New York City Center Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Productions and programmingcity center's 2024-2025 season opened with the fall for dance festival, one of our flagship programs that has launched the season for over 20 years. Renowned for its diverse programming and affordable $30 tickets, fall for dance brings together top dance companies from New York city, across the u.s., and around the world, attracting a broad audience while nurturing new dance lovers. The festival also continues to drive innovation through its commissioning program, which has produced 52 world premieres, 56 u.s. Premieres, and 64 New York city premieres to date. This year's fall for dance included performances by national ballet of ukraine (ukraine), boston ballet, knoname artist roderick george, anne plamondon productions (canada), m.a.d.d. Rhythms, canada's royal winnipeg ballet (canada), a.i.m. By kyle abraham, ccn/aterballetto (italy), dutch national ballet (netherlands), sara mearns and tyler angle, cassandra trenary, and gandini juggling (united kingdom). This year's festival included two world premieres, two us premieres, and four New York premieres, as well as two city center commissions. In program one, american ballet theater's aran bell took the stage to perform piano songs, a city center co-commission (with the vail dance festival) for acclaimed dancer tiler peck. The second, the specter of the rose, choreographed by american ballet theater dancer herman cornejo, who performed the duet with fellow abt dancer skylar brandt.city center's fall dance season also included a presentation of dorrance dance. This holiday-themed double bill featured performances of an ella'quent holiday swing (built around the music of ella fitzgerald and frank devol) and the nutcracker suite (from the duke ellington-billy strayhorn rendition of tchaikovsky's famous ballet) performed by a corps of tap dancers. A jazzy and colorful production, this presentation of dorrance dance represented a deeper foray into family-centric programming for city center, including two special "family matinee"performances with assorted pre-show activities for young people organized by our education and community engagement department.the spring dance season began with the return of the flamenco festival, a city center staple for over two decades. It featured performances by national ballet of spain, olga pericet, and gala flamenca, each of which demonstrated virtuosic talent in varying styles. Another highlight of the spring season included twyla tharps dance diamond jubilee, with two New York premieres that highlight the inimitable artistry and sense of playfulness that has defined her legendary career. The dance season concluded with the latest iteration of our artists at the center series, which gives highly accomplished dancers the opportunity to curate a dance program that speaks to their unique aesthetics. This year highlighted sara mearns, the highly lauded New York city ballet principal. Her program featured two world premiere city center commissions: don't go home and dance is a mother.mainstage musical theater productions: city center produced a highly anticipated revival of ragtime for its annual gala presentation this season. Featuring a score by stephen flaherty and lynne ahrens and a book by terrance mcnally, ragtime is an epic musical examination of class, race, and identity in turn-of-the-century New York. Our star-studded production featured broadway luminaries such as joshua henry, caissie levy, and brandon uranowitz and was directed by outgoing encores! Artistic director lear debessonet. Hailed as both "exhilarating and "moving" by jessie green in the New York times, this production was a smash hit, drawing in audiences with outstanding performances and genuine pathos. Its success led to a broadway transfer to lincoln center theater, which opened in november 2025 and is set to close in june 2026.the 2025 encores! Season curated by artistic director lear debessonet, creative director clint ramos, music director mary-m

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 81.4%; rating input score 81
• Program expense ratio: 78%; rating input score 78
• Fundraising efficiency: $4 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: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • 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: 97%; rating input score 97; 31st 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: -3.3%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.43; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 13.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings