THE SOLTI FOUNDATION US CO Fiona Queen
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 300004328
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Evanston, IL, USA
- Phone
- 8474488329
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Public Foundations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $194,121
- Expenses
- $234,109
- Assets
- $804,915
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
2 people listed
People named in this filing
- See attached list (Directors)
- See attached list (Officers)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Solti Foundation U.S. was established after the 1997 death of Sir Georg Solti. Its mission is to assist talented young American musicians at the start of their professional careers. It has made annual grants to awardees since 2003. Solti also provides Opera residencies and development projects to musicians
What it reported doing in 2025
Congratulations to all 18 recipients of the 2025 Career Assistance Awards! The Solti Foundation U.S. Board Chair Penny Van Horn and Artistic and Awards Committee Chair Elizabeth Buccheri today announced the young conductors who will receive a 2025 Career Assistance Award (CAA) in this, the Foundations 25th anniversary year. Among the 18 American conductors, all 36 years of age or younger, are a music director designate of an American orchestra, a founder and Music Director of an American chamber orchestra, a chief conductor of an Austrian orchestra, two Assistant Conductors at German opera companies, multiple Assistant Conductorships, and more. The conductors hold positions throughout the United States, in Austria, France, and Germany, as well as enjoying guest engagements around the globe. Of the 18 awardees, six of the young conductors are receiving recognition by the Foundation for the first time, while others are being acknowledged once again.Ms. Van Horn stated, The recipients of the 2025 Career Assistance Awards are a truly motivated group! From opera companies to orchestras, chamber orchestras and posts with universities and other educational organizations, to fellowships and serving as cover conductors for major American orchestras, this years applicants truly demonstrate the passion for classical music that our Foundations namesake embodied.On behalf of The Solti Foundation U.S., I am pleased to congratulate Harris Andersen, Austin Chanu, Michelle Di Russo, Stefano Flavoni, Kyrian Friedenberg, Alden Gatt, Yoona Jeong, Robert Kahn, Gerald Karni, Andrew J. Kim, Donald Lee, William Long, Ian Niederhoffer, Jacob Niemann, Luke Poeppel, Euan Shields, Matthew Straw, and William Garfield Walker. Congratulations!
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 88% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 75% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 70
- Sustainability: 43
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 96.3%; rating input score 96
- Program expense ratio: 68.7%; rating input score 69
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -20.6%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.44; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 96.3% of revenue deployed · 68.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $161K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 2 people listed
- Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2014 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.