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ELY FOLK SCHOOL

EIN 47-2706626 ELY, MN

Revenue 2025
$306,322
Expenses 2025
$277,674

Program services were 64.9% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

As filed

Subsection
03
NTEE code
A20
Classification
1200
Street
209 E SHERIDAN ST

These codes are the IRS's own and are shown exactly as filed. What each one means is in the Business Master File documentation (opens in a new tab).

Mission and programs · 2025

Mission

Building community by providing learning experiences that celebrate the wilderness heritage art history culture and craft of the people of northern Minnesota.

Activities or mission (Part I)

Mission Statement: Building community by providing learning experiences that celebrate the wilderness heritage art history culture and craft of the people of northern Minnesota.

  • Ely Folk School classes offer intergenerational non-competitive learning for life opportunities to people of all backgrounds and abilities. Our organization holds firm to an early philosophical premise that education embrace heart mind and body. Our mission is to build community by providing learning experiences that celebrate the wilderness heritage art history culture and craft of the people of northern Minnesota. The Folk School movement is growing as is EFS with a desire to increase mutually beneficial connection between people and their places for a sense of belonging. EFS focuses most on arts programming with opportunities in ceramics; fiber arts; folk arts; humanities; metalworking; Northwoods crafting; nourishment; and music and writing all designed around EFS values of freedom intergenerational stewardship joy resilience wellness and connection. EFS fosters a culture of inclusion to serve as a welcoming and safe space for folks of all opinions beliefs cultures races gender expressions sexual orientations ages and abilities. EFS serves a broad rural community with 400 programs annually serving 1,700 students from across the state learning from 75 individual instructors. 61% of students register with an address from the Ely area and 87% of students reside in Minnesota. Students rediscover a love of learning and art and build strong relationships with others. These results are reinforced by responses to our evaluation surveys as well as by students returning to take more classes. Across our class evaluation surveys in 2025 less than 5% of students reported feeling somewhat satisfied or unsatisfied with the experience and outcomes of their class. One reported The instructor had the gift to instill confidence in our abilities during the making of the basket. She was very encouraging and she happily took as much time as we needed to demonstrate all the particular parts during the basket making process. It was a satisfying joyful feeling to make a basket. I found basket making to be a bit challenging but with the instructors encouragement she provided the resilience needed to persevere through the process. The Ely Folk School hosts classes across nine different program areas - Fiber Arts; Folk Arts; Humanities; Metalworking; Music Voice & Page; Northwoods Skills & Crafting; Nourishment; and Youth & Family. Nourishment Folk Arts and Northwoods Skills & Crafting are our biggest program areas offering classes such as Slovenian Walnut Potica Norwegian Rosemaling and Craft Your Own Wooden Paddle.

    Expenses $144,081 · Revenue $82,792

  • The Ely Folk School Mercantile promotes area artists by offering a downtown store front with consignment and wholesale options. The Ely Folk School Mercantile celebrates the rich history and inspiration found in the Northwoods by uplifting local teaching artists. Artwork is displayed attractively with information about how visitors can learn to make something similar themselves through classes with the Ely Folk School. Also found in the Mercantile are tools and resources for beginning or continuing a craft journey and education. The Mercantile seeks to promote and preserve exploration of craft as an essential and accessible piece of life.

    Expenses $16,714 · Revenue $16,029

  • Ely Folk School Community Events bring people together. Community Events often occur in conjunction with holidays as the culmination of a class series or in partnership with other active Ely area organizations. Our annual Thanksgiving Potluck seats over 100 people annually emphasizing the importance of sharing recognition and food in a healthy community. Our weekly Makers Morning offers coffee company and cookies as area artists bring their project to life at the Ely Folk School while receiving feedback and critique and developing new class ideas for the Ely Folk School. These events encourage well-being and connection while furthering the EFS mission of building community.

