Seattle Opera EIN 91-0760426

Seattle Opera

EIN  91-0760426 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Seattle, WA Founded 1963
Form 990 (PDF) Compare with another nonprofit →
Verified accurate 8/10/26 · see original filing: IRS
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Size
$10–100M
What they do
Produces mainstage opera performances and community education programs, including school tours and public events, to enrich the cultural life of Washington State residents.
Leadership
Christina Scheppelmann · General Director Until 10/31/24 · $290K
Money in and out
$22.2M revenue, $25.3M expenses
Bottom line
79% program efficiency

Produces mainstage opera performances and community education programs, including school tours and public events, to enrich the cultural life of Washington State residents. For fiscal year 2025 it reported $22.2M in revenue, $25.3M in expenses, and $58.4M in net assets.Pt I

Where the money goes · FY2025
Total revenue
$22.2M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$25.3M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$58.4M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): −$3.1M
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.79 Management & general $0.15 Fundraising $0.06
Program efficiency
79%
of spending reaches programs▲ +1% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
2.4mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▼ -59% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
-14%
revenue over expenses, this year▲ +67% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2025 · Form 990
Revenue
$22.2M
FY2025▲ +39%
Expenses
$25.3M
FY2025▲ +11%
Total assets
$70.0M
FY2025▼ -6%
Total liabilities
$11.6M
FY2025▼ -12%
Total revenue
$22.2M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$25.3M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$58.4M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19−$3.1M
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$70.0M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B79%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 346
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 446
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

2 program services account for $19.9M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

During seattle opera's 2024/25 season, the company witnessed continued growth of in-person attendence at mccaw hall, tagney jones hall, and other venues. The company increased the number of performances significantly from the prior season (32 VS 24), especially for blockbuster shows like the magic flute, tosca, and pagliacci.

$18.8Mprogram expense
02

Seattle opera's commitment to community engagement and education continued throughout the 2024/2025 season. Through new and long-standing partnerships with civic and arts organizations, schools and community centers, and dozens of local institutions we strive to make living in washington state healthier, smarter, more peaceful and more…

$1.2Mprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CSeattle Opera
EINHdr · item D91-0760426
Principal addressHdr · item CSeattle, WA
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.seattleopera.org
Year of formationHdr · item L1963
State of legal domicileHdr · item MWA
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFArts & Culture (A6A0)
Ruling yearIRS BMFApr 1964

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a46
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b46
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
General Director Until 10/31/24
$289,956Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Marketing and Communications
$168,830Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Production Until 11/20/24
$168,392Pt VII · Sec A
General & Artistic Director from 11/1/24
$165,123Pt VII · Sec A
$161,494Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Artistic Administration and Planning
$149,126Pt VII · Sec A
$148,542Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Development
$137,342Pt VII · Sec A

Christina Scheppelmann’s $290K as General Director Until 10/31/24 is at the 39th percentile of top reported officer pay among 749 $10–100M 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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Christina Scheppelmann$289,956$337,937$337,773$307,454$228,455
Janey Repensek$210,975
Janey L Repensek$193,209$140,565$199,408
Kristina Murti$168,830$168,520$164,520
Douglas Provost$168,392$144,707$141,425
James D Robinson$165,123
Marissa Betz-Zall$161,494$129,618
Aidan P Lang$155,198

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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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$13.6M · 61%
Program service revenue$8.0M · 36%
Investment income$527K · 2%
Contributions & grants61%$13.6M
Program service revenue36%$8.0M
Investment income2%$527K
Other revenue$19K
— government grantsLn 1e$665K
Total revenueLn 12$22.2M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.79 Management & general $0.15 Fundraising $0.06
Program services79%$19.9M
Management & general15%$3.9M
Fundraising6%$1.5M
Total functional expensesLn 25$25.3M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$4.9M
Total assetsLn 16$70.0M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$11.6M
Total net assetsLn 32$58.4M
Months of cash on handcomputed2.3

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2025 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $4.9M · Operating expenses (Pt IX) $25.3M · Less non-cash grants $104K · Cash operating expenses/yr $25.2M
2.4 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $19.9M · Total expenses $25.3M
79%
Management & General
Management & general $3.9M · Total expenses $25.3M
15%
Fundraising
Fundraising $1.5M · Total expenses $25.3M
6%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $1.4M · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $11.8M
$0.12 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $13.6M · Total revenue $22.2M
61%
Government reliance
Government grants $665K · Total revenue $22.2M
3%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $8.0M · Total revenue $22.2M
36%
Investment reliance
Investment income $527K · Total revenue $22.2M
+2%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $8.0M · Total expenses $25.3M
32%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $22.2M · Prior year $16.0M
+39%
Revenue CAGR
FY2019 $28.7M · FY2024 $22.2M
-5%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $58.4M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $22.2M · Expenses $25.3M
-14%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $70.0M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $58.4M · Total assets $70.0M
83%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $0 · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) $0 · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $70.0M
0%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Christina Scheppelmann · Reported title GENERAL DIRECTOR UNTIL 10/31/24 · Highest reported compensation $290K · Total expenses $25.3M
1%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $14.1M · Total expenses $25.3M
56%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 79%
Overhead ratio 15%
Fundraising cost ratio 11%
Revenue growth 39%
Investment management fee ratio 0%
Legal fee ratio 0%
Accounting fee ratio 0%
Fundraising fee ratio 0%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$20K

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2025 (Latest)$22.2M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2024$16.0M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$23.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$24.0M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$18.8M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$28.7M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2025IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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