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Old Town School of Folk Music
Old Town School of Folk Music reported $16.0 million in revenue and $15.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $77.18 went to program services, $16.09 to management and general costs and $6.73 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 67.3% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $271,934 (CEO). 8 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 32% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $16MFor 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
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $16MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 77.2% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 16.1% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 6.7% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.26 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 25.5% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.4% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 67.3% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $271,934 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.72% | 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 | 18.9 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 24 of 24 | 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
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseArt instruction: our programming is endorsed by the accrediting commission for community and precollegiate arts schools (accpas). During 2025, 24,542 students made over 34,000 registrations in our instrumental, dance and other programs involving over 700 classes each week, and over 60 ensembles and 400 workshops at our three facilities in lincoln square and lincoln park. In order to remove barriers to participation in our programs, Old Town School provided a total of $206,326 in financial aid to 395 individuals during 2025, including 122 individual children and 15 teens, representing 31% of…
Old Town School is a prolific concert venue. During 2025, we presented over 200 ticketed events enjoyed by 63,235 ticketholders. In july, our annual summer square roots festival was attended by over 45,000
Outreach: world music programming - the world music wednesday series annually presents 40 international artists co-produced with dozens of local, national and international partners. During 2025, world music wednesdays hosted 5,820 concert attendees. Community ventures: during 2025, our cps partnerships served 1,615 in 18 schools. Participation in ingenuity, inc. And embarc added service to an additional 368 children in 10 schools. 1,265 children were served through our expanded wiggleworms-in-residence programming: 501 early childhood students at carole robertson center's three main sites…
Highest reported compensation
2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $263,695 | $0 | $8,239 | $271,934 |
| DIR. OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Key employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $247,211 | $0 | $17,371 | $264,582 |
| SR DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $135,587 | $0 | $21,914 | $157,501 |
| CFO Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $121,576 | $0 | $11,627 | $133,203 |
| DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $106,419 | $0 | $15,465 | $121,884 |
| SR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $99,131 | $0 | $20,811 | $119,942 |
| DIRECOR OF INFO TECHNOLOGY Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $106,374 | $0 | $7,820 | $114,194 |
| DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $99,909 | $0 | $368 | $100,277 |
8 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Old Town School of Folk Music (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $386K (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · 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–1b24 · 24 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 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 4No
- 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 5389
- Volunteers Part I, line 6350
Private foundation grants it received
27 private foundations reported grants to Old Town School of Folk Music totaling $445K 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 Old Town School of Folk Music's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Old Town School of Folk Music, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Old Town School of Folk Music spent in 2025, $77.18 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- American Friends of the Israel MuseumNew York, NY · revenue $16M · programs 90.7% · 2024
- American Conservatory Theatre FoundationSan Francisco, CA · revenue $16M · programs 77.0% · FY2025
- Pen American CenterNew York, NY · revenue $16M · programs 67.5% · 2024
- Eastern Educational Television NetworkBoston, MA · revenue $16M · programs 84.4% · FY2025
- Sarasota Ballet of FloridaSarasota, FL · revenue $16M · programs 81.1% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Illinois
Questions people ask
How much of Old Town School of Folk Music's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Old Town School of Folk Music reported that 77.2% of its $15.8 million in expenses went to program services, 16.1% to management and general and 6.7% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Old Town School of Folk Music pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Old Town School of Folk Music reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $271,934, for the role of CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Old Town School of Folk Music get its money?
Of $16.0 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 25.5% came from contributions and grants (including 0.4% from government grants) and 67.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Old Town School of Folk Music a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 36-2373635 as a 501(c)(3) organization (school), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202622399349300407 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202542419349301214 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202442009349300629 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202302699349300925 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202243159349302919 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202123159349306787 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202013219349302766 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 36-2373635: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.