Eureka Symphony
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 050546860
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Aug 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2013
- Location
- Bayside, CA, US
- Phone
- (707) 845-3655
- Rating
- 87
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Symphony Orchestras
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $366,053
- Expenses
- $394,896
- Assets
- $716,997
- Liabilities
- $107,212
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KRISTIE GHISETTI (PAST PRESIDENT)
- KEENAN POOL (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- CAROL JACOBSON (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR): $40,000 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 Eureka Symphony is a community orchestra providing high-quality music that is performed, supported, and appreciated by all ages, bringing enrichment to musicians and our community.
What it reported doing in 2024
During the july 1, 2024 through june 30, 2025 concert season, the eureka symphony produced 5 concert weekend performances (10 concerts) and one chamber music performance which were attended by nearly 6,000 adults, students and children. About 15% of those attending used complementary tickets provided by the symphony to make the performances more accessible to every income level. Prior to each concert a free musical note program is provided so that concert goers can have a more in-depth understanding of the music that will be performed during the concert.in addition, the symphony sponsors a schools-to-symphony program which brings elementary school children from participating humboldt county schools to attend a special concert. Approximately 1,500 children were able to participate.
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.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 91
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 96.5%; rating input score 97
- Program expense ratio: 87.3%; rating input score 87
- Fundraising efficiency: $39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 22nd 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -7.9%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.82; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 10.1%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.9% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 9 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 96.5% of revenue deployed · 87.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $345K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $40K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 22/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.