The mission of Ascend Performing Arts is to further the education and growth of young people through participation in performing arts programs of the highest caliber, which promote teamwork and discipline, develop leadership skills, and enhance self-esteem.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
48¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$56K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2020 · 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
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
2 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $10K a year · under 1% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 2 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
48%
of spending
Concern: 48% of spending went to programs; under 50%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$56K
to officers and key staff · 6% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 6% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
2 mo
of spending, in cash
Fine: 2.5 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
6
named funders · $160K
Looks good: 6 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$704K
133% of total assets
Concern: liabilities are 133% of assets; over 80%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
8
of 8 voting members
Looks good: 8 of 8 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$871K
Spent
$906K
To programs
48%
Net assets
−$175K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$871K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$871K
FY2021$2.0M
FY2022$3.2M
FY2023$2.4M
FY2024$2.8M
FY2024$265K
FY2025$3.0M
Expenses
$906K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$906K
FY2021$1.5M
FY2022$2.7M
FY2023$3.1M
FY2024$3.1M
FY2024$353K
FY2025$3.0M
Net assets
−$175K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020−$175K
FY2021$344K
FY2022$991K
FY2023$328K
FY2024$22K
FY2024−$59K
FY2025−$77K

From the FY2020 Form 990 (year ending September 2020) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 1960.

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

Where the money goes

48 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 48% · $435K Management & general 52% · $470K Fundraising 0% · $400

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

1 person listed on the 990; $56K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2019); the FY2020 filing did not itemize Part VII
$56,250Pt VII · Sec A

Mark Arnold’s $75K as CEO is at the 14th 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 · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021
Mark Arnold$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$75,000$78,125

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 Ascend Performing Arts INC 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

Enriches young people's lives through high-caliber performing arts, fostering teamwork, leadership, and self-esteem.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $435K · in their own filed words · FY2019
01

Student educational initiatives including our drum and bugle corps and WGI rehearsals/performances and our Friendship Cup educational performance programs improve performance skills, competency/musicianship, and promotes teamwork, discipline, and leadership skills while enhancing self-esteem.

$435Kprogram 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 6 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2020 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$871K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$414K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$406K
Other incomeLn 4–11$49K
Money outPt IX
$906K
Ln 25
Programscol B$435K
Managementcol C$470K
Fundraisingcol D$400
Owns and owesPt X
−$175K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$189K
Total assetsLn 16$529K
LiabilitiesLn 26$704K
PeoplePt VI, VII
1
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a8
IndependentVI 1b8
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$414K
Government grantsLn 1e$0
Noncash giftsLn 1g$0
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$0
Fees for servicesLn 2g$406K
Investment incomeLn 3$3K
Other incomeLn 4–11$49K
Total revenueLn 12$871K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$189K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$189K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$35K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$159K
Other assetsLn 15$7K
Total assetsLn 16$529K
LiabilitiesLn 26$704K
Net assetsLn 32−$175K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 50
VolunteersI 6100
Fiscal year endsHeaderSeptember
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 FY20End FY20
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$46K$189K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$31K$35K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$171K$159K
Total assetsLn 16$346K$529K
LiabilitiesLn 26$470K$704K
Net assetsLn 32−$124K−$175K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$56K$0$56K$0
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0$0$0$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$118K$0$118K$0
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0$0$0$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9−$456$0−$456$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$17K$0$17K$0
Management feesLn 11a$28K$27K$1K$400
Legal feesLn 11b$27K$0$27K$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$0$0$0$0
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0$0$0$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0$0$0$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$28K$28K$0$0
Advertising and promotionLn 12$2K$2K$0$0
Office expensesLn 13$10K$525$10K$0
Information technologyLn 14$1K$0$1K$0
RoyaltiesLn 15$0$0$0$0
OccupancyLn 16$59K$0$59K$0
TravelLn 17$56K$0$56K$0
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0$0$0$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$0$0$0$0
InterestLn 20$21K$0$21K$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0$0$0$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$27K$0$27K$0
InsuranceLn 23$32K$194$31K$0
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$270K$269K$1K$0
All other expensesLn 24e$153K$109K$44K$0
Total functional expensesLn 25$906K$435K$470K$400

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $3.0M$3.0M−$18K−$77K 990 PDF
FY2024 $2.8M$3.1M−$313K$22K 990 PDF
FY2023 $2.4M$3.1M−$665K$328K 990 PDF
FY2022 $3.2M$2.7M$579K$991K 990 PDF
FY2021 $2.0M$1.5M$511K$344K 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $871K$906K−$34K−$175K 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 O · Explanations
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $871,142 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $534,286$414,121
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $1,477,117$405,531
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $1,611$2,654
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $38,001$48,836
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $2,051,015$871,142
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $184,506$191,040
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $1,923,728$714,532
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $2,108,234$905,572
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$57,219−$34,430
Part VI · Governance 8 of 8 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body8
VI-1b Independent voting members8
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 $871,142 across 12 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $54,596 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1a Federated campaigns$0
VIII-1b Membership dues$0
VIII-1c Fundraising events$0
VIII-1d Related organizations$0
VIII-1e Government grants$0
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$414,121
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$0
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$414,121
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $399,771 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$399,771
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $2,618 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $36$2,654
VIII-5 RoyaltiesRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$0
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $408,149 · Unrelated business $48,836 · Excluded from tax $36$871,142
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $905,572 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $0$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $0$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsPrograms $0$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for membersPrograms $0$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $0 · Management $56,250 · Fundraising $0$56,250
IX-6 Pay of disqualified personsPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $0 · Management $118,348 · Fundraising $0$118,348
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $0 · Management −$456 · Fundraising $0−$456
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $0 · Management $16,898 · Fundraising $0$16,898
IX-11a Management feesPrograms $26,700 · Management $1,000 · Fundraising $400$28,100
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $0 · Management $26,999 · Fundraising $0$26,999
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11d Lobbying feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11e Professional fundraising feesFundraising $0$0
IX-11f Investment management feesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $27,675 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$27,675
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $1,572 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$1,572
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $525 · Management $9,964 · Fundraising $0$10,489
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $0 · Management $1,008 · Fundraising $0$1,008
IX-15 RoyaltiesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $0 · Management $59,241 · Fundraising $0$59,241
IX-17 TravelPrograms $0 · Management $56,078 · Fundraising $0$56,078
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officialsPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-20 InterestPrograms $0 · Management $20,645 · Fundraising $0$20,645
IX-21 Payments to affiliatesPrograms $0 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $0 · Management $27,412 · Fundraising $0$27,412
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $194 · Management $31,421 · Fundraising $0$31,615
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $269,070 · Management $1,281 · Fundraising $0$270,351
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $109,343 · Management $44,004 · Fundraising $0$153,347
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $435,079 · Management $470,093 · Fundraising $400$905,572
Part X · Balance sheet $529,171 assets, 15 lines filed
Asset lines not itemized here account for $127,602; see the IRS return.
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $46,049$188,606
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $6,412$11,493
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $171,239$158,825
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $31,051$35,168
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $7,572$7,477
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $345,973$529,171
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $250,791$117,528
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $0$0
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $0$0
X-20 Tax-exempt bond liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $0$0
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $8,680$289,096
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $469,760$703,707
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year −$123,787−$174,536
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $345,973$529,171
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets −$174,536 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$871,142
XI-2 Total expenses$905,572
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$34,430
XI-4 Net assets at start of year−$123,787
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$0
XI-6 Donated services and use of facilities$0
XI-7 Investment expenses$0
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$0
XI-9 Other changes in net assets−$16,319
XI-10 Net assets at end of year−$174,536

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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