Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Dec 2005.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
40 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
22 people listed on the 990; $75K paid to officers and key staff.
Perry Payne Milner’s $80K as General Director is at the 76th 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Payne Milner | $80,144 | $33,393 | — | — | — |
| Peter Leonard | $72,000 | $36,000 | $72,000 | $72,000 | $54,000 |
| Marco Nistico | — | — | — | $511 | $21,156 |
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
Presents diverse, accessible opera productions featuring acclaimed artists to educate and inspire.
Questions for Opera on the James
Your first name shows with your question. Opera on the James answers here, for everyone.
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There were three opera performances produced by the organization during the year.
The tyler young artist program is a training program to identify emerging professional opera singers and give them the opportunity to share their love of opera. This program provides performances to children and youth in schools, in community venues and on the main stage.
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 | $385K | $76K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $1.1M | $1.6M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $461K | $456K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $2.1M | $2.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $7K | $3K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $2.0M | $2.2M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $21K | $7K | $7K | $7K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $39K | $6K | $29K | $4K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $9K | $2K | $6K | $1K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $4K | $932 | $3K | $792 |
| Management feesLn 11a | $54K | $54K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $9K | $5K | $5K | |
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $8K | $4K | $4K | |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $475 | $475 | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $15K | $12K | $3K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $17K | $13K | $4K | |
| TravelLn 17 | −$227 | −$227 | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $22K | $369 | $22K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $53K | $49K | $2K | $3K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $4K | $3K | $1K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $258K | $103K | $139K | $16K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $545K | $597K | −$51K | $1.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $377K | $592K | −$215K | $1.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $350K | $488K | −$139K | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $376K | $415K | −$39K | $2.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 Viewing | $294K | $258K | $36K | $2.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $454K | $407K | $48K | $2.0M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $293,661 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 20 of 20 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $293,661 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $258,116 across 15 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $2,180,458 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $2,177,048 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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