Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Oct 1942.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
81 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
49 people listed on the 990; $182K paid to officers and key staff.
Keith Elder’s $103K as President is at the 35th 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 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Tuuk Kuras | — | $180,109 | $177,474 | $150,558 | $173,993 |
| Keith Elder | $102,749 | — | — | — | — |
| David Hall | $44,312 | $43,070 | — | — | — |
| Linda Nelson | — | — | — | — | $38,383 |
| Christine Golden | — | — | $36,253 | — | — |
| Haijin Choi | $34,936 | $32,679 | — | — | — |
| Kristen Shoup | — | — | $32,943 | $34,142 | — |
| Jack Latta | — | — | — | $20,672 | $21,218 |
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.
See Grand Rapids Symphony Society executive salaries →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
Performs live orchestral music and provides educational and community programs, including youth concerts and engagement initiatives, for diverse audiences throughout West Michigan.
Questions for Grand Rapids Symphony Society
Your first name shows with your question. Grand Rapids Symphony Society answers here, for everyone.
The grand rapids symphony is an integral and indispensable part of the west michigan community. The institution has long been an important part of the community, with musical excellence, diverse programming, collaborative spirit, and a commitment to learning, all adding to the quality of life we enjoy in west michigan.
Gateway to music is the grand rapids symphony's collection of education and community programs that serve more than 75,000 people each year. Gateway to music programs are organized by four disctinct categories: youth education, performance opportunities, community engagement, and economic access.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY24 | FY23 | FY22 | FY21 | FY20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $2K | $6K | $7K | $6K |
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $334K | $491K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $114K | $132K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $129K | $101K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $5.4M | $4.4M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $3.9M | $3.9M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $1.5M | $522K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $25K | $25K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $322K | $118K | $162K | $41K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $5.3M | $4.6M | $321K | $374K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $159K | $135K | $12K | $13K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $1.5M | $1.2M | $187K | $93K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $597K | $496K | $53K | $48K |
| Management feesLn 11a | $32K | $2K | $24K | $6K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $234 | $14 | $176 | $44 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $89K | $5K | $67K | $17K |
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $14K | $14K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $10K | $10K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $643K | $630K | $9K | $4K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $282K | $188K | $42K | $52K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $71K | $25K | $32K | $15K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $52K | $20K | $24K | $8K |
| RoyaltiesLn 15 | $38K | $34K | $2K | $2K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $70K | $4K | $53K | $13K |
| TravelLn 17 | $192K | $176K | $8K | $7K |
| InterestLn 20 | $126K | $8K | $95K | $24K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $43K | $3K | $32K | $8K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $28K | $18K | $8K | $3K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $1.3M | $1.1M | $78K | $90K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $9K | $7K | $1K | $411 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $10.8M | $8.8M | $1.2M | $842K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Jul 15, 2025 | $9.9M | $10.8M | −$948K | $522K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Mar 4, 2024 | $9.6M | $10.9M | −$1.2M | $1.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Mar 8, 2023 | $10.1M | $10.4M | −$312K | $2.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS May 26, 2022 | $8.4M | $8.0M | $441K | $3.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Jul 14, 2021 | $10.0M | $10.0M | $5K | $2.6M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $9,886,659 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 46 of 48 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $9,886,659 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $10,834,551 across 23 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $4,392,665 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $521,891 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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