Colorado Symphony Association
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 840511458
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Denver, CO, USA
- Phone
- 3037237876
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Symphony Orchestras
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $20,617,106
- Expenses
- $20,552,990
- Assets
- $17,151,382
- Liabilities
- $4,122,277
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
61 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DANIEL WACHTER- CO-VICE CHAIR ((AUG)/PRESIDENT & CEO (AS OF APR))
- MARK CANTRELL (PRESIDENT AND CEO (THRU APR '25))
Highest reported compensation
- PETER OUNDJIAN (PRIN. CONDUCTOR/EX-OFFICIO TRUSTEE): $385,000 total reported compensation
- MARK CANTRELL (PRESIDENT AND CEO (THRU APR '25)): $315,540 total reported compensation
- ANTHONY PIERCE (CHIEF ARTISTIC OFFICER): $185,649 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Colorado symphony association (csa) is a not-for-profit organization established to fund and operate the Colorado symphony orchestra for the enjoyment and benefit of the citizens of metropolitan denver and (cont'd on schedule o)(cont'd) the greater Colorado and rocky mountain regions. The Colorado symphony orchestra performs more than 100 classical, pops and family concerts each year; showcasing many of the world's finest musicians, conductors, and entertainers.
What it reported doing in 2024
The Colorado symphony association performs concerts normally benefiting over 250,000 patrons from the denver and tri-state areas and provides a performance platform to world-class musicians.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 85
- Accountability: 81
- Sustainability: 32
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 80.9%; rating input score 81
- Program expense ratio: 80.8%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $10.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 76%; rating input score 76; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.3%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.83; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.1%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -0.4% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 80.9% of revenue deployed · 80.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 38 of 50 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $16.6M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $385K · 61 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $1.1M reported
- Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 19 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 40/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.