Youth Orchestras of Fresno

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770410410
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2010
Location
Fresno, CA, USA
Phone
5595126694
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Music

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$997,742
Expenses
$910,064
Assets
$401,981
Liabilities
$50,233

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DERRICK PECKHAM (Vice President)
  • CARMELA SOSA (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • CATHERINE T MARCHESE (Executive Dir.): $70,000 total reported compensation
  • JULIE S HAN (Treasurer): $14,692 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We cultivate musical excellence and a spirit of cooperation in young musicians throughout California's Central Valley. We are committed to principles of access and excellence, and strive for comprehensive inclusiveness. We approach racial and cultural equity by providing resources that allow and encourage young musicians to participate on an equitable footing with one another. We seek to privilege all youth equally.

What it reported doing in 2024

During the fiscal year, the Youth Orchestras of Fresno (YOOF) continued its mission to provide high-quality orchestral training and performance opportunities to young musicians throughout the Central Valley.YOOF offered comprehensive weekly rehearsals and sectional coaching for students in grades K12, serving a broad range of skill levels from beginning string players to advanced pre-professional musicians. Through a structured ensemble-based curriculum, students developed technical proficiency, music literacy, discipline, leadership skills, and collaborative artistry.Students were provided with enrichment opportunities beyond weekly rehearsals, including participation in the Cello Festival and the Violin and Viola Festival at Fresno State University. These experiences connected YOOF musicians with collegiate faculty and peers from across the region, fostering artistic growth and mentorship. YOOF also hosted master classes led by distinguished guest artists, offering students direct instruction from professional performers and educators.YOOF maintained active collaboration with local schools, arts organizations, and community partners to expand access to music education and increase community engagement. These partnerships strengthened arts education infrastructure in the region and provided students with additional performance and learning opportunities.During the regular concert season, YOOF presented four public performances, showcasing student achievement and providing the community with access to high-quality live orchestral music. These concerts served families, educators, and the broader public while giving students meaningful performance experience in professional venues.In addition to the regular season, YOOF hosted the FOOSA (Fresno Orchestra Summer Academy) summer festival in partnership with Fresno State University. FOOSA is a two-week international intensive music camp serving students ages 636. Participants enroll in one of three ability-based programs and receive daily private lessons, ensemble rehearsals, sectional coachings, and master classes. Students also participate in chamber music, student recitals, and large ensemble performances. The program brings together local, national, and international faculty and students, enriching the cultural and educational landscape of the region.Through these programs, YOOF continued to advance its charitable and educational purpose by increasing access to high-quality music instruction, promoting youth development through the arts, and strengthening the cultural vitality of the Fresno 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 82% 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 - 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 80
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 95.2%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 8.8%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.44; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 87% of revenue deployed · 95.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 14 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $866K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $70K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 59/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 39/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 39/100.