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Opera Philadelphia
Opera Philadelphia reported $11.1 million in revenue and $11.4 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $67.62 went to program services, $19.75 to management and general costs and $12.63 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 92.6% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $366,088 (PRESIDENT UNTIL 5/31/24). 8 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 23% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending May 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $11MFor context, the median across 876 covered arts, culture & humanities charities: $79.98 programs, $13.89 management, $6.13 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending May 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $11MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 67.6% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 19.8% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 12.6% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.14 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 92.6% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.4% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 5.8% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $366,088 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 3.22% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 3.3 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 28 of 28 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseIn FY25 Opera Philadelphia produced: missy mazzoli's the listeners (october 2024) featuring nicole heaston (claire devon) and kevin burdette (howard bard), directed by lileana blain- cruz and conducted by corrado rovaris; joseph bologne's the anonymous lover (january/february 2025), featuring symone harcum (leontine), directed by dennis whitehead darling and conducted by jalena bovell; and new production of don giovanni (may 2025), featuring sidney outlaw (don giovanni), directed by alison moritz and conducted by corrado rovaris
Opera Philadelphia inaugurated the pick your price initiative, offering tickets as low as $11 each, selling out the season and making opera accessible to new audiences. In addition, continued its community initiatives with programming that impacts students and adults throughout philadelphia. Opera Philadelphia also produced a free concert at city hall as part of center city district's arts on center stage and mother tree cantata in partnership with parksingers
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT UNTIL 5/31/24 Officer, 60.00 hrs/week | $329,209 | $0 | $36,879 | $366,088 |
| SVP OF ARTISTIC OPERA Key employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $169,950 | $0 | $9,150 | $179,100 |
| PRESIDENT FROM 6/1/24 Officer, 60.00 hrs/week | $159,583 | $0 | $3,890 | $163,473 |
| VP OF DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $137,192 | $0 | $14,328 | $151,520 |
| VP OF PEOPLE OPERATIONS & Highest compensated employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $141,389 | $0 | $9,735 | $151,124 |
| VP OF COMMUNITY INITIATIVE Highest compensated employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $141,110 | $0 | $7,533 | $148,643 |
| SR DIR OF DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $114,994 | $0 | $14,049 | $129,043 |
| DIR OF INSTITUTIONAL GIVIN Highest compensated employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $102,000 | $0 | $5,708 | $107,708 |
8 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Opera Philadelphia (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $471K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b28 · 28 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aNo
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5287
- Volunteers Part I, line 655
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses onlyIndividuals listed as contractors are left out. 2 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
37 private foundations reported grants to Opera Philadelphia totaling $2.3M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Opera Philadelphia's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Opera Philadelphia, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Opera Philadelphia spent in FY2025, $67.62 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- South Coast RepertoryCosta Mesa, CA · revenue $11M · programs 80.2% · FY2025
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- Music CityNashville, TN · revenue $11M · programs 98.9% · FY2025
- Fort Worth Museum of Science and HistoryFort Worth, TX · revenue $11M · programs 59.4% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Pennsylvania
Questions people ask
How much of Opera Philadelphia's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, Opera Philadelphia reported that 67.6% of its $11.4 million in expenses went to program services, 19.8% to management and general and 12.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Opera Philadelphia pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Opera Philadelphia reported for one person in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025 was $366,088, for the role of PRESIDENT UNTIL 5/31/24 (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Opera Philadelphia get its money?
Of $11.1 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, 92.6% came from contributions and grants (including 0.4% from government grants) and 5.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Opera Philadelphia a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 23-1504706 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, object 202611049349301856 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2024, object 202530459349301883 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2023, object 202401009349301020 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2022, object 202310729349300231 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2021, object 202231049349301418 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2020, object 202140959349300529 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 23-1504706: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.