Tucson Symphony Society
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 860107538
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Tucson, AZ, USA
- Phone
- 5207929155
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Symphony Orchestras
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $7,987,479
- Expenses
- $6,322,940
- Assets
- $21,432,387
- Liabilities
- $1,655,217
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
27 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Paul Meecham (President & CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Paul Meecham (President & CEO): $175,951 total reported compensation
- Eric Lind (VP of Philanthropy): $115,509 total reported compensation
- Paula Egan (VP of Finance): $102,549 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 mission of the Tucson Symphony is to build and enrich community through the experience of live music of the highest quality.
What it reported doing in 2024
Education and Community Engagement Programming: TSO provided a wide range of Music Education Programs to 83 schools in Southern Arizona. Throughout the year, TSO Ensembles performed for over 18,000 students within schools with interactive presentations, preparing them for full orchestra KinderKonzerts and Young Peoples concerts performed for another 10,500 attendees. TSO musicians also gave 3 workshops to middle school bands and orchestras with a focus on instrumental and ensemble playing. TSO celebrated the 32nd year of its Young Composers Project (YCP), in which 33 students ages 8-18 received instruction at weekly classes from October through May, each composing a new work that was performed by TSO ensembles and full orchestra. Additionally, TSO put storytelling to music with 8 Just for Kids productions for young families free to the public, with one performance presented in Spanish. Additionally, TSO put storytelling to music with 8 Just for Kids productions for young families free to the public, with one performance presented in Spanish.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 62% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 89
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 71
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.4%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 79.3%; rating input score 79
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- 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: 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: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 20.8%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.39; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77.4% of revenue deployed · 79.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $176K · 27 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $151K reported
- Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.