Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center Lucy Moses School for Music and Dance

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
131991118
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2125013303
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Performing Arts Schools

Reported finances

Revenue
$14,964,748
Expenses
$11,379,764
Assets
$33,448,214
Liabilities
$1,448,376

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

Leadership & pay

50 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BETHANY MILLARD (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • CATHY WHITE O'ROURKE (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • IRVING SITNICK (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • SHAHRIAR RAFIMAYERI (PRESIDENT)
  • ANTHONY MAZZOCCHI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (EFF. 07/25))
  • KATE SHEERAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (OUTGOING))

Highest reported compensation

  • EMILY M GRANT (CAO, CO INTERIM ED (07/24 - 06/25)): $221,904 total reported compensation
  • IGAL KESSELMAN (DIR. LMS, CO INT. ED (07/24 - 06/25)): $219,135 total reported compensation
  • JONATHAN SLAWSON (CHIEF DEV OFFICER): $207,295 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Kaufman music center stimulates appreciation of and participation in music through music performance and education in ways that awaken creativity, advance innovation, and create a sense of wonder among performers, students, teachers, and the public at large. We believe music is essential to the human experience and a vital component of education for everyone.

What it reported doing in 2024

Merkin hall is renowned for its innovative and diverse programming -- from experimental new works to classical concerts to broadway show tunes and family musicals. Its near perfect acoustics allow for the intimacy of chamber music and large orchestral works to enlightening dialogues between artists and audience. Kaufman music center's presentations include: the artist as curator series, which focuses on musical collaborations across genres that are unexpected, bold and experimental; tuesday matinees, which feature the brightest rising stars in the classical music scene; the broadway close-up series which treats audiences to an insider's view of the musical theater world; what makes it great with rob kapilow, which unravels and explores musical masterpieces with host, performers and audiences asking and finding out: what makes great music great? These flagship series are a natural fit for the center's dual roles in music education and performance.

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 98% 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.4%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 85.5%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.19 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: 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: 24%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.94; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.3%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.4% of revenue deployed · 85.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 38 of 38 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $9.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $222K · 50 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • 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 16/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.