The Music School of Delaware Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 510066934
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Wilmington, DE, USA
- Phone
- 3027621132
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Performing Arts Schools
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,955,501
- Expenses
- $3,261,506
- Assets
- $15,473,623
- Liabilities
- $1,504,661
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- STEPHEN BEAUDOIN (PRESIDENT AND CEO (THRU 10/24))
- TERESA AVERY (INTERIM CEO (EFF 11/24))
Highest reported compensation
- STEPHEN BEAUDOIN (PRESIDENT AND CEO (THRU 10/24)): $45,097 total reported compensation
- TERESA AVERY (INTERIM CEO (EFF 11/24)): $20,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
It is the mission of the music school of Delaware to provide excellence in music education, training, and experiences for people of all ages and abilities.
What it reported doing in 2024
In fy25, the music school of Delaware served youth and adult students through our statewide array of community music education programs, offered at eight locations in urban, exurban, and rural communities. We are proud to have provided high-quality one-on-one personalized music instruction through private lessons; to have supported students in developing their skills and creative expression through ensemble programs like Delaware youth symphony, cantabile women's chorale, and wilmington community orchestra; and through intensive and family-focused music education programs like melody (free music education for underserved wilmington youth), suzuki (research-proven youth development program), and early childhood (supporting ages six months to five years in motor skill and family bonding through music education). In fy22, the music school received a bequest of $10 million to establish the northrop endowed fund for music education. Income from that fund can be applied only to certain scholarships in limited amounts and for no more than two years for any student, and for administrative expenses of the fund, and the fund's principal cannot be used for operating expenses. Accordingly, the terms of the bequest significantly limit the extent of financial benefit to the music school. In 2025, the music school celebrated a century of providing music education for our community.
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 90% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 60
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 46
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 69.4%; rating input score 69
- Program expense ratio: 62.8%; rating input score 63
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -10.4%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.74; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 11.9% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 69.4% of revenue deployed · 62.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $45K · 16 people listed
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 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 7/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.