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Duluth-Superior Symphony Association

Tax-deductible

Duluth, MN501(c)(3)Since 1932Arts & Culture EIN 41-0760835Revenue $1.3M in FY2025

On file with the IRSdsso.com506 W Michigan St, 55802-1505 · Duluth, MNTax-exempt since Mar 1944Publicly supported — 509(a)(2)

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Our mission is to enhance our community through the performance of symphonic music that engages and inspires. Our vision is that we envision a stronger community through the power of music and musician artisry. Our goals include: with the power of symphonic music, we will create an environment that nurtures music-making at the highest possible levels. We will be an organization creating moving and engaging experiences for our audiences. We will become deeply intergrated into the community and assume a leadership role in order to engage as many people as possible.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
77¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 175 volunteers and 171 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
2 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $33K a year · 3% of revenue · last 6 filings
Concern: a surplus in 2 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
$74K
to officers and key staff · 7% of spending
Top officer’s pay lower than 91% of similar orgs
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 7% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
<1 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $437K in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Fine: 0.9 months of spending in cash, plus $437K in investments.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
2
named funders · $30K
Fine: 2 funders name it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$471K
41% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 41% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
22
of 22 voting members
Looks good: 22 of 22 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.3M
+7% vs prior year
Spent
$1.1M
To programs
77%
Net assets
$673K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.3M
FY2025▲ +7%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$868K
FY2021$795K
FY2022$1.3M
FY2023$1.2M
FY2024$1.2M
FY2025$1.3M
Expenses
$1.1M
FY2025▼ -20%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$1.0M
FY2021$925K
FY2022$1.2M
FY2023$1.3M
FY2024$1.3M
FY2025$1.1M
Net assets
$673K
FY2025▲ +433%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.2M
FY2021$1.3M
FY2022$4K
FY2023−$116K
FY2024−$202K
FY2025$673K

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 Mar 1944.

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% · $818K Management & general 22% · $229K Fundraising 1% · $14K

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

23 people listed on the 990; $74K 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
David Arnott
Executive Di
$64,271Pt VII · Sec A
$3,682Pt VII · Sec A
James McLeod
Director
$2,966Pt VII · Sec A
Nairi Stack
Director
$2,814Pt VII · Sec A
Kay Biga
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

David Arnott’s $64K as Executive Di is at the 9th 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

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Brandon Vanwaeyenberghe—$84,975$86,399$82,339$83,294$22,531
Dirk Meyer————$80,691$82,280
David Arnott$64,271$49,433————
Kevin Peterson—————$48,734
Kathy Sanders——$2,792$3,469$2,606$12,353
Kathleen Sanders$3,682—————
Nairi Stack$2,814—$3,160$2,480$2,334$2,980
James McLeod$2,966—$1,847$2,320$2,814$2,301

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 Duluth-Superior Symphony Association executive salaries →

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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

Performs symphonic concerts and supports youth orchestras for the community.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $818K · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

During the 2024-25 season, the dsso performed 8 programs over 10 concerts at the decc (6 masterworks and 2 pops, with the holiday pops concert open to families as part of our casual concert series). For the 2024-2025 season we had 837 subscribers and saw total ticket sales of 305,374.50 over the course of the season.

$818Kprogram 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 · FY2024
American Gift FundFY2024$20K
Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation INCFY2024$10K
Total grants receivedfrom 2 funders$30K

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

Download 990
from philanthropy.org
1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.3M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$901K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$382K
Other incomeLn 4–11$22K
Money outPt IX
$1.1M
Ln 25
Programscol B$818K
Managementcol C$229K
Fundraisingcol D$14K
Owns and owesPt X
$673K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$83K
Total assetsLn 16$1.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$471K
PeoplePt VI, VII
23
listed · VII A
PaidVII A4
Voting boardVI 1a22
IndependentVI 1b22
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$901K
Government grantsLn 1e$718
Noncash giftsLn 1g$6K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$382K
Investment incomeLn 3$4K
Other incomeLn 4–11$22K
Gains on assetsLn 7$969
Total revenueLn 12$1.3M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$83K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$83K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$437K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$19K
Other assetsLn 15$598K
Total assetsLn 16$1.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$471K
Net assetsLn 32$673K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 5171
VolunteersI 6175
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$83K$83K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$141K$437K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$30K$19K
Total assetsLn 16$377K$1.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26$579K$471K
Net assetsLn 32−$202K$673K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$100K$73K$27K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$499K$405K$85K$9K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$10K$9K$574$321
Payroll taxesLn 10$35K$28K$6K$519
Accounting feesLn 11c$42K$42K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$9K$9K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$46K$46K
Office expensesLn 13$25K$13K$12K
Information technologyLn 14$12K$12K
OccupancyLn 16$13K$13K
TravelLn 17$39K$39K$58
InterestLn 20$9K$9K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$5K$2K$2K
InsuranceLn 23$12K$10K$2K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$203K$192K$8K$4K
All other expensesLn 24e$2K$1K$592
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.1M$818K$229K$14K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $1.3M$1.1M$249K$673K 990 PDF
FY2024 $1.2M$1.3M−$97K−$202K 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.2M$1.3M−$129K−$116K 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.3M$1.2M$80K$4K 990 PDF
FY2021 $795K$925K−$129K$1.3M 990 PDF
FY2020 $868K$1.0M−$171K$1.2M 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 O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,309,917 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $801,695$901,277
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $341,078$382,265
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $3,866$3,935
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $75,657$22,440
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $1,222,296$1,309,917
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $872,606$643,127
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $446,785$417,798
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $1,319,391$1,060,925
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$97,095$248,992
Part VI · Governance 22 of 22 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body22
VI-1b Independent voting members22
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,309,917 across 9 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$718
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$900,559
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$6,159
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$901,277
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $382,265$382,265
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $2,966$2,966
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $969$969
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $200 · Unrelated business $22,240$22,440
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $382,465 · Unrelated business $22,240 · Excluded from tax $3,935$1,309,917
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,060,925 across 16 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $72,618 · Management $27,066$99,684
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $405,235 · Management $84,615 · Fundraising $8,806$498,656
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $9,257 · Management $574 · Fundraising $321$10,152
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $27,727 · Management $6,389 · Fundraising $519$34,635
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $42,163$42,163
IX-11g Other fees for servicesManagement $8,893$8,893
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $46,306$46,306
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $12,664 · Management $12,374$25,038
IX-14 Information technologyManagement $12,461$12,461
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $12,851$12,851
IX-17 TravelPrograms $39,270 · Management $58$39,328
IX-20 InterestManagement $8,724$8,724
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $2,382 · Management $2,169$4,551
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $9,867 · Management $2,467$12,334
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $191,549 · Management $7,726 · Fundraising $3,887$203,162
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $1,395 · Management $592$1,987
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $818,270 · Management $229,122 · Fundraising $13,533$1,060,925
Part X · Balance sheet $1,143,034 assets, 15 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $82,506$82,934
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $88,341$1,118
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $11,830$1,350
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $23,236$3,573
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $29,923$18,846
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $141,003$436,982
X-15 Other assets$598,231
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $376,839$1,143,034
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $170,363$82,397
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $153,532$171,388
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $579,100$470,512
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year −$403,164−$376,496
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $200,903$1,049,018
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year −$202,261$672,522
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $376,839$1,143,034
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $672,522 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,309,917
XI-2 Total expenses$1,060,925
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$248,992
XI-4 Net assets at start of year−$202,261
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$42,513
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$583,278
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$672,522

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

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