2024-11-04T09:36:45-07:00 2023-12-31 262176601 EASY OFFICE DBA JITASA 1120 S RACKHAM WAY SUITE 300 MERIDIAN ID 83642 990 2023-01-01 274651878 HOPE ON A STRING HOPE 6464694114 88 KING STREET READING MA 01867 STACIE KOSINSKI BOARD CO-CHAIR 6464694114 2024-11-04 1 1 JEREMY CORK P01544850 2082874777 2024-11-04 2023 2024-10-15 13:58:12Z X STACIE KOSINSKI 88 KING STREET READING MA 01867 295811 0 X www.hopeonastring.org X 2011 NY WE SEEK TO FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT OF SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN HAITI THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN MUSIC. MUSIC IS A KEY PILLAR OF HAITIAN CULTURE, SERVING NOT ONLY AS AN EMOTIONAL OUTLET AND A HEALING MECHANISM FOR INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES BUT ALSO AS A UNIVERSALLY-ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE FOR GALVANIZING COMMUNITY UNITY. WE BELIEVE IN BUILDING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN MUSIC AND FACILITATING SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY-DRIVEN INITIATIVES. IN OUR MODEL, MUSIC EXCELLENCE IN INDIVIDUALS IS A POTENTIAL BY-PRODUCT OF OUR ULTIMATE GOAL: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN SOCIAL ISSUES. 9 8 1 8 0 0 613770 284110 5753 4231 41 65 453 7405 620017 295811 0 0 0 0 67321 79650 0 0 18809 461355 519287 528676 598937 91341 -303126 511873 222775 13663 16654 498210 206121 HOPE ON A STRING IS A NON-PROFIT, GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT SEEKS TO FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT OF SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN HAITI THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN MUSIC. 0 0 506548 0 4231 HOPE ON A STRING (HOAS) RUNS TWO KEY PROGRAMS IN THE ARCHAIAE REGION. THE COMMUNITY CENTER OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF PERFORMING ARTS CLASSES IN MUSIC, DANCE, AND THEATER, PRIORITIZING LOCAL YOUTH BUT OPEN TO ALL. THE CENTER ALSO SERVES AS A SPACE FOR COMMUNITY DIALOGUE, SKILL-BUILDING, AND GROUP ACTIVITIES. THE SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WORKS WITH OVER 44 SCHOOLS, PROVIDING MORE THAN 4,000 STUDENTS WITH AT LEAST THREE HOURS OF MUSIC AND CULTURAL EDUCATION WEEKLY. THIS PROGRAM OFFERS TRAINED INSTRUCTORS AND RESOURCES, ENRICHING STUDENTS' EDUCATION AND SUPPORTING THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM. 10425 0 0 OTHER PROGRAMS 10425 0 0 516973 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 1 1 1 0 1 HA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 9 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 MA NY X X EASY OFFICE DBA JITASA 2082874777 1120 S RACKHAM WAY SUITE 300 MERIDIAN ID 83642 VALERIE NOISETTE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 X X 71135 0 0 STACIE KOSINSKI CO-CHAIR 1 X X 0 0 0 EDWARD FAUSTIN CO-CHAIR 1 X X 0 0 0 JANET CORNELL SECRETARY 1 X X 0 0 0 CASSANDRO JOSENEY TREASURER 1 X 0 0 0 BENNETT RATHBUN BOARD MEMBER 1 X 0 0 0 PIERRE IMBERT BOARD MEMBER 1 X 0 0 0 BETH BLAZICK BOARD MEMBER 1 X 0 0 0 CHERIE ABBANAT BOARD MEMBER 1 X 0 0 0 71135 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284110 0 284110 MUSICAL PERFORMANCE 900099 4231 4231 0 0 0 0 0 0 4231 65 0 0 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE 900099 7405 7405 0 0 0 0 0 0 7405 295811 11636 0 65 X 71135 54145 5663 11327 3924 3924 4591 4591 2701 2701 33968 33968 103333 99767 1902 1664 1604 204 1400 43683 40507 3176 0 34013 31986 2027 