Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Nov 2015.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
76 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
12 people listed on the 990; $150K paid to officers and key staff.
Maya French’s $78K as Managing Dir is at the 16th 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
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maya French | $77,745 | $69,029 | $63,243 | $54,387 | $28,946 |
| Matthew Smith | $72,189 | $67,253 | $61,535 | $50,754 | $28,991 |
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
Strengthens communities and inspires through music, fostering creativity and dialogue.
Questions for Palaver Strings Incorporated
Your first name shows with your question. Palaver Strings Incorporated answers here, for everyone.
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Palaver strings is a musician-led string ensemble and nonprofit organization based in portland, me. Palaver has established itself as a forward-thinking ensemble whose mission is to strengthen and inspire community through music.
Palaver music center (PMC) seeks to generate a love of music, foster creativity, and hold space for dialogue between people from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in portland, me.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $48K | $296K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $21K | $26K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $110K | $432K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $36K | $83K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $74K | $349K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $47K | $47K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $155K | $102K | $53K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $297K | $195K | $102K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $34K | $23K | $11K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $13K | $13K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $10K | $10K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $26K | $26K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $4K | $4K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $42K | $39K | $3K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $69K | $69K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $6K | $6K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $17K | $16K | $834 | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $200K | $175K | $24K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $921K | $699K | $222K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $1.1M | $921K | $228K | $349K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $778K | $804K | −$26K | $74K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $628K | $599K | $29K | $100K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $549K | $515K | $34K | $71K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $340K | $282K | $58K | $53K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,149,033 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 10 of 10 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,149,033 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $921,171 across 13 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $431,808 assets, 13 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $349,164 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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