Dallas Wind Symphony
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 752076805
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Dallas, TX, USA
- Phone
- 2145659483
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Symphony Orchestras
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $986,526
- Expenses
- $1,026,775
- Assets
- $736,314
- Liabilities
- $237,749
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- MICHELLE HALL (Executive Dir.): $85,140 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 Dallas Winds, a Grammy-nominated wind ensemble, stands as a cultural cornerstone of Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1985, the Dallas Winds has grown into one of the worlds premier wind bands, renowned for its extraordinary artistry and dedication to music education. The Dallas Winds mission is to brings extraordinary musicians and enthusiastic audiences together to celebrate American band music. The Vision of the Dallas Winds is to be a distinguished role model, whose artistry serves as the preeminent benchmark for instrumental ensembles worldwide by creating joyous, shared musical experiences for audiences and performers. While their performances dazzle audiences worldwide, their impact on the local community is profound and transformative.In addition to the nine concerts the Dallas Winds presents at the Meyerson each year, the Dallas Winds hosts special concerts tailored to fifth-grade students within DISD, offering many of these young individuals their first exposure to live, high-cal
What it reported doing in 2024
Youth and adult education is woven into every aspect of the Dallas Wind Symphonys live performances, reaching thousands of concert attendees each year. Its youth and adult education programs impact tens of thousands of youth and adults locally and regionally, while its media content in the form of audio recordings, livestreamed events, and video recordings educate and inspire millions of listeners and viewers comprised of all ages and cultures locally, nationally and around the world.
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
STRONG - 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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 74
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 30
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 81.8%; rating input score 82
- Program expense ratio: 78.5%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.4 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: -4.1%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.72; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.3%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.4% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 81.8% of revenue deployed · 78.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $806K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $85K · 16 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 26/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.