The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 132628036
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2023
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Phone
- 2128755792
- Rating
- 70
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Music Groups, Bands, Ensembles
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $18,599,967
- Expenses
- $13,066,777
- Assets
- $97,756,047
- Liabilities
- $2,325,452
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
31 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SUZANNE DAVIDSON (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- SUZANNE DAVIDSON (Executive Director): $438,362 total reported compensation
- MARIE-LOUISE STEGAL (Development Director): $226,095 total reported compensation
- MICHAEL SOLOMON (Administration Directo): $173,304 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Chamber Music Society's Mission is to stimulate and support the appreciation, performance, and composition of chamber music by presenting concerts for the public.
What it reported doing in 2024
Musical Performances: CMS annually produces an ambitious season of con certs in our two venues at Lincoln Center in New York, which were spe- cifically designed for the presentation of chamber music. The organiz- ation is comprised of a multi-generational and international roster of the finest chamber musicians, enabling us to present chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and period. Our concerts feature though- tfully curated performances of masterworks and important works by a diverse range of contemporary and living composers. CMS also conducts outreach to diverse audiences in New York City, and provide unpara- lelled career building opportunities for outstanding early-career musicians.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 67
- Transparency & Controls: 49
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 82
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 70.6%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 76%; rating input score 76
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.53 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- 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: 29.7%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.48; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.6%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 70.6% of revenue deployed · 76% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 27 of 27 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $9.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $438K · 31 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.6M reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 18/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.