South Carolina · Nonprofit
LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE
LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE (South Carolina) receives grants from 8 organizations whose IRS filings report $4,513,768 to it, the largest being DARLA MOORE AND RICHARD RAINWATER FOUNDATION ($3,811,393). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $2.8M
- Funders on record
- 8
- Grants received
- $4.5M
- Net assets
- $2.2M
What Lake City Creative Alliance does
Mission
The mission of the organization is to foster a culturally-rich environment in the region and to serve as a leader in the cultivation and enhancement of the region's creative economy by creating, sponsoring, or promoting programs that connect the community through the arts, music, history and culture of the region; advance the conservation, preservation, and promotion of the region's artistic, musical, cultural and historic resources; offer community outreach programs that provide assistance to economically disadvantaged members of the community; host community events and festivals; integrate the arts, music, history and culture of the region into the community's schools and education system; increase tourism and provide tourism based initiatives; and positively impact the quality of life for all citizens in the greater lake city area through the arts and social programs.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
During 2024, lcca continued to develop annual events. Artfields festival and competition was held in 2024, the art explorer classes were held in person, and hometown holidays was held in december. The studios on acline were completed and studios were rented by various artists and artist exhibitions were on exhibit there.
$1,452,375 spent$171,733 earned by the program63% of program spendingOutreachthe community outreach program focused on food and clothing distribution. Lcca held diaper day(s) monthly throughout the year, college care baskets were provided for students going off to college who qualified for the assistance through the center. A backpack event was held in late summer providing backpacks and school supplies to children.santa's workshop toys were collected throughout the year and given out in december to families at the resource center. Repack the backpack- the resource center partnered with outside organizations to provide school supplies for children. Soles for souls-purchased a new pair of shoes for school age children partnered with shoe show in lake city.community baby shower- various baby items were provided for those in need at the community babyshower.thanksgiving baskets were provided filled with fixings for thanksgiving dinner were given out in november.resource centerhosted a drive thru event and distributed aluminum bakeware.the community garden continued to grow in 2024. Produce planted was given out to the community. The resource hosted a number of classes to the public involving gardening tips, food preparation and storing. The resource…
$100,299 spent$12,488 earned by the program4% of program spendingLynches lake historical society- museum dedicated to the history of the pee dee region and revolutionary war. Held pee dee back country day in the spring and in the fall of the year. Llhs was able to host its monthly history fields lecture in person in 2024. Lchs published and mailed out the gazette (newsletter) quarterly in 2024.
$74,536 spent$2,350 earned by the program3% of program spendingJones-carter gallery is a state-of-the-art exhibition gallery owned and operated by Lake City Creative Alliance in lake city, south carolina. The gallery hosts several exhibitions throughout the year featuring exhibits from local to international artists. The gallery offers group tours, lectures, visiting art presentations, workshops, activities for families, and community events based on current exhibits. The exhibitions are free to the public. Trax vac:jones-carter is a state-of-the-art exhibition gallery owned and operated by Lake City Creative Alliance in lake city, south carolina. The gallery hosts several exhibitions throughout the year featuring exhibits from local to international artists. The gallery offers group tours, lectures, visiting art presentations, workships, activities for families, and community events based on current exhibits. The exhibitions are free to the public.trax vac- this is a visual art center that incldes two large gallery spaces and a sculpture garden.in 2024, jones-carter and trax each held a few exhibits during the year.lcc operates the main street merchantile. The merchantile moved to a new location in 2024.
$666,979 spent29% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $2,294,189.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2018 to 2019, from $589k to $3.3M (+462%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 60%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
86% of LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (63% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 3 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Harry Lesesne
Executive director
Board chair
Lee Nettles
Chairman
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 4 funders, grant income rose $560k → $2.0M.
2 of 8 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 13% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE leans on a few funders — its largest provides 84% of grant income and the top three 98%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2019 86% · 2020 86% · 2021 100% · 2022 99% · 2023 97% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
25% of LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE's funders are still giving 2 years after their first grant; 63% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
100% of LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE's grant income comes from South Carolina funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $593k arriving through sponsors registered in 2 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 5,136 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 5,136 arts & culture nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In South Carolina
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
86% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
54%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE?
- LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE (South Carolina) receives grants from 8 organizations whose IRS filings report $4,513,768 to it, the largest being DARLA MOORE AND RICHARD RAINWATER FOUNDATION ($3,811,393). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE have?
- IRS filings report 8 organizations giving $4,513,768 in grants to LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE, 5 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE?
- DARLA MOORE AND RICHARD RAINWATER FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $3,811,393 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like LAKE CITY CREATIVE ALLIANCE find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in South Carolina. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Lake City Creative Alliance →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 8 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing