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The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati
The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati reported $10.4 million in revenue and $4.7 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $75.10 went to program services, $13.71 to management and general costs and $11.19 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 67.5% of the total. Government grants made up 6.8%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $193,031 (Managing Director & CEO). 2 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 182% 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 $4.7MFor 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 $10MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 75.1% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 13.7% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 11.2% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.07 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 67.5% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 6.8% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 22.7% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $193,031 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 4.14% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 142.8 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 36 of 36 | 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 expenseTCT MainStage at the Taft Theatre includes daytime performances for school audiences and weekend performances for the public. Four production runs are held each year, with individual shows formatted into one-hour, family-friendly events. For each production, we present seven performances for public audiences and ten performances for school students, reaching almost 103,000 families, children and students annually
TCT Academy offers arts training to children in a variety of disciplines including twelve-week class sessions; one-week themed summer camps for introductory arts makers; our audition-based, one-month STAR Intensive summer programs for children with demonstrated talent and interest in the performing arts; and Academy LIVE! training with a culminating performance opportunity. In addition to learning the arts, a primary objective for these programs is to provide students with the necessary tools to become successful adults
TCT On Tour brings the magic of live theatre directly to those who would otherwise be unable to experience it. We tour five productions each season, serving children of all ages with titles taken from classic literature, fairy tales, history, and other works studied in school curricula. This program reaches an additional 60,000 students annually. TCT On Tour productions are educational and entertaining, as well as affordable, for schools and other venues across the board geographic spectrum of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and beyond
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managing Director & CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $184,711 | $0 | $8,320 | $193,031 |
| Artistic Director Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $133,922 | $0 | $10,046 | $143,968 |
| CFO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $95,561 | $0 | $1,957 | $97,518 |
2 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $291K (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–1b36 · 36 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13No
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- 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 533
- Volunteers Part I, line 6350
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
28 private foundations reported grants to The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati totaling $7.1M 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 The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati spent in FY2025, $75.10 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- St Martins Chamber ChoirDenver, CO · revenue $10M · programs 74.8% · FY2025
- New England Foundation for the ArtsBoston, MA · revenue $10M · programs 81.0% · FY2025
- Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish HistoryPhiladelphia, PA · revenue $10M · programs 58.5% · FY2025
- Tampa Museum of Art FoundationTampa, FL · revenue $10M · programs 59.4% · 2025
- Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists FoundLos Angeles, CA · revenue $10M · programs 75.6% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Ohio
Questions people ask
How much of The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati reported that 75.1% of its $4.7 million in expenses went to program services, 13.7% to management and general and 11.2% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati reported for one person in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025 was $193,031, for the role of Managing Director & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati get its money?
Of $10.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025, 67.5% came from contributions and grants (including 6.8% from government grants) and 22.7% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 31-6026285 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), 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 202640209349300219 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2024, object 202520639349300912 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2023, object 202400789349300710 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2022, object 202340729349300424 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2021, object 202103569349300915 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2020, object 202101029349300745 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 31-6026285: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.