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The Society of the Four Arts
The Society of the Four Arts reported $118.4 million in revenue and $15.2 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $61.20 went to program services, $27.21 to management and general costs and $11.59 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 93.6% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $634,579 (President & CEO). 9 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 1004% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $15MFor 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 June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $118M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$93.02 $110M
- Government grants$0.55 $647K
- Program service revenue$0.84 $994K
- Investment income$5.59 $6.6M
Other revenue was negative: −$20,029. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 61.2% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 27.2% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 11.6% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.02 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 93.6% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.5% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.8% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $634,579 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 4.18% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 196.5 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 166 of 166 | 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 expenseArtistic programming consists of art exhibitions, concerts, films, HD screenings from cultural partners, and lectures. Each season The Society of the Four Arts presents a full season of notable programs in music, drama, literature, and the visual arts. Concerts include programs by the world's leading musicians in diverse performances of classical, jazz, bluegrass, and more. Recent art exhibitions included Past Forward: Native American Art from Gilcrease Museum and Rory McEwen: A New Perspective on Nature. Each run included a lecture on the exhibition. The Four Arts curates a Friday Film…
Because the Town of Palm Beach has no public libraries, the Society's two libraries - the King Library for adults and a separate, superbly equipped Children's Library, serve, in effect, as the town's "official" libraries. Both are open to the public at no charge (adults pay a small fee for borrowing privileges); both present a full season's schedule of events: story hours for children, plus celebrations of special events like National Fire Prevention week when Palm Beach's fire trucks and firefighters visit the children's library, author visits, book signings, poetry readings, lectures, book…
Education (Campus on the Lake) programming consists of field trips, lectures, master classes, seminars, and workshops dedicated to the living arts. These programs and events are presented in the new Four Arts Dixon Education Building. The presentations range widely in subject matter: ongoing classes on classical music, opera, literature, art, watercolor painting, sculpture, cooking, and flower arranging; one-time lectures on a wide variety of subjects. Designed to attract a broad audience, the Campus on the Lake has won wide praise for the variety and depth of its programs. Attendance 10,163…
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 & CEO Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $408,478 | $0 | $226,101 | $634,579 |
| Chief Financial Officer Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $303,890 | $0 | $29,338 | $333,228 |
| Chief Development Officer Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $301,110 | $0 | $30,010 | $331,120 |
| Chief Programs Officer Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $221,857 | $0 | $30,232 | $252,089 |
| Director of Libraries Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $153,188 | $0 | $17,303 | $170,491 |
| Director of Staging & Tech Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $140,780 | $0 | $27,158 | $167,938 |
| Director of Membership Ser Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $139,139 | $0 | $21,871 | $161,010 |
| Controller Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $132,101 | $0 | $13,577 | $145,678 |
9 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Society of the Four Arts (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.8M (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–1b166 · 166 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 2Yes
- 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 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 557
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Regency Party Rental & Supplies Inc Rentals (tents, tables, ect) for O'Keeff | $354,007 |
| Creative Edge Parties of South Florida Catering for 2024 Jr. & Sr. Gala | $289,918 |
| Gardiner & Theobald Inc Master plan project. | $271,162 |
| Shutts & Bowen LLP Legal for master plan. | $242,250 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 5 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
169 private foundations reported grants to The Society of the Four Arts totaling $3.4M 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 Society of the Four Arts'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 Society of the Four Arts, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Society of the Four Arts spent in FY2025, $61.20 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Carnegie InstitutePittsburgh, PA · revenue $116M · programs 80.7% · 2024
- WNETNew York, NY · revenue $119M · programs 65.8% · FY2025
- Cincinnati Symphony OrchestraCincinnati, OH · revenue $116M · programs 75.7% · FY2025
- KQEDSan Francisco, CA · revenue $121M · programs 67.8% · FY2025
- Alamo TrustSan Antonio, TX · revenue $115M · programs 97.1% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Florida
Questions people ask
How much of The Society of the Four Arts's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, The Society of the Four Arts reported that 61.2% of its $15.2 million in expenses went to program services, 27.2% to management and general and 11.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Society of the Four Arts pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Society of the Four Arts reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $634,579, for the role of President & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Society of the Four Arts get its money?
Of $118.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 93.6% came from contributions and grants (including 0.5% from government grants) and 0.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Society of the Four Arts a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 59-0454318 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 June 30, 2025, object 202600859349301575 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202541359349305724 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202431239349302013 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022 (amended), object 202411139349301571 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202221169349300127 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202013589349300601 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 59-0454318: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.