Opera Philadelphia

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231504706
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2158933600
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,087,384
Expenses
$11,367,839
Assets
$6,428,122
Liabilities
$3,298,074

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

Leadership & pay

36 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID DEVAN (PRESIDENT UNTIL 5/31/24)
  • ANTHONY ROTH COSTANZO (PRESIDENT FROM 6/1/24)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID DEVAN (PRESIDENT UNTIL 5/31/24): $366,088 total reported compensation
  • DAVID LEVY (SVP OF ARTISTIC OPERA): $179,100 total reported compensation
  • ANTHONY ROTH COSTANZO (PRESIDENT FROM 6/1/24): $163,473 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To be philadelphia's professional producer of quality grand opera, producing a diverse range of repertoire featuring international artists alongside rising young singers, and to produce educational programs which nurture the future and relevance of the art form.

What it reported doing in 2024

In fy25 opera philadelphia produced: missy mazzoli's the listeners (october 2024) featuring nicole heaston (claire devon) and kevin burdette (howard bard), directed by lileana blain- cruz and conducted by corrado rovaris; joseph bologne's the anonymous lover (january/february 2025), featuring symone harcum (leontine), directed by dennis whitehead darling and conducted by jalena bovell; and new production of don giovanni (may 2025), featuring sidney outlaw (don giovanni), directed by alison moritz and conducted by corrado rovaris.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% 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 a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 69.5%; rating input score 69
  • Program expense ratio: 67.6%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • 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: 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: 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: -2.5%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.57; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.51; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.3%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.8% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.7% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.2% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 69.5% of revenue deployed · 67.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 28 of 28 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $7.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $366K · 36 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $561K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 36 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 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: 8 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.
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 29/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 28/100.