Friends of The Music Hall

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
020403452
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Portsmouth, NH, USA
Phone
6034333100
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Performing Arts Centers

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,704,136
Expenses
$9,798,339
Assets
$21,484,947
Liabilities
$6,299,070

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Tina Sawtelle (Executive Director)
  • Ashleigh Tucker (Associate Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Tina Sawtelle (Executive Director): $220,828 total reported compensation
  • Mary Beth Johnson (Director of Development): $144,849 total reported compensation
  • Ashleigh Tucker (Associate Executive Director): $104,003 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 Music Hall (TMH) is a community-supported, nonprofit live entertainment venue with acclaimed film, music, theater, literary, and dance performances in two theaters in downtown Portsmouth, NH. Its 900-seat Historic Theater, built in 1878, is the oldest in New Hampshire. Its second venue, built in 2011 and renovated in 2022, is The Lounge, a modern 116-seat cabaret seated venue. In addition to presenting diverse and relevant programming, TMH hosts community fundraisers and celebrations and partners with more than 60 local nonprofits. In a typical year, TMH offers 52 weeks of programming (600 events), engages over 120,000 patrons in the arts and learning, and contributes more than $15 million to the local economy through show- and visitor-related spending (according to the Americans for the Arts "Arts and Economic Prosperity" 2022-2023 survey).

What it reported doing in 2024

To provide a facility for performing arts organizations and present theater, music, dance, and films for the cultural enrichment of the community.

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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 69
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.1%; rating input score 57
  • Program expense ratio: 72%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.27 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 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: 22.9%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.19; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.8%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.1% of revenue deployed · 72% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $221K · 26 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $928K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.