Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 1978.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
79 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Who runs it and what they're paid
16 people listed on the 990; $81K paid to officers and key staff.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gail Ridenour | $68,400 | $8,950 | — | — | — | — |
| Eileen Brownell | — | $39,486 | — | — | — | — |
| James Ray | $7,350 | $2,100 | $1,600 | — | — | — |
| Ryan Dudenbostel | — | — | — | $1,750 | $2,700 | $2,000 |
| Mark Tomko | $1,760 | $2,320 | — | — | — | — |
| Debbie Arthur | $1,720 | $1,640 | $1,440 | $290 | $1,210 | — |
| Gena Mikkelsen | $1,320 | $885 | $580 | $200 | — | $405 |
| Kristi Kilgore | — | — | $165 | $250 | — | $575 |
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 15aNo
Programs and updates
Perform music for all ages to inspire audiences throughout Whatcom County.
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Concert series encompasses 6-8 concerts each year as part of our regular season. This includes five classical concerts, a chamber orchestra concert, and a holiday concert. The concerts are held at the historic mount baker theatre, which seats over 1,500 audience members, helping the bso to reach over 8,500 people annually through our…
Youth engagement programs hold over 40 in-school performances each season reaching over 7,500 students throughout whatcom county. These performances are provided for free to area schools and target students kindergarten through high school with age-appropriate performances.
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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 | $295K | $288K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $115K | $125K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $27K | $44K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $460K | $529K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $32K | $107K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $429K | $421K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $1K | $1K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $80K | $24K | $24K | $32K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $165K | $132K | $25K | $8K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $22K | $13K | $5K | $4K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $2K | $2K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $1K | $1K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $130K | $130K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $40K | $40K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $15K | $4K | $6K | $5K |
| TravelLn 17 | $9K | $6K | $3K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $10K | $3K | $7K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $7K | $5K | $2K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $198K | $183K | $5K | $9K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $22K | $17K | $5K | $163 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $701K | $557K | $85K | $59K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $687K | $701K | −$15K | $421K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $545K | $688K | −$142K | $429K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $584K | $669K | −$85K | $560K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $744K | $587K | $158K | $638K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $409K | $351K | $58K | $489K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $580K | $506K | $75K | $431K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (4 parts)
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $686,620 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $701,163 across 14 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $528,569 assets, 14 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $421,225 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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