Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Dec 1959.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
47 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
8 people listed on the 990; $149K paid to officers and key staff.
Jonathan Kerr’s $119K as Ex-Officio & Exec Director is at the 47th 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 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Kerr | $118,995 | $116,162 | $110,351 | $100,320 | $97,759 | $97,970 |
| Christopher Zimmerman | $84,860 | $86,860 | $65,640 | $54,174 | $51,169 | $68,656 |
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 Fairfax 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 15aYes
Programs and updates
Educates and engages communities to cultivate future musicians and audiences.
Questions for Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Your first name shows with your question. Fairfax Symphony Orchestra answers here, for everyone.
The Orchestra presents a series of public symphonic concerts during its season to approximately 13,000 patrons. These concerts range from Masterworks to pops and family concerts. Each concert is preceded by a pre-concert lecture educational opportunity for about 800 patrons.
The Orchestra presents educational programs, assemblies, workshops, and concerts in many locations and for all ages throughout the season. It performs in public and private schools, Fairfax County parks, and other corporate and public locations throughout Northern Virginia, serving approximately 35,000 residents and children each season.
The Dorothy Farnham Feuer Memorial String Competition was first held in 1964 as a tribute to Dorothy Farnham Feuer, founder of the Fairfax Symphony and a violinist with the orchestra. This string scholarship competition has provided well-deserved recognition, encouragement, and monetary support to outstanding young performers on string…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $133K | $234K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $58K | $76K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $14K | $9K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $311K | $399K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $117K | $174K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $194K | $224K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $188K | $104K | $84K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $82K | $48K | $34K | |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $30K | $22K | $8K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $14K | $14K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $36K | $3K | $32K | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $225 | $225 | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $17K | $2K | $14K | $1K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $140 | $140 | ||
| InterestLn 20 | $1K | $1K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $5K | $5K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $5K | $5K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $17K | $14K | $3K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $399K | $190K | $176K | $34K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Apr 30, 2026 | $1.5M | $1.4M | $103K | $490K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS May 14, 2025 | $1.2M | $1.1M | $81K | $385K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Apr 23, 2024 | $710K | $847K | −$137K | $314K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS May 11, 2023 | $1.0M | $745K | $271K | $467K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Feb 3, 2022 | $434K | $399K | $35K | $224K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Jan 28, 2021 | $721K | $623K | $98K | $194K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $434,147 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 6 of 8 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $434,147 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $399,376 across 14 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $398,547 assets, 16 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $224,282 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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