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Country Music Foundation
Also known as Country Music Hall of Fame and Museu
Country Music Foundation reported $73.3 million in revenue and $58.2 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $90.67 went to program services, $5.89 to management and general costs and $3.44 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 65.8% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $894,960 (CEO). 10 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 69% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $58MFor 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 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $73MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 90.7% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 5.9% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 3.4% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.13 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 21.5% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 1.4% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 65.8% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $894,960 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.54% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 10 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 30.3 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 9 of 10 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseFounded in 1967, the Country Music Foundation, inc. ("cmf"), which does business as the Country Music hall of fame and museum (the "museum"), is a not-for-profit educational institution that preserves and interprets the evolving history and traditions of Country Music. Functioning as a national history museum and as an international arts organization with over 1.4 million annual visitors in a typical year, the museum safeguards a diverse artifact and archival collection comprised of moving images on film; video and digital formats; photographs; sound recordings; oral history interviews; stage…
Highest reported compensation
2024 · 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, 40.00 hrs/week | $881,776 | $0 | $13,184 | $894,960 |
| EXEC VP FINANCES & OPERATI Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $356,377 | $0 | $13,965 | $370,342 |
| EXEC VP EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $265,297 | $0 | $8,723 | $274,020 |
| VP REVENUE Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $229,066 | $0 | $10,778 | $239,844 |
| SR DIR OF INFORMATION & TECHNOLOGY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $208,433 | $0 | $6,353 | $214,786 |
| VP DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $156,879 | $0 | $8,564 | $165,443 |
| VP CREATIVE Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $153,873 | $0 | $7,413 | $161,286 |
| SR DIR CULINARY, EVENTS AND MUSEUM SALES Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $141,059 | $0 | $5,151 | $146,210 |
10 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Country Music Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.8M (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
2024 · 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–1b10 · 9 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 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 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5506
- Volunteers Part I, line 6132
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| CARTER GROUP LLC Construction | $1,712,127 |
| EVENT WORKS-HOFG Rentals and setup service | $1,158,560 |
| UNITED DATA TECHNOLOGIES It equip and support | $967,568 |
| PLEASE BE SEATED Rentals and setup service | $752,800 |
| WALDEN SECURITY Security services | $751,563 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 19 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
8 private foundations reported grants to Country Music Foundation totaling $114K 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 Country Music Foundation's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Country Music Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Country Music Foundation spent in 2024, $90.67 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- New York Shakespeare FestivalNew York, NY · revenue $72M · programs 72.4% · FY2025
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- Academy Museum FoundationBeverly Hills, CA · revenue $71M · programs 92.5% · FY2025
- New Jersey Performing Arts Center CorporationNewark, NJ · revenue $74M · programs 85.9% · FY2025
- The Vivian Beaumont TheaterincNew York, NY · revenue $71M · programs 85.2% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Tennessee
Questions people ask
How much of Country Music Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Country Music Foundation reported that 90.7% of its $58.2 million in expenses went to program services, 5.9% to management and general and 3.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Country Music Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Country Music Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $894,960, for the role of CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Country Music Foundation get its money?
Of $73.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 21.5% came from contributions and grants (including 1.4% from government grants) and 65.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Country Music Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 62-0753887 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
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202533169349307258 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202443179349307254 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202343189349316709 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202203199349321605 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202113019349301201 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202043219349310094 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 62-0753887: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.