SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

San Francisco, CA

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Physical Address:: San Francisco, CA 94102
EIN:: 94-1156284
Web URL:: www.sfsymphony.org

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GuideStar Seal	Organization does not have a GuideStar Exchange Seal
Registered with IRS	Legitimacy information is available
Evidence of Impact	Expert Assessment and Reviews available
Financial Data	Annual Revenue and Expense data reported
Forms 990	2011, 2011, and 2010 Forms 990 filed with the IRS
Mission Objectives	Mission Statement is available
Impact Summary	Impact Summary from the nonprofit is not available

Legitimacy Information

This organization is registered with the IRS.
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Forms 990 from IRS IRS Form 990 is an annual document used by approximately one-third of all public charities to report information about their finances and operations to the federal government. GuideStar uses data from Form 990 to populate its database with financial information about nonprofit organizations. Posting Form 990 images on the GuideStar Web site is an ongoing process.

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Annual Revenue & Expenses Financial information on GuideStar is either digitized from Form 990 images we receive from the IRS or submitted by the nonprofits themselves through the GuideStar Exchange (990 filers cannot override Form 990 financial data). If your organization does not file a Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF and you would like to have your financial data displayed in this section, join the GuideStar Exchange today!

Fiscal Year Starting: Sep 01, 2010
Fiscal Year Ending: Aug 31, 2011

Revenue
Total Revenue	$86,419,597

Expenses
Total Expenses	$72,154,335

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Financial data from Forms 990 for Year 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 are included in the GuideStar Premium Report. Upgrade Now Report Added To Cart

Key Financial SCAN Features

Financial Health Dashboard: Highlights key financial trends and ratios for a selected nonprofit organization over a period of up to five years.
Peer Comparison Dashboard: Compares the organization's financials with up to five peer nonprofits that you select.
Graphical Analysis: Provides multi-year graphs and an interpretive guide in a format ready to present to your clients.
Printable PDF Report: Provides a complete analysis of the organization for your records. The full report tells you what to look for and why it matters.
Advanced Search: Allows you to search by EIN (Employer Identification Number), organization name, city, state, revenue, expenses, and assets.

View Sample Report

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Summary
Financials
Forms 990 & Docs
People
Programs & Help
Impact

Basic Organization Information

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

Physical Address:: San Francisco, CA 94102
EIN:: 94-1156284
Web URL:: www.sfsymphony.org
NTEE Category:: A Arts, Culture, and Humanities; A69 (Symphony Orchestras)
Year Founded:: 1955
Ruling Year:: 1955

Mission Statement

THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY SETS THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE STANDARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MUSICAL PERFORMANCE AT HOME AND AROUND THE WORLD, ENRICHES, SERVES, AND SHAPES CULT URAL LIFE THROUGHOUT THE SPECTRUM OF BAY AREA COMMUNITIES, MAINTAINS FINANCIAL STABILITY AND GAINS PUBLIC RECOGNITION AS A MEANS OF ENSURING ITS ABILITY TO FULFILL ITS MISSION

Expert Assessment

Philanthropedia

The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) does an excellent job of engaging the students of San Francisco by bringing music into every K-12 classroom in the San Francisco Unified School District, free of charge. Their Adventures in Music teaches music to every child in grades one through five in San Francisco’s public schools, reaching more than 23,000 students. They are a leader in the arts industry and have been internationally recognized and praised for their dedication to art education, youth engagement, and high-quality productions. The San Francisco Symphony is a pivotal asset to the Bay Area art scene, shaping cultural life and enriching countless communities in the area. Read More »

For more information about this organization's impact, read the Expert Reviews and Comments.

Impact Summary from the Nonprofit

This organization has not provided an impact summary.

Personal Reviews

Key Financial SCAN Features

Financial Health Dashboard: Highlights key financial trends and ratios for a selected nonprofit organization over a period of up to five years.
Peer Comparison Dashboard: Compares the organization's financials with up to five peer nonprofits that you select.
Graphical Analysis: Provides multi-year graphs and an interpretive guide in a format ready to present to your clients.
Printable PDF Report: Provides a complete analysis of the organization for your records. The full report tells you what to look for and why it matters.
Advanced Search: Allows you to search by EIN (Employer Identification Number), organization name, city, state, revenue, expenses, and assets.

View Sample Report

More Information

FAQs on Financial Data | Digitizing IRS Form 990 Data

Financial Data

Revenue and Expenses

Revenue and Expense data from Forms 990 for 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 are included in the GuideStar Premium Report. Upgrade Now Report Added To Cart

Balance Sheet

Balance Sheet data from Forms 990 for Year 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 are included in the GuideStar Premium Report. Upgrade Now Report Added To Cart

Key Financial SCAN Features

Financial Health Dashboard: Highlights key financial trends and ratios for a selected nonprofit organization over a period of up to five years.
Peer Comparison Dashboard: Compares the organization's financials with up to five peer nonprofits that you select.
Graphical Analysis: Provides multi-year graphs and an interpretive guide in a format ready to present to your clients.
Printable PDF Report: Provides a complete analysis of the organization for your records. The full report tells you what to look for and why it matters.
Advanced Search: Allows you to search by EIN (Employer Identification Number), organization name, city, state, revenue, expenses, and assets.

View Sample Report

More Information

Forms 990 Received from the IRS IRS Form 990 is an annual document used by approximately one-third of all public charities to report information about their finances and operations to the federal government. GuideStar uses data from Form 990 to populate its database with financial information about nonprofit organizations. Posting Form 990 images on the GuideStar Web site is an ongoing process.

