Piano Spheres

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
912106973
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
3232260326
Rating
60
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Music

Reported finances

Revenue
$222,590
Expenses
$190,237
Assets
$68,737
Liabilities
$8,299

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jeff Gauthier (Executive Director)
  • Jess Morton (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Jeff Gauthier (Executive Director): $39,000 total reported compensation
  • Thomas Welsh (Associate Director): $16,100 total reported compensation
  • Richard An (Assistant Director): $12,100 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Piano Spheres supports the composition and performance of major new works for the piano. They commission new music and sustain several concert series focusing primarily on music by living American composers. Piano Spheres artists also educate the next generation of pianists through their Emerging Artist Series and Stein Artist Residency.

What it reported doing in 2024

Since its founding in 1994, Piano Spheres has supported and encouraged the composition and performance of major new works for the piano while mentoring the next generation of emerging pianists. It enlarges the piano repertoire by commissioning new works and sustaining a concert series that focuses primarily on works by contemporary composers. In that time, performances have included over 1,000 compositions and instigated nearly 100 new commissions. Piano Spheres presented 15 musicians in 7 concerts for the combined Core Artist, Guest Artist, Emerging Artist, and Leonard Stein Resident Artist categories in its 30th season. Programs included anniversary year celebrations for Charles Ives by Stephen Drury and Pierre Boulez by Thomas Mellan A Journey of Immigrants by Andres Jaramillo and mixed programs by core artists Mark Robson, Gloria Cheng, Vicki Ray, Aron Kallay, Nic Gerpe, and Thomas Kotcheff.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 81% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 23
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58.5%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 68.4%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 14.5%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.36; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 41.6%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -12.5% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -6.5% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58.5% of revenue deployed · 68.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $130K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $39K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2022 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 44/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 24/100.