Music Will Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 943396568
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Covina, CA, USA
- Phone
- 9737468248
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Music Groups, Bands, Ensembles
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $8,055,831
- Expenses
- $7,721,285
- Assets
- $4,940,189
- Liabilities
- $350,635
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
29 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MIKE WASSERMAN (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- JANICE POLIZZOTTO (CRO): $241,588 total reported compensation
- MIKE WASSERMAN (CEO): $229,134 total reported compensation
- DAVE WISH (CHIEF VISIONARY OFFICER): $218,600 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Music will, inc. (formerly little kids rock) transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in our schools. Our network of thousands of k-12 teachers across 48 states lead a national movement that brings innovative and inclusive music education to students. Using genres including rock, pop, latin, and rap, our program empowers teachers to build music programs as diverse as the kids they serve. As a result, students see themselves reflected in their classes, which strengthens their connection to their school, their peers, and their community. Music will, also donates necessary instruments and curriculum, meeting a key need of many school music programs. The world of music expands through innovation. We ensure that music education does as well. Since 2002, the organization has reached more than 1,800,000 students with highly inclusive and culturally relevant music education. Today, more than 900,000 kids participate in music will's programs.
What it reported doing in 2024
K-12 Music Education Professional Development: By providing professional development, and a connected national community of music educators, Music Will is providing a growing network of thousands of music educators with the skills, support, and confidence to transform their approach to music education and their music classrooms, with a focus on student-centered pedagogy, student-driven curriculum, and space for students to create, connect, and grow through music.Music Education Systems-Transformation: Music Will is also committed to supporting music education at the systems-level by 1) training faculty and partnering with higher ed institutions who are training the next generation of music educators, 2) investing in research and evaluation that strengthen the case for student-centered music education and popular music in music education, and 3) participating in state and national coalitions and conferences to make the case for student-centered music education and popular music in music education.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 98% 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
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: 54
- Transparency & Controls: 76
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 58.4%; rating input score 58
- Program expense ratio: 60.4%; rating input score 60
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- 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: 4.2%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.64; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 21.7%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 58.4% of revenue deployed · 60.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $4.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $242K · 29 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 10 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.
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 23/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.