Community Music Center

What it reported doing in 2024

Cmc offers free and low-cost private lessons, ensemble and theory classes, workshops, and community performances throughout the year and administers the largest tuition-assistance program of its kind in the country. Cmc features students, faculty, and guest artists in hundreds of concerts each year in the e.a. Michelson concert hall, a new recital hall, and in off-site venues throughout san francisco. -- in 2025, cmc served 3,558 unique students, an increase of 3% over fy2024. Their age groups were 1% 0-5, 35% 6-10, 37% 11-18, 18% 19-35, 13% 36-54, 17% 55-74, 9% 75-95, with 3% providing no age information. Those who identified their genders were 54% female, 42% male, 3% nonbinary/gender non-conforming/ genderqueer, and 1% transgender. Those who identified their ethnicities were >1% american indian, 17% asian, 5% black or african-american, 1% filipino, 34% hispanic or latinx, >1% middle eastern, 9% mixed heritage, >1% native hawaiian or pacific islander, and 34% white. -- cmc awarded almost $3 million in tuition assistance and accessible programming in response to financial aid applications from its growing student body and demand for places in tuition-free programs. In 2025, cmc's offerings to students of all ages were many and varied and developed in response to community needs: -- weekly private lessons in the student's choice of thirty instruments, including voice. -- ensemble and theory classes. -- the tuition-free young musicians program (ymp), a comprehensive music education program for middle and high school students developed in collaboration with the sfusd. -- the tuition-free children's chorus for children ages 8-12, led by beth wilmurt. -- the tuition-free teen jazz orchestra for ages 11-18, led by marcus shelby. -- the tuition-free neighborhood choir program, presented in partnership with 17 senior and community centers located throughout san francisco. -- the tuition-free new voices bay area tigq chorus. -- the tuition-free introduction to musical theater class for ages 11-14, in collaboration with pacific singers and actors workshop -- tuition-free intergenerational instrumental and vocal classes in partnership with mission neighborhood center -- cmc sparks: beginning group piano, guitar and strings classes for youngsters. -- summer music camps, including camp cmc, roots & rhythm, cmc mariachi camp, cmc sparks camp, chamber music camp, and the tuition-free musical theater camp. -- cmc teaching artists lead the san francisco unified school district's mariachi program, meeting a need for culturally-responsive music education and support other schools musical needs, working in 13 public schools. -- western classical, jazz, middle eastern, indian, old-time, and latin instrumental ensembles for adults; plus vocal ensembles in all styles. -- community performance opportunities: several in-person recitals each year. -- invitations to free concerts. -- collaborations with sfusd to provide the most vulnerable with access to high-quality music education. Cmc emphasizes diversity in ethnicities, genders, musical genres, curricula, and teachers, and a holistic, community-based, student-centered approach to arts education. Responsiveness to community needs, especially those of marginalized populations, has long been a hallmark of cmc's programming. Each of our tuition-free programs, from the children's chorus, teen jazz orchestra, and young musicians program to the older adult choir program, black music studies program, and new voices bay area tigq chorus, has been created and launched with the input and leadership of the community being served. People from these communities, women, bipoc and lgbtqi people serve on cmc's board, faculty, and staff. In particular, the black music studies program, now in its fourth year, has nearly doubled the number of black teaching artists employed by cmc. Community members are regularly sought out for expert advice and feedback. All of these efforts are framed by our ongoing diversity, equit

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 85.1%; rating input score 85
• Program expense ratio: 86.2%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $5.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 95.7%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 1.9%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.03; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.68; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings