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Peoples Light & Theatre Co

People's light, a cultural and civic center with theatre at its core, invites and creates opportunities for diverse communities to discover and celebrate our shared humanity

The People's Light & Theatre Company

Arts & Culture Malvern, PA EIN: 237313407 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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77
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
77/100 · methodology

About Peoples Light & Theatre Co

People’s Light in Chester County is one of Pennsylvania’s largest professional non-profit theatres, known for our resident artists, eclectic productions, and innovative work in education.

Founded
Headquarters
Malvern, PA
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
A65Z
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
large

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1975

Mission

People's light, a cultural and civic center with theatre at its core, invites and creates opportunities for diverse communities to discover and celebrate our shared humanity

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar arts & culture in United States
Program spending This charity: 49%
Peer average: 75%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 3.92%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 77
Peer average: 90

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for IRS revocation history, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

Where every $1 goes

· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)
$0.49
Program$0.49

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Peoples Light & Theatre Co has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.

  • GiveRadar has verified more about this organization than about 87% of the 133,127 arts & culture charities in the United States it tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
  • By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 87% of the 55,580 arts & culture charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
  • Established in 1974, it predates 78% of the arts & culture charities in the United States GiveRadar has a founding year for. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (5 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a donation page
  • third-party accreditation
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • a contact email
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Peoples Light & Theatre Co is a registered arts & culture nonprofit based in Malvern, PA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1974 and has been operating for 52 years. Its EIN is 237313407. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 77/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $5M in annual revenue. 134 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Peoples Light & Theatre Co's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 237313407. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.

Peoples Light & Theatre Co has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 77/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 77 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for arts & culture charities in United States is 90/100.

Peoples Light & Theatre Co is located in Malvern, PA, United States. The organization was established in 1974 and has been active for 52 years.

Based on official tax filings, Peoples Light & Theatre Co has $5M in annual revenue. It allocates 49% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 75% for arts & culture charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Peoples Light & Theatre Co is classified as an Arts & Culture organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $5M in annual revenue. The organization has 134 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Peoples Light & Theatre Co. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, Peoples Light & Theatre Co holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 49% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 75%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

People’s Light in Chester County is one of Pennsylvania’s largest professional non-profit theatres, known for our resident artists, eclectic productions, and innovative work in education. Peoples Light & Theatre Co is classified as an arts & culture organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1974.

Among arts & culture charities registered in United States: It allocates 49% of expenses to programs, below the peer average of 75%. Its annual revenue of $5M is well above the peer average of $1M.

Yes, donations to Peoples Light & Theatre Co are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Peoples Light & Theatre Co is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 237313407, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Annual revenue
$1M-$10M
49% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
199

Leadership

From FY2024 filing

ZA
Zak B••••••
Producing Artistic Director

Officers & trustees (25)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

25 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$5.1M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Form filed
$4.4M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
Form filed
$6.6M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$2.6M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$7.2M revenue
FY2020
IRS 990

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Cause areas in United States

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Human Services 322,679
Education 195,586
Arts & Culture this charity 133,128
Advocacy & Civil Rights 128,026
Religion 114,636
Health 98,862
Community Development 56,086
Youth Development 53,450
See all cause areas in United States

Most common causes in United States

Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.

Community Development 235,146
Education 159,016
Religion 103,741
Arts & Culture 101,203
Human Rights 76,926
Health 65,250
Youth Development 47,775
Animal Welfare 32,425

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 134 disclosed in the public registry.
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 10
  • Financial data · FY2024 on record
  • Named leadership · 134 officers on file
  • Executive pay · Disclosed
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Tax-deductibility · Verified
  • Founding date · 1974
Not available · 1
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about Peoples Light & Theatre Co

What is Peoples Light & Theatre Co?
Peoples Light & Theatre Co is a arts & culture publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Malvern, United States. People’s Light in Chester County is one of Pennsylvania’s largest professional non-profit theatres, known for our resident artists, eclectic productions, and innovative work in education.
When was Peoples Light & Theatre Co founded?
Peoples Light & Theatre Co was founded in 1974.
Who leads Peoples Light & Theatre Co?
Zak Berkman serves as Producing Artistic Director.
Where is Peoples Light & Theatre Co located?
Headquartered in Malvern, PA, United States.
What is Peoples Light & Theatre Co's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $1M-$10M. 49% of expenses go to program services.
Is Peoples Light & Theatre Co trustworthy?
Peoples Light & Theatre Co has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 77 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Peoples Light & Theatre Co's registration number?
IRS EIN: 237313407.
What is Peoples Light & Theatre Co's website?
http://www.peopleslight.org