14757 14757 80209 80209 9904 9904 15082 15082 731 731 HAITI STAFF 108188 108188 0 0 INSTRUMENTS AND PERFORMANCE 48963 44610 0 4353 BOOKS, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND REFERENCES 22151 21480 606 65 598937 516973 63155 18809 170694 165682 274320 6862 1549 118044 68362 64764 49682 546 549 511873 222775 13663 16654 0 13663 16654 X 498210 206121 0 0 498210 206121 511873 222775 -303126 0 11037 0 0 0 X 0 1 X 0 0 X 727299 647206 231001 613770 284112 2503388 727299 647206 231001 613770 284112 2503388 1828681 674707 86 44 35 41 65 271 3168 33 453 0 3654 2507313 31436 0.26910 0.25677 X HOPE ON A STRING IS ORGANIZED AND OPERATED TO ATTRACT NEW AND ADDITIONAL PUBLIC AND GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS BOTH IN THE UNITED STATES AND IN HAITI. HOPE ON A STRING WAS FOUNDED IN 2011 TO EMPOWER YOUTH AND COMMUNITIES IN HAITI USING THE UNIVERSAL POWER OF MUSIC AND THE ARTS. HOPE ON A STRING'S IMPACT HAS GROWN OVER THE YEARS TO REACH NEARLY 4,500 YOUTH PER YEAR IN THE ARCAHAIE REGION OF HAITI AND SUPPORTS 44 SCHOOLS. HOPE ON A STRING'S MISSION HAS ATTRACTED FUNDS FROM LARGE DONOR ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS THE W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION, THE WAGNER FOUNDATION, AND NEWMAN'S OWN FOUNDATION, AMONG OTHERS, AND IMPORTANTLY, INDIVIDUAL DONORS LARGE AND SMALL, TOO. HOPE ON A STRING HAS RECEIVED MORE THAN 33.68% PERCENT OF ITS INCOME FROM PUBLIC SUPPORT OVER THE LAST 6 YEARS IT HAS OPERATED. ONLY VERY RECENTLY HAS HOPE ON A STRING HAS NOT PASSED THE PUBLIC SUPPORT TEST. THE BELOW FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES PROVIDE MORE EXPLANATION FOR THIS SITUATION, INCLUDING MULTIPLE EXOGENOUS EVENTS IN BOTH THE UNITED STATES (PANDEMIC) AND HAITI (PANDEMIC, CIVIL UNREST, EARTHQUAKE, AND HURRICANES). FAVORABLE FACTORS 1. PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR HOPE ON A STRING, WHILE BELOW 33 1/3 FOR 2021, IS STILL WELL-IN-EXCESS OF THE 10 PERCENT BENCHMARK. AS SHOWN BELOW, HOPE ON A STRING'S PUBLIC SUPPORT HAS REMAINED STEADILY ABOVE 33 AND 1/3 OVER THE YEARS. ONLY RECENTLY, DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THE CONTROL OF HOPE ON A STRING, HAS PUBLIC SUPPORT DIPPED BELOW THE 33 1/3 THRESHOLD: 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 40.24% 36.3% 34.41% 29.02% 24.13% 23.48% 2. HOPE ON A STRING HAS OPERATED IN HAITI FOR OVER 10 YEARS AND HAS GROWN ITS OUTREACH STEADILY IN THE ARCAHAIE COMMUNITY IN HAITI TO SERVE OVER 15,000 CHILDREN AND ADULTS (CUMULATIVE). HOPE ON A STRING RECEIVES BROAD SUPPORT FROM A REPRESENTATIVE NUMBER OF DONORS LARGE AND SMALL, FOUNDATIONS, SPONSORSHIPS, AND COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS. SPECIFICALLY, HOPE ON A STRING RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM THE W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION, A PRIVATE FOUNDATION THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT TO ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY OF HAITI. HOPE ON A STRING ALSO RECEIVES A NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT ANNUAL GIFTS FROM PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL DONORS. IN TERMS OF SMALL DONORS, HOPE ON A STRING TYPICALLY RECEIVES ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM A DONOR BASE IN EXCESS OF 100-150 PEOPLE PER YEAR. 3. HOPE ON A STRING'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS A GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL INDIVIDUALS THAT IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE INTERESTS SERVED BY HOPE ON A STRING. HOPE ON A STRING HAS 12 TALENTED PROFESSIONALS ON ITS BOARD, ATTORNEYS, BUILDERS, PROFESSORS, NONPROFIT LEADERS, COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS, DOCTORS, ARCHITECTS, STUDENTS, AND CONSULTANTS. ONLY TWO OF THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE RELATED BY MARRIAGE; A MARRIAGE THAT WAS BORN OUT OF SITTING ON THE HOPE ON A STRING BOARD TOGETHER. HOPE ON A STRING HAS BEEN ABLE TO ATTRACT SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE HAITIAN-AMERICAN, WHO UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND SITUATION OF HAITI, AND WHO ARE DEDICATED TO THE MISSION OF HOPE ON A STRING TO BRING ARTS TO EDUCATION IN HAITI. 4. THE FACILITIES OF HOPE ON A STRING IN HAITI, THE COMMUNITY CENTER, AND THE ARTS IN EDUCATION PROGRAM, ARE OPERATED FOR THE DIRECT BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY IN THE ARCAHAIE REGION IN HAITI. THESE FACILITIES SERVE THE PUBLIC AND HAVE SET OPEN HOURS TO THE PUBLIC, ASSUMING THAT CIVIL UNREST AND PANDEMIC THREATS ARE NOT ESCALATING. SPECIFICALLY, HOPE ON A STRING STUDENTS PERFORM REGULARLY-SCHEDULED PERFORMANCES - MUSIC, ART, AND THEATER - THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 5. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ARCAHAIE REGION REGULARLY INVITE HOPE ON A STING PERFORMERS TO COMMUNITY EVENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, COMMUNITY LEADERS WILL OFTEN ASK HOPE ON A STRING PLAYERS TO SING OR PLAY AT COMMUNITY EVENTS. BECAUSE OF THE EXTREME LEVEL OF POVERTY IN HAITI AND THE LACK OF FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS IN HAITI, COMMUNITY LEADERS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PAY FOR HOPE ON A STRING PLAYERS SERVICES, OR OFFER CASH TO SUPPORT HOPE ON A STRING PROGRAMS, BUT WILL PROVIDE NON-MONETARY SUPPORT FOR HOPE ON A STRING PROGRAMS, INCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS, COMMUNITY PUBLICITY AND ENGAGEMENT, AND COLLABORATION/PARTNERSHIP ON KEY LOCAL INITIATIVES. 6. HOPE ON A STRING MAINTAINS CONTINUOUS PROGRAMMING OF ARTS IN EDUCATION SUPPORT AT ITS COMMUNITY CENTER AND IN OVER 50 SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. HOPE ON A STRING SENDS TEACHERS TO ALL OF ITS PARTNER SCHOOLS WEEKLY, SUPPLIES SCHOOLS WITH INSTRUMENTS, AND SETS UP SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PERFORMANCES ON A WEEKLY BASIS. HOPE ON A STRING HAS ALSO BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN PLACING ITS STUDENTS IN PAID CONTRACTUAL POSITIONS IN HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS AROUND HAITI. 7. HOPE ON A STRING IS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE COMMUNITY OF ARCAHAIE. THE W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION, ONE OF HOPE ON A STRING'S LARGEST FUNDERS, SUPPORTS MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COUNTRY OF HAITI AND IN THE REGION OF ARCAHAIE AND CONSIDERS AND RELIES ON HOPE ON A STRING TO BE A STRONG LEADER IN THE REGION. 