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
80 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
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
17 people listed on the 990; $4K 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.
Questions for Bellingham Symphony Orchestra
Your first name shows with your question. Bellingham Symphony Orchestra answers here, for everyone.
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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 90 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.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $433K | $508K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $24K | $24K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $491K | $545K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $60K | $56K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $431K | $489K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $6K | $6K | ||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $3K | $3K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $57K | $34K | $17K | $6K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $147K | $126K | $10K | $12K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $15K | $10K | $3K | $2K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $1K | $1K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $36K | $36K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $17K | $17K | $24 | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $17K | $9K | $5K | $3K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $12K | $9K | $2K | $1K |
| TravelLn 17 | $249 | $249 | ||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $2K | $549 | $2K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $6K | $4K | $3K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $4K | $1K | $3K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $24K | $24K | ||
| All other expensesLn 24e | $4K | $4K | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $351K | $280K | $49K | $23K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $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 Viewing | $409K | $351K | $58K | $489K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $580K | $506K | $75K | $431K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $409,000 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 17 of 17 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $409,000 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $351,386 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $544,700 assets, 13 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $488,601 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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