Mission Ensuring equal access to the M.A.G.I.C. of Music by providing musical instruments, instruction and inspiring musical opportunities to students in need. Vision We believe and studies show that music education increases Mental Wellness, Agility, Grit, Independence, & Community. We create reliable access to applied music lessons and other avenues of musical learning regardless of income, ability, proximity, or any other barriers that block a child from learning a musical instrument. While Play It Forward works to ensure children can access Music M.A.G.I.C. Mental Wellness, Agility, Grit, Independence and Community, we know that poverty can obstruct access to the kind of instrumental instruction a childs more affluent peers enjoy. We believe providing instrumental lessons and free instruments bridges the gap between desire and opportunity for hundreds of children and creates access to this vital learning opportunity where it once did not exist. Work - We currently serve over 200 ch

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
77¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 80 volunteers and 30 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2024 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $177K a year · 25% of revenue · last 5 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
77%
of spending
Looks good: 77% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$44K
to officers and key staff · 5% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 5% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
2 mo
of spending, in cash
Fine: 1.7 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
4
named funders · $91K
Looks good: 4 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$572
0.1% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 0% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
13
of 13 voting members
Looks good: 13 of 13 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$840K
+16% vs prior year
Spent
$869K
To programs
77%
Net assets
$419K
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$840K
FY2024▲ +16%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$418K
FY2021$688K
FY2022$845K
FY2023$726K
FY2024$840K
Expenses
$869K
FY2024▲ +12%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$227K
FY2021$361K
FY2022$400K
FY2023$775K
FY2024$869K
Net assets
$419K
FY2024▼ -9%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$201K
FY2021$224K
FY2022$463K
FY2023$462K
FY2024$419K

From the FY2024 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jun 2017.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

77 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 77% · $671K Management & general 11% · $92K Fundraising 12% · $106K

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

14 people listed on the 990; $44K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Dir.
$44,071Pt VII · Sec A
Pres Emeritus
$0Pt VII · Sec A
President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Marietta Harrison’s $44K as Executive Dir. is at the 39th 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 · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Marietta Harrison$44,071$42,000$42,000$41,000$36,000

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 Play IT Forward executive salaries →

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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 15aNo

Programs and updates

Provides instruments, lessons, and opportunities to underserved students, fostering music's benefits.

Questions for Play IT Forward

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $671K · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

For the year ended December 31, 2024 the organization operatated the following programs:Keys to LearningPIF serves more than 220 with weekly instruction in piano, guitar andsongwriting which totals 8000 lessons given per year.

$671Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
See all 4 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$840K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$590K
Other incomeLn 4–11$125K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$120K
Money outPt IX
$869K
Ln 25
Programscol B$671K
Managementcol C$92K
Fundraisingcol D$106K
Owns and owesPt X
$419K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$121K
Total assetsLn 16$420K
LiabilitiesLn 26$572
PeoplePt VI, VII
14
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a13
IndependentVI 1b13
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$590K
Government grantsLn 1e$10K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$237K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$120K
Investment incomeLn 3$5K
Other incomeLn 4–11$125K
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$840K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$121K
SavingsLn 2$0
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$121K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0
Other assetsLn 15$222K
Total assetsLn 16$420K
LiabilitiesLn 26$572
Net assetsLn 32$419K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 530
VolunteersI 680
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$155K$121K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0
Total assetsLn 16$429K$420K
LiabilitiesLn 26$2K$572
Net assetsLn 32$427K$419K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$230K$230K
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$44K$15K$15K$15K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$299K$260K$20K$20K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$27K$22K$3K$3K
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$618$618
Accounting feesLn 11c$25K$25K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$89K$65K$3K$21K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$34K$45$34K
Office expensesLn 13$0
Information technologyLn 14$0
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$575$575
TravelLn 17$4K$4K
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$8K$8K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$84K$75K$5K$4K
All other expensesLn 24e$24K$933$14K$9K
Total functional expensesLn 25$869K$671K$92K$106K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest Viewing $840K$869K−$29K$419K 990 PDF
FY2023 $726K$775K−$49K$462K 990 PDF
FY2022 $845K$400K$445K$463K 990 PDF
FY2021 $688K$361K$327K$224K 990 PDF
FY2020 $418K$227K$191K$201K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support M · Noncash O · Explanations
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $840,278 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $588,627$590,153
I-9 Program service revenue$119,512
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $2,913$5,473
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $134,923$125,140
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $726,463$840,278
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $305,430$230,440
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $47,232$370,716
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $422,828$268,208
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $775,490$869,364
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$49,027−$29,086
Part VI · Governance 13 of 13 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body13
VI-1b Independent voting members13
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $840,278 across 12 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$10,500
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$579,653
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$237,117
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$590,153
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $119,512$119,512
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $5,473$5,473
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events$124,340
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Excluded from tax $800$800
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $119,512 · Excluded from tax $6,273$840,278
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $869,364 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $230,440$230,440
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $14,689 · Management $14,689 · Fundraising $14,693$44,071
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $260,090 · Management $19,659 · Fundraising $19,654$299,403
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefits$0
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $21,794 · Management $2,724 · Fundraising $2,724$27,242
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $618$618
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $24,941$24,941
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $64,724 · Management $3,178 · Fundraising $20,817$88,719
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $45 · Fundraising $34,332$34,377
IX-13 Office expenses$0
IX-14 Information technology$0
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $575$575
IX-17 TravelPrograms $3,913$3,913
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetings$0
IX-20 Interest$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortization$0
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $7,869$7,869
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $74,566 · Management $4,536 · Fundraising $4,455$83,557
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $933 · Management $13,667 · Fundraising $9,039$23,639
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $671,194 · Management $92,456 · Fundraising $105,714$869,364
Part X · Balance sheet $419,701 assets, 18 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $155,311$121,059
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investments$0
X-3 Pledges and grants receivable$0
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year −$2,500$0
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $70,453$77,130
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred charges$0
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, net$0
X-11 Publicly traded securities$0
X-12 Other securities$0
X-13 Program-related investments$0
X-14 Intangible assets$0
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $205,566$221,512
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $428,830$419,701
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $2,221$572
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $2,221$572
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $426,609$419,129
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $426,609$419,129
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $428,830$419,701
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $419,129 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$840,278
XI-2 Total expenses$869,364
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$29,086
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$426,609
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$19,106
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$2,500
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$419,129

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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