Forms 990 for 2011, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 are included in the GuideStar Premium Report. Upgrade Now Report Added To Cart

Forms 990 Provided by the Nonprofit

Financial Statements

Audited Financial Statement is not available for this organization.

Annual Reports

Formation Documents A Letter of Determination is a letter from the IRS to a nonprofit organization stating that the organization has successfully applied for tax-exempt status. In this document the IRS indicates under which section of the Internal Revenue Code an organization is qualified.

Letter of Determination is not available for this organization.

Leadership

Board Chair

Board of Directors

Officers for Fiscal Year

Report Added To Cart Officers for 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 are included in the GuideStar Premium Report. Upgrade Now

Highest Paid Employees & Their Compensation

Highest Paid Employee Data for 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 are included in the GuideStar Premium Report. Upgrade Now Report Added To Cart

Program:

Budget:: --
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Population Served:

Program Description:

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Program Success Monitored by:

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Expert Reviews and Comments

This organization is a 2012 Philanthropedia top nonprofit, recommended by experts as having high impact.

These expert reviews were generated through Philanthropedia's research methodology to identify high-impact nonprofits. Learn more

Evidence of Impact

Expert Comments

Financial Security

The San Francisco Symphony has been a model for large-scale arts support. In both economic downturns in this century, they were the only ones with an ample endowment. Artistic leadership has catapulted the company to gain international recognition. They have a successful education program. In a time when orchestras across the country are folding, they are thriving. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

Leadership

They have strong leadership, administratively and artistically. They have a broad impact on the community and put on high-quality of performances. — Other

Outreach to Students and Young Adults

The thriving success of Davies Symphony Hall all year long is proof of their impact. There is a widely recognized sense that this is truly a civic organization, as treasured and respected as our sports teams. While subscribers make up the core audience, there is always a contingent of first timers. These first timers are young adults hearing a live orchestra for the first time. Due to all of its pomp, SFS is still accessible and embracing. Also they do a great job with their recordings in regard to outreach. — Other

The Symphony brings every San Francisco Unified School District student from grades K-5 into the Symphony Hall for a live concert experience every single year. This is for some the only musical performance experience they have had or will have for some time to come in their lives. The parents compete for a chance to accompany these field trips as they too are eager for a chance to experience world-class music in a gorgeous setting like the Symphony Hall. — Other

Representative for the Industry

They are a large organization that has a major impact on the area. They are a champion of new music and represent the San Francisco arts very well when the symphony tours internationally and domestically. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

Organizational Strengths

The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) has excellent leadership, programming, and marketing. They are an innovative leader as a top tier arts organization that has a strong international and civic presence. They are continuously finding new ways to be creative and cutting-edge. They sponsor a wide range of diverse orchestras and conductors. Overall, SFS is a stable organization with an eye on the future.

Expert Comments

Collaborative Partnerships

Their collaborations within the western symphonic tradition are strong. We see a wide range of conductors, and other orchestras sponsored by this organization. They increase the visibility of the SF arts scene nationally and internationally, showing that the top organizations display quality and boldness. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

Great Leadership

Their strengths are leadership, quality, and programming. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

San Francisco Symphony is strong in the areas of legacy and infrastructure. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

They seem to have excellent relations with its players, a very strong board, and diverse interests. — Other

Innovative Programming

Their strengths are leadership, and programming (including their education program). — Other

It is an international institution that has not lost its identity or pride of place. In its field, the caliber is well beyond any other SF Arts organization of the same scope (Ballet, Opera, ACT, etc - though lately the Ballet is catching up!) They always seem to be thinking about how not to be a traditional orchestra. The Mavericks series is a great expression of their strength. They are building a program that bridges that unwavering adherence to tradition with the aesthetics of today. Everything is smartly done and really quite brilliantly programmed. MTT is not just a figurehead but really is seen as a civic presence and leader. — Other

Overall Operations

They have excellent leadership, marketing strength, venue, programming and program diversity. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

Strategically Efficient

SFS is the most strategic organization I can think of. They are thorough and process oriented. They continually ask themselves how they could make a greater impact. They aren't afraid to take risks and to make mistakes, this points to their tremendous leadership. SFS is in the forefront of organizations that have realized that the formal performing arts experiences need to be less formal and to bring the community into the hall and break down barriers to enjoyment. They have had a major presence in social media and have been having conversations with the greater community for many years now via the web and its many social forums. — Other

Areas for Improvement

The inclusion of non-western classical music would increase their audience reach. Community outreach and collaboration would also extend their impact. An updated marketing campaign that aligns with their overall mission would also benefit the overall effectiveness of the San Francisco Symphony.

Expert Comments

Incorporation of other Classics

SFS could reach out more to non-western classical or orchestral traditions. By recognizing that the classics of other traditions have more in common with their mission, SFS could broaden their base of support. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

Engage the Community

San Francisco Symphony could use support in developing authentic community connections in San Francisco to train the musicians of tomorrow. Their education program, while great in breadth, is lacking in depth. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

They should have more community collaborations with better community outreach. — Nonprofit Senior Staff

Inclusivity

They must stretch for inclusiveness without compromising quality. — Other

Fresher Marketing

Their marketing is highly traditional and doesn't capture the nature of the organization, and the outreach they do seems very far from heart of the organization. They do provide one of the best education platforms in the country, but it feels very compartmentalized and somehow not coming from the soul of the organization. As with all orchestras, even this one which does better than most, it still has a 70 percent gray audience. — Other

From the Nonprofit

The nonprofit has not added any comments yet. If you are a representative of this nonprofit and would like to leave a comment, please email us at feedback@myphilanthropedia.org with your request.