To produce plays that illuminate what is essential in the human spirit and the spirit of the times.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
77¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 362 volunteers and 87 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $65K a year · 4% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
77%
of spending
Looks good: 77% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$153K
to officers and key staff · 8% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 8% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
4 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 3.8 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
2
named funders · $15K
Fine: 2 funders name it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$1.0M
39% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 39% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
13
of 15 voting members
Looks good: 13 of 15 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.8M
-43% vs prior year
Spent
$1.9M
To programs
77%
Net assets
$1.6M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.8M
FY2025▼ -43%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$1.8M
FY2021$1.1M
FY2022$1.8M
FY2023$1.2M
FY2024$3.1M
FY2025$1.8M
Expenses
$1.9M
FY2025▼ -4%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$1.5M
FY2021$982K
FY2022$1.9M
FY2023$2.0M
FY2024$2.0M
FY2025$1.9M
Net assets
$1.6M
FY2025▼ -9%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.5M
FY2021$1.6M
FY2022$1.4M
FY2023$678K
FY2024$1.7M
FY2025$1.6M

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending June 2025) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 1995.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

77 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 77% · $1.5M Management & general 17% · $323K Fundraising 6% · $112K

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

16 people listed on the 990; $153K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Artistic Director
$84,463Pt VII · Sec A
President & Executive Dire
$68,817Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary (until 6/30/25)
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Chair Emeritus
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Charles McMahon’s $84K as Artistic Director is at the 21st 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Charles McMahon$84,463$81,503$74,250$69,258$71,907$58,792
Stacy Maria Dutton$68,817$66,512$63,945$62,423$62,363$10,500

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 15aYes

Programs and updates

Stages plays exploring the human spirit and current times.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $1.5M · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

During the 2024/25 season, we produced artistic and educational programming that drew 20,177 total participants. We produced 151 public performances of four mainstage plays, including the philadelphia premiere of the wanderers by anna ziegler; the philadelphia premiere of american moor by keith hamilton cobb; much ado about nothing by…

$1.3Mprogram expense
02

During the 2024/25 school year, our education program included in-school residencies and student matinee performances. We provided our classroom connections residency program to 1,114 middle and high school students. We hosted 1,911 students and teachers at 14 student matinee performances.

$102Kprogram expense
03

During the 2024/25 season, we presented free artistic programs in our community outreach series, spotlight northwest, in northwest philadelphia, serving a total of 710 participants. We hosted 12 artistic programs and 6 storycorps ice cream socials.

$100Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 2 funders$15K

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.8M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.2M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$536K
Investment incomeLn 3$14K
Money outPt IX
$1.9M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.5M
Managementcol C$323K
Fundraisingcol D$112K
Owns and owesPt X
$1.6M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$602K
Total assetsLn 16$2.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$1.0M
PeoplePt VI, VII
16
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a15
IndependentVI 1b13
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.2M
Noncash giftsLn 1g$36K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$536K
Investment incomeLn 3$14K
Other incomeLn 4–11$6K
Total revenueLn 12$1.8M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$76K
SavingsLn 2$525K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$602K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$134K
Other assetsLn 15$683K
Total assetsLn 16$2.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$1.0M
Net assetsLn 32$1.6M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 587
VolunteersI 6362
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$444K$602K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$155K$134K
Total assetsLn 16$2.7M$2.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$1.0M$1.0M
Net assetsLn 32$1.7M$1.6M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$168K$87K$41K$41K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$807K$715K$79K$13K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$21K$19K$2K$792
Other employee benefitsLn 9$84K$76K$8K$657
Payroll taxesLn 10$74K$61K$9K$4K
Legal feesLn 11b$539$539
Accounting feesLn 11c$31K$31K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$4K$4K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$111K$111K
Office expensesLn 13$7K$5K$1K$520
Information technologyLn 14$16K$11K$3K$1K
RoyaltiesLn 15$31K$31K
OccupancyLn 16$216K$185K$27K$4K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$1K$916$230$97
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$27K$26K$2K
InsuranceLn 23$34K$26K$5K$2K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$288K$242K$46K
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.9M$1.5M$323K$112K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $1.8M$1.9M−$161K$1.6M 990 PDF
FY2024 $3.1M$2.0M$1.1M$1.7M 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.2M$2.0M−$729K$678K 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.8M$1.9M−$147K$1.4M 990 PDF
FY2021 $1.1M$982K$95K$1.6M 990 PDF
FY2020 $1.8M$1.5M$266K$1.5M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support M · Noncash O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,759,824 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $2,496,121$1,203,702
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $562,122$535,611
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $14,460$14,469
I-11 Other revenuePrior year −$4,762$6,042
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $3,067,941$1,759,824
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $1,173,306$1,154,948
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $829,078$766,040
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $2,002,384$1,920,988
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $1,065,557−$161,164
Part VI · Governance 13 of 15 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body15
VI-1b Independent voting members13
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,759,824 across 7 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$1,203,702
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$35,663
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$1,203,702
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $535,611$535,611
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $14,469$14,469
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $6,042$6,042
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $541,653 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $14,469$1,759,824
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,920,988 across 17 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $86,696 · Management $41,101 · Fundraising $40,616$168,413
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $715,227 · Management $79,139 · Fundraising $12,603$806,969
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $18,568 · Management $1,877 · Fundraising $792$21,237
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $75,766 · Management $7,533 · Fundraising $657$83,956
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $61,038 · Management $9,380 · Fundraising $3,955$74,373
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $539$539
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $30,700$30,700
IX-11g Other fees for servicesManagement $3,834$3,834
IX-12 Advertising and promotionManagement $110,811$110,811
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $5,426 · Management $1,487 · Fundraising $520$7,433
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $11,349 · Management $3,109 · Fundraising $1,089$15,547
IX-15 RoyaltiesPrograms $30,648$30,648
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $185,239 · Management $26,732 · Fundraising $3,812$215,783
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $916 · Management $230 · Fundraising $97$1,243
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $25,869 · Management $1,598$27,467
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $26,485 · Management $5,215 · Fundraising $1,968$33,668
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $241,978 · Fundraising $46,389$288,367
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,485,205 · Management $323,285 · Fundraising $112,498$1,920,988
Part X · Balance sheet $2,601,189 assets, 16 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $26,802$76,242
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $417,189$525,488
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $1,265,584$1,063,033
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $28$6,349
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $124,921$113,313
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $155,305$133,638
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $756,598$683,126
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $2,746,427$2,601,189
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $41,883$76,448
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $201,550$233,266
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $759,060$708,705
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $1,002,493$1,018,419
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $291,362$160,176
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,452,572$1,422,594
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $1,743,934$1,582,770
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $2,746,427$2,601,189
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,582,770 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,759,824
XI-2 Total expenses$1,920,988
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$161,164
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$1,743,934
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$1,582,770

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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