Arts, Culture & Humanities
(A650)
IRS Verified
DX Registered
990 on File
CITY LIT THEATRE COMPANY
Financial strength (30%)
73/100
Reliability (20%)
82/100
Effectiveness (25%)
87/100
Impact (25%)
No data yet
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29
CharityAI™ Score
out of 100
Mission Statement
City Lit Theater (founded 1979) is Chicago’s eighth-oldest theatre company and the first in the U.S. devoted to stage adaptations of literary work. Now in our 45th season with a ~$200,000 budget, we bring fiction, poetry, memoir, essays, and drama to life in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, where we’ve been based for 25+ years (1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave). City Lit is a 501(c)(3) and relies on donors to keep tickets affordable.
Financial Overview — FY 2025
$230K
Total Revenue
$231K
Total Expenses
$31K
Net Assets
3
Employees
Revenue Sources
Expense Breakdown
Program Expense Ratio
76.3%
Fundraising Efficiency
74.9%
Operating Reserve
1.63x
Liability-to-Asset
7.7%
Revenue Diversification
60.3%
Executive Compensation
$33K
Compared with Peers
FY 2025
Compared with 7,068 similar organizations
(United States, Arts, Culture & Humanities, $100K–$1M in expenses), FY 2025.
This organization
Middle half of peers (P25–P75)
Peer median
| Ratio | This org | Peer median | Position (P10 → P90) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Program expense ratio
Program expenses / total expenses
· higher is better
|
76.3% | 81.9% |
P10P90
|
Below median |
|
Admin expense ratio
Management and general / total expenses
· lower is better
|
20.5% | 13.7% |
P10P90
|
Below median |
|
Fundraising expense ratio
Fundraising expenses / total expenses
· lower is better
|
3.2% | 0.0% |
P10P90
|
Below median |
|
Fundraising efficiency
Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income
· lower is better
|
74.9% | 27.4% |
P10P90
|
Below median |
|
Operating reserve
Months of expenses covered by net assets
· higher is better
|
1.6 mo | 9.4 mo |
P10P90
|
Bottom quarter |
|
Liabilities to assets
Total liabilities / total assets
· lower is better
|
7.7% | 1.5% |
P10P90
|
Below median |
|
Revenue concentration
Share of revenue from the largest source
· lower is better
|
60.3% | 77.2% |
P10P90
|
Top quarter |
|
Revenue growth
Year over year revenue growth
|
-5.8% | 6.7% |
P10P90
|
|
|
Expense growth
Year over year expense growth
|
-8.4% | 5.9% |
P10P90
|
|
|
Surplus margin
Surplus as a share of revenue
|
-0.3% | 2.4% |
P10P90
|
CharityAI™ Evaluation — 2025
29 / 1000
Financial
82
Reliability
42
Effectiveness
10
Impact
Financial Strength (30%)
0
Reliability & Transparency (20%)
82
Program Effectiveness (25%)
42
Impact & Outcomes (25%)
10
0 programs
IRS Verified Form 990 on File 90% Data Complete
Financial History
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net Assets | Program % | Staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $230K | $231K | $31K | 76.3% | 3 |
| 2024 | $245K | $252K | $32K | 79.2% | 3 |
| 2023 | $206K | $270K | $40K | 81.0% | 3 |
| 2022 | $252K | $210K | $104K | 88.2% | 1 |
| 2021 | $329K | $144K | N/A | — | 1 |
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