The Discovery Orchestra Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 222822802
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Summit, NJ, USA
- Phone
- 9733792200
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Symphony Orchestras
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $408,264
- Expenses
- $391,502
- Assets
- $500,976
- Liabilities
- $19,527
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
10 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SUSAN HEAD (PRESIDENT)
- B BRUCE HOGG (VICE PRESIDENT)
- RICK KALLER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- RICK KALLER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $99,157 total reported compensation
- VIRGINIA JOHNSTON (FINANCE DIRECTOR): $21,150 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 discovery orchestra, inc. Is a not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to teach listening skills that help people deeply connect with classical music.
What it reported doing in 2024
1. Media program production, distribution and promotion - considerable staff time was spent creating, distributing and/or promoting: 1) regular episodes (as well as one live broadcast in march 2025 featuring women performers/composer for women's history month) of our twice-monthly radio program, "inside music", in partnership with wwfm-the classical network in New Jersey; 2) continuing national distribution of our "discover saint-saens organ' symphony", "discover beethoven's 5th", "discover vivaldi's four seasons and "fall in love with music" public television programs; 3) station relations promotion with a consulting team from american public television to secure additional broadcasts of these four public television programs in distribution; and 4) the release and promotion of four additional quest modules for users of our game app, "aha! Classical". Additionally, the four public television programs were available on the pbs passport streaming platform. Past digital programs continued being distributed on the films media group and amazon prime video platforms, as well as internationally through american public television worldwide. Some royalties and streaming sales resulted from this distribution. There were also some sales of dvd's of past television shows.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 73% 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 most voting board members are independent. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 56
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 42
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 59.7%; rating input score 60
- Program expense ratio: 60.6%; rating input score 61
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 4.1%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.28; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 30.7%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 15.3% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 59.7% of revenue deployed · 60.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $237K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $99K · 10 people listed
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 49/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.