS FESTIVAL is to BRING WORLD-CLASS PERFORMING ARTS to OUR CITIZENS and VISITORS, IMPACT THE LIVES of STUDENTS THROUGH OUTSTANDING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, COMMISSION NEW WORKS of NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE, and MAKE A TANGIBLE DIFFERENCE IN HAMPTON ROADS THROUGH REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS and CULTURAL TOURISM.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $79.20 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 leaders31 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

50.30%of revenue went to mission work79.2% of expenses · Program services

5.64%of revenue went to fundraising8.9% of expenses

$63.50spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

7.56%of revenue went to management and office costs11.9% of expenses

$5.42in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

80.6%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.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $282,408 for ROBERT W CROSS (EXECUTIVE 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$19,485,044

Mission workProgram services$9,800,45550.30% of revenue79.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,473,4297.56% of revenue11.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$1,098,2885.64% of revenue8.9% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$7,112,87236.50% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$12,372,17263.50% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

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: 79.2% mission · 11.9% management · 8.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 63.50% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 75.7% mission · 15.2% management · 9.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 63.75% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 77.4% mission · 13.7% management · 8.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.59% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 77.8% mission · 13.0% management · 9.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 73.71% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 67.8% mission · 18.5% management · 13.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 45.32% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 58.9% mission · 21.8% management · 19.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.43% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 74.8% mission · 14.5% management · 10.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 85.12% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 75.7% mission · 14.3% management · 10.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 68.96% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$19,485,044

Expenses$12,372,172

Annual surplus $7,112,872 Revenue was higher than expenses 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)$9,800,455 · 79.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,473,429 · 11.9% of expenses

Fundraising$1,098,288 · 8.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$19,485,044

Expenses$12,372,172

Assets$67,022,063

Income$28,542,967

Contributions$15,703,867

Mission work (program services)$9,800,455

Fundraising$1,098,288

Management and general$1,473,429

Stocks and bonds$45,325,562

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

ROBERT W CROSSEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $282,408Base $255,375 · Other $27,033

J SCOTT JACKSONGENERAL MANAGER · 40 hrs/week $262,030Base $226,032 · Other $35,998

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 (31)

ROBERT W CROSSEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

J SCOTT JACKSONGENERAL MANAGER

KELLY TILLBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

WAYNE F WILBANKSBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

TONY BROTHERSBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

THOMAS V RUEGERBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

SIMON SCOTT IIIBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

ROBERT M BOYDBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

PAUL D FRAIMBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

NAOMI MUELLNERBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

MAXINE HUMPHREY ADAMSBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

MAURICE A JONESBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

MARTHA GOODEBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

LISA F CHANDLERBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

LESLIE E DOYLEBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

LAUREN SPARKSBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

L PAIGE PERRYBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

AIMEE C BATTENBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

KATHERINE WYNNEBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

JOSEPH HEARSTBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

JOHN FIELDBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

JAMES M LAVIER IIIBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

JAMES A HIXONBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

HOWARD GORDON ESQBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

EDITH G GRANDYBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

DR MARCIA CONSTONBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

DAVID M DELPIERRE ESQBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

CONNIE JACOBSONBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

CLAY H BARRBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

BURRELL SAUNDERSBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

BERT SCHMIDTBOARD MEMBER/TRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1996
Location: 440 BANK ST, NORFOLK, VA 23510-2401
County: Norfolk (city)
In care of: % MAGGIE LIBBY
Primary officer: ROBERT W CROSS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@vafest.org Phone(757) 282-2800

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BDO USA
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities N.E.C. (A99)
IRS tax category: Arts, Culture & Humanities N.E.C.