Metropolitan Opera Association Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
131624087
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2127993100
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$304,122,827
Expenses
$325,333,793
Assets
$437,269,202
Liabilities
$269,112,611

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

Leadership & pay

65 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TOD JOHNSON (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
  • FRAYDA B LINDEMANN (MANAGING DIRECTOR / PRESIDENT EMERITA)
  • PAUL M MONTRONE (PRESIDENT EMERITUS)

Highest reported compensation

  • PETER GELB (GENERAL MANAGER): $2,227,876 total reported compensation
  • YANNICK NEZET-SEGUIN (MUSIC DIRECTOR): $2,056,750 total reported compensation
  • DAVID CHAN (CONCERT MASTER): $629,486 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Performance of opera to the public.

What it reported doing in 2024

Preparation and presentation of opera performances at the metropolitan opera house as well as symphonic repertory at carnegie hall. Also includes outdoor presentation of concerts throughout parks in New York city. Parks concerts are presented to the public at no charge. The attendance of these performances is approximately five hundred and sixty-seven thousand people per season. Included in performance revenue is $1.5 million in contributions for the rush discount tickets program and $0.4 million related to in-kind ticket donations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 62% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97.4%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 85.1%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97.9%; rating input score 98; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -7%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.34; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.62; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.6%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97.4% of revenue deployed · 85.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 46 of 47 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $276.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $2.2M · 65 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $12.2M reported
  • Consistency: 46 of 46 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 12 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 12 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 48/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.