Boston 4 Celebrations Foundation Inc

Overview

Mission

To provide for public celebration, concert, and fireworks on july 4thin boston, viewed by thousands in person and through the media.

What it reported doing in 2024

The boston 4 celebrations returned to the charles river esplanade on july 4, 2025. Keith lockhart led the boston pops esplanade orchestra in the organization's joyous celebration of the country's independence at the hatch shell. Throughout the afternoon, the crowd at the esplanade swelled. An estimated 400,000 people enjoyed the concert. In 2025, keith lockhart marked his 30th year as the boston pops conductor. The boston pops esplanade orchestra was joined by headliners leeann rimes and leslie odom jr, boston's own bell biv devoe, the boston children's chorus, and the u.s. Army field band and chorus. The u.s. Army chorus sang the "star spangled banner" as well as a "salute to our armed forces." (continued in schedule o)the concert came to a conclusion with a performance of tchaikovsky's 1812 overture with live cannons followed by a half hour fireworks display that required a team of 20 people to design, engineer, load in 4,000 fireworks shells that lit up the sky.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 79% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043311403
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2023
Headquarters
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6176389215
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Commemorative Events

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 64
  • Accountability: 32
  • Sustainability: 11
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 95.6%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -78.6%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.18; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 8.33; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.3%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 95.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $3.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.3M · 4 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.3M reported
  • Consistency: 20 of 21 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • CHAD SMITH (PRESIDENT, TRUSTEE): $1,325,810 total reported compensation
  • PAUL ERIC KRAUSS (VICE-PRESIDENT): $362,808 total reported compensation
  • KATHERINE DECELLES (TREASURER, TRUSTEE): $238,190 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.