Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jul 2002.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
62 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
18 people listed on the 990; $297K paid to officers and key staff.
Gretchen Nielsen’s $281K as Executive Di is at the 96th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3924 $1–10M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gretchen Nielsen | $281,400 | $199,694 | $196,662 | — | — | $226,894 |
| Gretchen S Nielsen | — | — | — | $169,902 | $179,811 | — |
| Emily Borababy | — | — | — | — | — | $132,900 |
| Megan Swan Droke | $125,367 | $108,677 | — | — | — | — |
| David Balsom | — | — | — | — | — | $120,771 |
| Timothy Banker | — | — | $100,643 | $107,507 | $106,202 | $114,920 |
| Dianne Collazo | — | — | — | $81,904 | $107,338 | $112,779 |
| Mary Deissler | — | — | — | $106,218 | $103,805 | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo
Programs and updates
Empowers and celebrates young musicians through performance and education.
Questions for From the Top INC
Your first name shows with your question. From the Top INC answers here, for everyone.
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The admissions, recruitment, and scholarship department is the engine that fuels from the top, bringing young musicians of different ages, geographic regions, socio-economic, and racial backgrounds into the organization.
For over 20 years, from the top has been america's largest media platform dedicated to featuring classically-trained young musicians. Through its nationally syndicated show heard on nearly 200 radio stations, weekly audiences of more than 350,000 people enjoy inspiring original content that shines a spotlight on remarkable young people.
Over the past decade, FTT has recognized the power in providing a space for young musicians to slow down, reflect and build leadership skills and "citizen artist" muscles. Through a month of online workshops and facilitated peer exchange, these young artists examine their passions, what skills they have in and out of music, and what the…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $2.4M | $2.9M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $10K | $7K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $3.1M | $3.1M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $220K | $179K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $2.9M | $2.9M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $255K | $255K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $210K | $105K | $105K | |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $114K | $114K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $751K | $440K | $185K | $126K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $118K | $61K | $25K | $32K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $85K | $53K | $13K | $19K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $138K | $138K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $93K | $34K | $49K | $10K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $49K | $23K | $515 | $25K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $97K | $45K | $21K | $31K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $3K | $3K | $16 | $76 |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $2K | $2K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $92K | $63K | $20K | $9K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $6K | $2K | $2K | $1K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $27K | $18K | $7K | $2K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $185K | $173K | $2K | $11K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $2.2M | $1.4M | $466K | $372K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $1.9M | $2.3M | −$423K | $2.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $1.6M | $2.0M | −$474K | $2.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 Viewing | $2.3M | $2.2M | $91K | $2.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $3.8M | $2.2M | $1.6M | $2.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $2.2M | $2.2M | $29K | $1.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $2.8M | $2.7M | $91K | $1.2M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,316,707 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 16 of 16 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,316,707 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $2,225,471 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $3,121,814 assets, 13 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $2,942,355 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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