Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Legal name: Dallas Symphony Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
750705442
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Dallas, TX, USA
Phone
214.849.4376
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Symphony Orchestras

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$49,294,908
Expenses
$52,258,160
Assets
$27,129,203
Liabilities
$23,411,616

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KIM NOLTEMY (fORMER PRESIDENT & CEO (6/24))
  • MICHELLE MILLER BURNS (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • ALEX KERR (MUSICIAN): $462,659 total reported compensation
  • SCOTT WALZEL (MUSICIAN/CONS. FOR COMM.DEV.): $364,552 total reported compensation
  • KIM NOLTEMY (fORMER PRESIDENT & CEO (6/24)): $318,156 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To inspire and connect our community through the power of music.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's mission statement is to inspire and change lives through musical excellence. It strives to be a key catalyst in making Dallas a world-class city and major cultural center with the DSO as a landmark. The DSO is ranked among the top American orchestras. The classical series, pops series and numerous events highlighting diversity in the city, along with youth concerts, number over 165 performances each year. As a community partner, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra sponsors the following programs: Community Connections (Free tickets distributed by social service agencies), Youth Strings (provides free instruments and music lessons to students), Young Musicians (provides free instruments and lessons for students at Dallas ISD sites across southern Dallas), Symphony Yes (provides musician ensembles to perform in area schools), DSO Kids (educational website for children and teachers), and MY DSO Concert (free concert for adults and children with autism and developmental disabilities). The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is a community of passionate music lovers making more music lovers.

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: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 67
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.7%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 77%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.86; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.7%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 81.7% of revenue deployed · 77% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 115 of 115 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $40.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $463K · 14 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 38 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 15 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.