Houston Ballet Foundation
Mission
To inspire a lasting love and appreciation for dance through artistic excellence, exhilarating performances, innovative choreography and superb educational programs.
Ruling year
1957
Co-Artistic Director
Stanton Welch
Co-Artistic Director
Julie Kent
Main address
601 Preston St
Houston, TX 77002-1605 USA
EIN
74-1394920
NTEE code
Other Art, Culture, Humanities Organizations/Services N.E.C. (A99)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2024, 2023 and 2022.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
A world-class ballet company with a diverse repertory of classics and contemporary works.
Houston Ballet has always maintained the highest standards. We train and attract global talent- dancers with classical training that allows them to move seamlessly across all genres. These dancers inspire choreographers to do their very best work. Houston Ballet’s programs and services aim to expose and offer opportunities for all members of the community to participate in the art form of dance. Through our Wortham Theatre Center six-production subscription series, Nutcracker season, free performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre, and our Education and Community Engagement initiatives, we endeavor to expand our reach and access to encompass all diverse populations.
Houston Ballet Academy
Since its founding in 1955, Houston Ballet Academy has provided the highest quality ballet training for those enrolled. Through various programs, the Academy trains over 1,000 students a year. It offers training designed to take students from their first introduction to movement through a full course of ballet study. The Academy’s outstanding faculty includes teachers who have performed with prestigious companies throughout the world. Houston Ballet Academy is comprised of four programs: the Preschool Program, Adult Program and the Pre-Professional and Professional Programs. All programs are designed to train students in various forms of dance and movement. The Preschool Program and Adult Program do not require an audition and are open to the general public for registration.
Houston Ballet's Education and Community Engagement Programs
Education and Community Engagement programs consist of: Adapted Dance, Autism-Friendly Performances, My First Ballet, Ballet Talks, Behind the Scenes Tour, Chance to Dance, Graceful Givings, Guest Speaking, Dance to Learn, Dance Talks, Learning from the Masters, Studio Series, Student Matinees, Teacher Workshops, and X3: Explore, Extend, Excel. We strive to provide accessible, high-quality dance education that engages a diversified youth audience, and inspires creativity, critical thinking, communication, and physical fitness. Furthermore, our focus is serving children who are deemed economically disadvantaged, by targeting schools with 75 percent or more children who receive reduced/free lunch. In the 2021-2022 season, Houston Ballet’s Education and Community Engagement programming reached over 167,000 students throughout Houston and surrounding areas.
National and International Touring
The company has toured extensively across the United States and abroad. National cities toured include: Chicago, New Orleans, New York, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Detroit, Los Angeles, and at the world-renowned Jacob's Pillow Festival, among many others. Houston Ballet has toured to international destinations including but not limited to: Canada, Europe, Russia, Asia, Australia, United Arab Emirates, and Japan.
Dance for Parkinson's
Dance for Parkinson's is an innovative and collaborative dance program for people with Parkinson's in the Houston community. The program is brought to Houstonians by Houston Ballet Foundation and Houston Area Parkinson Society (HAPS). A pianist accompanies the class and incorporates various types of music, encouraging participants to dance independently and find their own beat.
Where we work
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Australia
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Canada
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Europe
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Houston (Texas, United States)
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San Antonio (Texas, United States)
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United Arab Emirates
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United States
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of audience members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
A world-class ballet company with a diverse repertory of classics and contemporary works.
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our season runs from July to the following June, so the numbers in each year represent the Fiscal Year End. For example, the were a total or 159,652 audience members in the 2022-2023 season, or FY2023
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Houston Ballet Academy
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of students enrolled in our Preschool, Pre-Professional, and Professional Year Round and Summer Programming.
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Houston Ballet's Education and Community Engagement Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This number represents the number of students reached through our Education and Communit5y Engagement Programs.
Total number of paid seats filled for performances
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These number represents the tickets sold for the performances at our home theater. Does not include any touring/off site performances.
Total number of performances
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This number includes the performances of our Company at our home theater as well as touring/off site performances.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Donors who have contributed to the annual fund.
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Houston Ballet's mission is to inspire a lasting love and appreciation for dance through artistic excellence, exhilarating performances, innovative choreography and superb educational programs.
In furtherance of our mission, we are committed to maintaining and enhancing our status as:
• A classically trained company with a diverse repertory whose range includes the classics as well as contemporary works.
• A company that attracts the world's best dancers and choreographers and provides them with an environment where they can thrive and further develop the art form.
• An international company that is accessible to broad and growing local, national, and international audiences.
• A company with a world-class Academy that provides first rate instruction for professional dancers and meaningful programs for non-professional dancers.
• A company with state-of-the-art facilities for performances, rehearsals and ongoing operations.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Embodied in the organization's current long range plan, our strategies are as follows:
1) Contribute to the dance repertoire and nurture Houston Ballet's reputation as a leading center of new choreography through increased creation, "updating," and production of new choreographies
2) Increase the size of the dance Company to allow a broader range of productions and a greater depth of talent within the Company
3) Increase prominence and recognition of the artistic achievement and quality of Houston Ballet through more performances, as well as regular, national, and international touring to select dance capitals in the U.S. and abroad.
4) To continue to nurture the Houston Ballet Academy as a nationally recognized top training facility to establish the Academy as the "school of choice" among aspiring dancers
5) Increase public awareness of Houston Ballet's diverse repertoire by defining and promoting a consistent Houston Ballet brand, and successfully selling mixed programs
6) Build a stronger and deeper, loyal support of Trustees, donors, audiences, and alumni.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Houston Ballet has committed significant resources to its investment in fundraising staff, marketing and advertising. This commitment has directly impacted and increased earned and contributed revenue which has and will continue to support strategic program goals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In the 2021-2022 season, Houston Ballet:
- Impacted over 118,000 audience members.
- Held 72 performances.
- Served over 167,000 students through Education and Community Engagement (ECE) programming.
- Debuted 4 world premieres.
- Reached 389,646 people through social media.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Houston Ballet Foundation
Board of directorsas of 5/5/2025
Becca Cason Thrash TRUSTEE
Chad Libertus MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Dannika E Simpson TRUSTEE
Bridgitte Shen Lee TRUSTEE
Duyen Huynh Nguyen TRUSTEE
Joshua D Harris TRUSTEE
Julia D Andrieni TRUSTEE
Liliana Soltero TRUSTEE
Elizabeth Mata Kroger TRUSTEE
Charles C Foster TRUSTEE
Laura M Robertson TRUSTEE
Macey Reasoner TRUSTEE
Marsha L Montemayor TRUSTEE
James W Crownover TRUSTEE
Bastiaan De Zeeuw TRUSTEE
Daniel M McClure VICE PRESIDENT INVESTMENT
Erich Canseco TRUSTEE
Gary V Beauchamp TRUSTEE
Herschel Hamner TRUSTEE
James Cowan MEMBER-AT-LARGE
James J Parr MEMBER-AT-LARGE
James M Jordan TRUSTEE
James Parr VP - INSTITUTIONAL GIVING
Jeremy Griggs TRUSTEE
Jerry Martin Thru 082022 VICE PRESIDENT - MARKETING
Jesse H Jones VICE PRESIDENT DEVELOPMENT
Joseph A Hafner TRUSTEE
Joseph A Matula TRUSTEE
Marcus A Watts MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Mark Loveland TRUSTEE
Michael Heckman TRUSTEE
Mike Chou TRUSTEE
Mitchell George TRUSTEE
Nicholas L Swyka TRUSTEE
Robert F Parker TRUSTEE
Ron Rand TRUSTEE
Sean Becker MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Shane A Miller TRUSTEE
W Cameron Alguire TRUSTEE
Akemi Saitoh TRUSTEE
Alicia Smith TRUSTEE
Allison L Flikerski TRUSTEE
Allison Thacker TRUSTEE
Amber Westman TRUSTEE
Amy Pincu TREASURER, VICE PRESIDENT FINANCE
Ann Graham TRUSTEE
Anne S Chao TRUSTEE
Cabrina Owsley TRUSTEE
Carroll Robertson Ray MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Christine M Underwood MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Diane Bazelides TRUSTEE
Donald M Graubart TRUSTEE
Elisa S Pye TRUSTEE
Elizabeth Leykum VP EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Elizabeth R Zdeblick VICE PRESIDENT ACADEMY
Erika Toussaint TRUSTEE
F T Barr MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Gina Bhatia TRUSTEE
Heidi Smith TRUSTEE
Ileana Trevio TRUSTEE
J Luke McConn TRUSTEE
James Shaffer TRUSTEE
Jean E May TRUSTEE
Jo Furr TRUSTEE
Kate Fowler TRUSTEE
Kelley S Lubanko VICE PRESIDENT TRUSTEE DEVELOPMENT
Kris McGee TRUSTEE
Kristy J Bradshaw PRESIDENT
Leigh M Smith CHAIRMAN
Lenni Burke TRUSTEE
Leslie Blanton TRUSTEE
Louisa Stude Sarofim LIFE TRUSTEE
Lynn Wyatt MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Margaret Alkek Williams LIFE TRUSTEE
Martha Finger TRUSTEE
Martha Rocks McMurrey TRUSTEE
Michael Mithoff TRUSTEE
Mignon Gill TRUSTEE
Nancy Ferguson Haywood TRUSTEE
Pamela D Earthman TRUSTEE
Patti Murphy TRUSTEE
Phoebe Tudor MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Rini Ziegler TRUSTEE
Rosanette S Cullen TRUSTEE
Russell C Joseph SECRETARY
Susan Binney TRUSTEE
Winell Herron TRUSTEE
Ann C Bean MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Beth Muecke TRUSTEE
Desrye Morgan TRUSTEE
Gillian Hobson Thru 012023 MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Hallie Vanderhider MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Kim Cagle TRUSTEE
Leticia Loya MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Lindsey Brown TRUSTEE
Melanie Lawson TRUSTEE
Melissa Juneau TRUSTEE
Nancy Powell Moore TRUSTEE
S Shawn Stephens MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Samira A Salman TRUSTEE
Sasha Davis TRUSTEE
Sunday Shepherd TRUSTEE
Natasha Khan TRUSTEE
Richard K McGee TRUSTEE
Richard W Flowers TRUSTEE
Sandra S Godfrey TRUSTEE
Sharon F Erskine TRUSTEE
Stephanie Tsuru MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Tammy Tran Nguyen TRUSTEE
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? no
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
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