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
83 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
17 people listed on the 990; $55K 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.
See Bellingham Symphony Orchestra executive salaries →On this list? Claim this org
Something off? Claim to add context
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.
Know this org? Add your story
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 FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $445K | $295K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $103K | $115K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $18K | $27K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $589K | $460K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $29K | $32K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $560K | $429K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $1K | $1K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $62K | $62K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $217K | $141K | $41K | $36K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $24K | $16K | $4K | $4K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $2K | $2K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $1K | $1K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $115K | $115K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $46K | $45K | $162 | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $15K | $10K | $3K | $2K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $7K | $4K | $3K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $6K | $2K | $4K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $182K | $171K | $4K | $7K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $10K | $2K | $8K | $49 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $688K | $570K | $69K | $49K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $687K | $701K | −$15K | $421K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 Viewing | $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 |
More to add? Claim this org
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $545,471 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 15 of 15 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $545,471 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $687,920 across 13 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $460,043 assets, 14 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $428,522 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
Similar organizations you could support · Compare with another nonprofit
Names, privacy, and removal requests More
The names, titles, and compensation shown on this page are reproduced from IRS Form 990 filings, which are public records.
Philanthropy.org does not alter the content of those filings. All information appears exactly as reported by the filing organization for the tax year shown.
We publish only information contained in the public IRS filing — and less than the filing contains. Our profile pages do not display street addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or other personal contact information, even where the filing includes them.
Many people share the same name. A name shown on this page reflects only what one organization reported in one IRS filing for one tax year. It should not be interpreted as identifying any other individual with the same or a similar name.
If you are no longer affiliated with the organization, your name will generally stop appearing in future IRS filings once the organization no longer reports you. Pages for tax years in which you were reported remain published because those filings remain part of the public record.
Philanthropy.org does not alter or remove IRS filing records. Removing a page from this website would not remove the underlying IRS filing, which remains publicly available from the IRS and other publishers of the same information.
If you believe the IRS filing itself is inaccurate, corrections must be made by the filing organization or the IRS directly.
Your org? Add context
Made it to the end? Claim this org