Opera Memphis
Legal name: Opera Memphis Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 620785544
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Memphis, TN, United States
- Phone
- 901-257-3100
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts, Culture, and Humanities
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,150,882
- Expenses
- $1,511,048
- Assets
- $5,672,069
- Liabilities
- $377,463
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
24 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- EDWARD CANTY (GENERAL DIRECTOR): $118,134 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
New Chapter for Opera Memphis OUR MISSION is to entertain and inspire the people of Memphis and the Mid-South through the art of opera. Support the arts in our community by purchasing a specialty license plate. 30 Days of Opera Get Involved. Support the Opera Support the Opera Expand your Horizons Support the Opera Thank you to the Opera Memphis season sponsors. Expand your Horizons Support the Opera Thank you to the Opera Memphis season sponsors [](.
What it reported doing in 2024
Our masterworks productions focus on works from the traditional operatic canon. They feature world-class performers, the memphis symphony orchestra, and other local performing arts groups.our keynote program is 30 days of opera, a month-long event that introduces opera into the everyday routines of memphians. Each season, #30days presents over 50 free events in over 40 locations, reaching an average of over 30,000 individuals, with performances in every zip code in memphis.we also offer a variety of educational programs throughout the year, which in pre-pandemic years reached over 17,000 children and adults annually. These activities, which are slowly being restored post-pandemic include performances at more than 100 local schools, hospitals, and community organizations. The handorf company artist program provides career-building experiences to emerging singers through robust performance opportunities and personalized goals while providing the tools and entrepreneurial mindset necessary for citizen-artists to champion opera in the 21st century.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 72% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 85
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 37
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 78.3%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $9.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: -31.3%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.75; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.8%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -3.3% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 78.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $118K · 24 people listed
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 35/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.