    Expenses $5,714 · Revenue $4,483

  • The Ely Folk School Ceramics Studio offers monthly memberships to a full-service ceramics studio. It was created to provide the space and equipment to allow clay artists and potters of all levels to explore their creativity and work in a supportive environment. Members receive 24 7 access to the space as well as monthly Studio Manager Office Hours. Many studio members have had success starting small businesses and selling their pottery. Our local studio managers manage the firing of the kiln and cleanliness safety of the space.

    Expenses $13,715 · Revenue $12,954

As filed on the 2025 return.

Officers and directors · 2025

As listed in Part VII of the 2025 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

  • Chris Clemens

    Board Treasurer

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    5

  • Sue Remes

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Ozzie Reif

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Rick Anderson

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Sarah Paro

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Lacey Squier

    Board Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    5

  • Jason Rabuck

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Rosa Oesterreich

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Steve Klar

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Lucy Soderstrom

    Executive Director

    Total calculated
    $44,706
    From this org
    $44,706
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • Kelly Cramer

    Board Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. Earlier years are each on their own filing page.

Filings

  • 2025
    Revenue
    $306,322
    Expenses
    $277,674
    Contributions
    $183,643
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2024
    Revenue
    $266,346
    Expenses
    $233,671
    Contributions
    $176,324
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2023
    Revenue
    $267,705
    Expenses
    $219,052
    Contributions
    $143,584
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2022
    Revenue
    $172,433
    Expenses
    $138,461
    Contributions
    $95,480
    Grants paid
    not reported

The four totals the IRS asks for on Part I of the Form 990, as filed. A dash means the figure was not present on the return — not that it was zero.

Other returns filed

  • 2021 · 990-EZ

    Revenue
    $139,259
    Expenses
    $116,887
    Assets (EOY)
    $76,029

  • 2020 · 990-EZ

    Revenue
    $77,439
    Expenses
    $81,554
    Assets (EOY)
    $55,215

  • 2019 · 990-EZ

    Revenue
    $99,159
    Expenses
    $95,470
    Assets (EOY)
    $37,108

  • 2018 · 990-EZ

    Revenue
    $104,067
    Expenses
    $97,004
    Assets (EOY)
    $35,247

  • 2017 · 990-EZ

    Revenue
    $96,439
    Expenses
    $100,745
    Assets (EOY)
    $27,969

  • 2016 · 990-EZ

    Revenue
    $94,477
    Expenses
    $91,840
    Assets (EOY)
    $34,594

Nonprofiteer parses Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, in a window of recent tax years. These returns are recorded from the IRS e-file index, so their figures were extracted by that index rather than read from the return here — treat them as a different source from the filings above, not as more of the same record. A dash means the index carries no figure; Form 990-T listings carry none at all.

Form 990-N e-Postcard, tax year 2015

Tax period
6 January 2015 to 31 December 2015
Principal officer
JOHN TANNER OTT
Mailing address
209 E Sheridan StreetEly MN 55731
Website
http://www.elyfolkschool.org/

As filed, from the IRS e-Postcard file of 19 October 2026. The IRS publishes only each organization's most recent postcard, so earlier years are not shown. A 990-N carries no financial detail. The postcard also gives the principal officer's address, which is not shown here.

Grants made

No itemized grants to organizations. Schedule I is filed only by organizations that granted more than $5,000 to a recipient, so most filers have none.

Grants received

Other IRS files

Auto-Revocation List

Not listed. The IRS publishes this list for organizations whose exemption was automatically revoked for failing to file for three consecutive years.

Publication 78

Listed as of 13 October 2026, under deductibility PC.

These are two separate IRS files on two separate schedules, shown as published and not reconciled with each other. Neither is a statement about whether a contribution is deductible today: 19,245 organizations appear in Publication 78 while the IRS's own revocation file lists them as currently revoked, more than half of those revoked before 2019. Absence from Publication 78 is evidence of nothing, and presence is not evidence either. Verify current status with the IRS before relying on it.

What this page reflects

The registration facts above come from the IRS Business Master File published 13 October 2026 and read 23 October 2026, for every organization at once. Returns through tax year 2025, the newest we have parsed for this organization.