SEWING LAB
Mission Statement
The Sewing Labs (TSL) recognizes that sewing is a transformative art. Through the act of sewing, individuals make a material change in the world. As sewing turns simple fabric into beautiful, functional pieces of clothing and art, it also creates new real-world conditions. The Sewing Labs uses sewing to transform lives, empowering individuals to harness the skill to earn employment, build resilience, and create community. TSL offers workforce development, job skills training, and job placement in the industrial sewing industry. Through its Sewing Salon Training Program, a 30-week apprenticeship, The Sewing Labs trains apprentices to become industrial sewing machine operators. The Program is a Registered Apprenticeship with the US & MO Department of Labor. Upon completing the program, apprentices receive an official certification and are linked directly to the job marketplace with site visits to active workrooms with sewing entrepreneurs and businesses in the Kansas City area. In recognition of art’s ability to improve mental health, The Sewing Labs offers art therapy classes. Lead instructor Robert Lackie, a licensed professional mental health psychotherapist and registered art therapist with over 20 years of experience, offers an art therapy experiential called, “Emotional Confetti.” Through this program, TSL strives to provide safe and meaningful creative experiences that can benefit individuals’ mental health. “Emotional Confetti” fits within a broader history of community traditions that have used sewing to organize, build relationships, raise awareness, grieve, heal, and produce products. Testimonials from past and present students report increased connections, transformation, and resiliency. The Sewing Labs serves as a hub for Kansas City sewists. It has a deeply engaged community of volunteers and students and offers a variety of sewing classes to students of all levels. These classes enable sewists to learn new skills and connect with a community.
Financial Overview — FY 2024
Compared with Peers
FY 2024| Ratio | This org | Peer median | Position (P10 → P90) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Program expense ratio
Program expenses / total expenses
· higher is better
|
59.0% | 89.3% |
P10P90
|
Bottom quarter |
|
Admin expense ratio
Management and general / total expenses
· lower is better
|
38.6% | 8.2% |
P10P90
|
Bottom quarter |
|
Fundraising expense ratio
Fundraising expenses / total expenses
· lower is better
|
2.4% | 0.0% |
P10P90
|
Bottom quarter |
|
Fundraising efficiency
Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income
· lower is better
|
103.8% | 2.5% |
P10P90
|
Bottom quarter |
|
Operating reserve
Months of expenses covered by net assets
· higher is better
|
15.8 mo | 9.3 mo |
P10P90
|
Above median |
|
Liabilities to assets
Total liabilities / total assets
· lower is better
|
17.9% | 0.3% |
P10P90
|
Bottom quarter |
|
Revenue concentration
Share of revenue from the largest source
· lower is better
|
94.4% | 89.4% |
P10P90
|
Below median |
|
Revenue growth
Year over year revenue growth
|
62.4% | 8.4% |
P10P90
|
|
|
Expense growth
Year over year expense growth
|
6.5% | 9.0% |
P10P90
|
|
|
Surplus margin
Surplus as a share of revenue
|
34.7% | 2.8% |
P10P90
|
Impact
2 programs| Outcome / Program | People Served | Cost / Service | # Completed | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improved individuals’ economic conditions (via Registered apprenticeship), & economic engine for KC | 36 | $5,000.00 | — | Per Year |
| . Studies have shown that art, including sewing, knitting, &embroidering, help improve mental health | 634 | $745.78 | — | Per Year |
Financial History
| Year | Revenue | Expenses | Net Assets | Program % | Staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $648K | $423K | $557K | 59.0% | 11 |
| 2023 | $399K | $397K | $333K | 37.6% | 12 |
| 2022 | $430K | $399K | $347K | 73.2% | 5 |
| 2021 | $594K | $279K | N/A | — | 4 |
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