The Mountain School of Strings

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
273449603
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Brevard, NC, USA
Phone
8288824070
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$80,409
Expenses
$58,499
Assets
$64,649
Liabilities
$29,792

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BARCLAY MCCURDY (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • SHHAUN CAMMACK (EXECUTIVE DI)
  • BARCLAY MCCURDY (PRESIDENT)
  • MISSY CULVER (TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Located in transylvania county, we are committed to providing affordable string music lessons and classes for all who are interested.

What it reported doing in 2025

We began life in 2010 as transylvania youth strings to provide youth in this county with the opportunity to learn a stringed instrument. We have grown from a handful of students to over 50 students learning violin, cello, viola, double bass and even playing in an orchestra together.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% 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

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 92.1%; rating input score 92

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 27.2%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.11; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.46; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.4% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 34.1% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67% of revenue deployed · 92.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $54K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.