Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 2002.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
77 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
20 people listed on the 990; $50K paid to officers and key staff.
Cassandra Muhr’s $50K as General Manager is at the 44th 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 | FY2025 | FY2023 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam J Shaffer | — | $59,725 | $52,357 | $50,004 |
| Cassandra Muhr | $50,226 | — | — | — |
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 Washington Symphonic Orchestra INC 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
Presents accessible, quality music to entertain, educate, and inspire the community.
Questions for Washington Symphonic Orchestra INC
Your first name shows with your question. Washington Symphonic Orchestra INC answers here, for everyone.
To create/support superior musical productions and ensure these productions are viewed as an important community asset that will benefit area economic development.
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 | $122K | $113K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $3K | $18K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $127K | $132K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $10K | $17K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $117K | $115K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $50K | $34K | $6K | $9K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $4K | $506 | $3K | $758 |
| Management feesLn 11a | $1K | $1K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $5K | $5K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $80K | $74K | $6K | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $33K | $33K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $9K | $9K | ||
| Information technologyLn 14 | $10K | $10K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $6K | $6K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $3K | $3K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $20K | $6K | $14K | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $5K | $4K | $765 | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $226K | $173K | $43K | $10K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Apr 15, 2026 | $224K | $226K | −$2K | $115K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Mar 17, 2025 | $189K | $117K | 990 PDF | ||
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Feb 23, 2024 | $170K | $127K | 990 PDF | ||
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Mar 6, 2023 | $136K | $142K | 990 PDF | ||
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Mar 14, 2022 | $121K | $149K | 990 PDF | ||
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Mar 4, 2021 | $167K | $120K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $224,183 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 19 of 20 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $224,183 across 3 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $226,317 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $132,314 assets, 10 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $114,824 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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