8. HOPE ON A STRING PARTNERS WITH 44 SCHOOLS AND MANY SMALL COMMUNITIES IN THE ARCAHAIE REGION; A DISTINCT, SUCCESSFUL, AND GROWING PORTFOLIO OF COMMUNITY WORK. HOPE ON A STRING PARTNERS WITH SCHOOLS THAT ARE ABLE TO COMMIT TO MAKING THEIR STUDENTS AVAILABLE FOR MUSIC/ARTS CLASSES, SOME LEVEL OF LOGISTICAL COORDINATION, AND SHARED LEARNING ON HOAS' IMPACT AGENDA. WHILE PARTNER SCHOOLS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PAY DUES TO HOPE ON A STRING, BECAUSE MANY OF THESE SCHOOLS ARE EXTREMELY POOR, MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS ARE REQUIRED TO COLLABORATE. WHEN HOPE ON A STRING PARTNERS WITH A COMMUNITY SCHOOL, WE FOUND THE SCHOOLS' MEMBERSHIP JUMPS, AS PARENTS OF THE CHILDREN AT THESE SCHOOLS WANT TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOLS THAT OFFER HOPE ON A STRING'S ARTS IN EDUCATION PROGRAM AND METHOD. HOPE ON A STRING'S SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM HAS GROWN MORE THAN ANTICIPATED OVER THE YEARS. IN FACT, HOPE ON A STRING CAN BARELY KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR TEACHERS, INSTRUMENTS, AND PERFORMANCE EVENTS, EVEN DURING THIS TIME OF PANDEMIC AND CIVIL UNREST. HOPE ON A STRING'S ACTIVITIES APPEAL TO A BROAD SWATH OF THE COMMUNITY - PARENTS, STUDENTS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND LOCAL BUSINESSES (HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS). 9. OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THE SITUATION IN HAITI HAS BEEN EXTREMELY VOLATILE DUE TO RISING INSECURITY. MANY LARGE DONORS (EU, USAID FOR EXAMPLE) HAVE HALTED OR MINIMIZED THEIR OPERATIONS DUE TO SECURITY REASONS. THE NUMBER OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC FUNDING HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED FROM PRIOR YEARS AS MANY DONORS HAVE BEEN CAUTIOUS TO CONTINUE FULL ACTIVITIES IN THE COUNTRY GIVEN THE CURRENT CONTEXT. SINCE THE ASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT, THE ECONOMY HAS SEVERELY SUFFERED, GAS PRICES HAVE DRASTICALLY INCREASED, THE GOURDES HAS LOST A LOT OF ITS VALUE, FOOD PRICES HAVE RISEN, AND THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN KIDNAPPINGS MAKING OPERATIONS EXTREMELY CHALLENGING. Schedule A, Part II, Line 10 MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 41246 16183 25063 0 22798 8624 14174 0 54000 43555 10445 49682 306847 0 11036 0 0 11036 295811 0 0 0 295811 598937 0 0 0 0 0 598937 0 0 0 598937 Central America and the Caribbean 1 55 Program Services MUSIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY IN MUSIC AS A FORM OF EXPRESSION TO STRENGTHEN THE HAITIAN PEOPLE AND SUSTAIN THEIR HOPE. THE MUSIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY WITH A MUSIC LIBRARY (RECORDING AND EDUCATION MATERIAL), AN INSTRUMENT LIBRARY, BASIC MUSIC CLASSES, INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTION CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS, MUSIC MENTORSHIP, AND A VENUE FOR IMPROMPTU AND ORGANIZED MUSIC PERFORMANCES. 465615 1 55 465615 0 0 0 0 0 0 Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 2 ENNET RATHBUN IS JANET CORNELL'S SECOND COUSIN. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b THE BOARD TAKES MINUTES OF EACH MEETING, CIRCULATES THEM FOR REVIEW, AND APPROVE THEM AT SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c BOARD DISCLOSES ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS ANNUALLY. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 THE RESPONSIBILITIES WERE SPLIT BETWEEN BOARD MEMBERS. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 THE GOVERNING DOCUMENTS AND ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE VIA THE ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE. THE 990'S CAN BE FOUND ON THE GUIDESTAR.ORG AND IRS.GOV WEBSITE. Form 990, Part IX, Line 11g OTHER FEES.