Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2026. IRS ruling in Dec 2015.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
88 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
21 people listed on the 990; $41K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).
Wendy Hirsch’s $41K as Executive Director is at the 36th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2216 $100K–1M 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
| Name | FY2026 | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendy Hirsch | $41,000 | $37,156 | $32,088 | $33,286 | $28,295 | $19,823 |
| Deedee Vaughters | — | — | — | — | $29,963 | $21,067 |
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 Aiken Symphony Orchestra 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 15aNo
Programs and updates
Brings live classical music performances to audiences in Aiken, SC.
Questions for Aiken Symphony Orchestra
Your first name shows with your question. Aiken Symphony Orchestra answers here, for everyone.
Concerts were held during the year providing opportunites for the community to enjoy the music
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2025. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 47-4146841) · Dispute this lineFunders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2026 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY26 | End FY26 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $276K | $369K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $29K | |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $287K | $412K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $191K | $252K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $96K | $160K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $0 | |||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $0 | |||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $0 | |||
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $0 | |||
| Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5 | $41K | $25K | $8K | $8K |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $0 | |||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $42K | $32K | $4K | $6K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $0 | |||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $0 | |||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $7K | $4K | $4K | |
| Management feesLn 11a | $0 | |||
| Legal feesLn 11b | $0 | |||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $1K | $1K | ||
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $0 | |||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $0 | |||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $255K | $255K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $90K | $90K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $4K | $4K | ||
| Information technologyLn 14 | $0 | |||
| RoyaltiesLn 15 | $0 | |||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $17K | $17K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18 | $0 | |||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $0 | |||
| InterestLn 20 | $0 | |||
| Payments to affiliatesLn 21 | $0 | |||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $0 | |||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $5K | $5K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $46K | $42K | $5K | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $17K | $151 | $17K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $528K | $466K | $43K | $19K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Aug 20, 2026 | $592K | $528K | $64K | $160K | 990 PDF |
| FY2025Filed with the IRS Aug 19, 2025 | $446K | $471K | −$25K | $96K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Oct 22, 2024 | $412K | $475K | −$63K | $121K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 13, 2023 | $464K | $491K | −$26K | $184K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Sep 21, 2022 | $530K | $393K | $137K | $210K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Oct 26, 2021 | $227K | $146K | $80K | $73K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2026 990
Part I · Summary $591,759 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 20 of 20 board members independent, 4 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $591,759 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $527,837 across 30 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $412,160 assets, 11 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $160,101 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file FY2026 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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