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Society for Music Theory Inc

EIN 13-3013019 · Bloomington, IN

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceFair50 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE SOCIETY FOR MUSIC THEORY PROMOTES THE DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT WITH MUSIC THEORY AS A SCHOLARLY AND PEDAGOGICAL DISCIPLINE.

Income
$248,311
Spending
$213,190
Spent on programs
86%
Reserves
58.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 84%
Employees
0

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 85% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 58.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 14% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 38% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    86% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Fair: 50 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    16 of 16 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (5)
  1. $25,712 spent. 1.PUBLISH MUSIC THEORY SPECTRUM (SCHOLARLY PRINT JOURNAL), PUBLISH MUSIC THEORY ON-LINE (SCHOLARLY ON-LINE JOURNAL), PUBLISH SMT-V (SCHOLARLY VLOG/VIDEOCAST), PUBLISH SMT-POD (SCHOLARLY PODCASTS). JUST UNDER 1,000 MEMBERS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF SERVICES IN 2024. OUR PRINT JOURNAL, MUSIC THEORY SPECTRUM, PUBLISHED FOURTEEN ARTICLES AND HAD APPROXIMATELY 150 INSTITUTIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS. WE PUBLISHED FOUR NEW ISSUES OF OUR ONLINE JOURNAL MTO, FEATURING FORTY ARTICLES PLUS REVIEWS AND COMMENTARIES. WE PUBLISHED SIX NEW VIDEOS ON SMT-V, OUR VIDEOCAST JOURNAL, AND ELEVEN NEW EPISODES OF OUR PODCAST SERIES, SMT-POD.
  2. $13,238 spent. PROVIDE SUBVENTIONS FOR THE PUBLICATION OF ACADEMIC WORK IN MUSIC THEORY; RUN COMPETITIONS AND APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESSES FOR AUTHORS SEEKING PUBLICATION SUBVENTIONS, PROVIDE GRANTS FOR SCHOLARS TO HOST SPECIAL-TOPIC ACADEMIC CONFERENCES. DURING 2024, SEVEN SCHOLARS WERE AWARDED GRANTS TOTALING NEARLY 8,000 FOR PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCES, AND TWO SCHOLARS RECEIVED 5,000 DISSERTATION AWARDS.
  3. $136,409 spent. HOST ANNUAL SCHOLARLY CONFERENCE INCLUDING TRAVEL FOR PLANNING MEETING FOR PROGRAM COMMITTEE, AND SPECIAL-TOPICS PEER-LEARNING WORKSHOPS FOR BOTH GRADUATE STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS. PROVIDE DIVERSITY AND FAMILY-CARE GRANTS TO ENABLE A DIVERSE POPULATION TO ATTEND. IN NOVEMBER 2024 WE HOSTED A SOLO CONFERENCE IN JACKSONVILLE, FL TO PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS AND ENGAGE IN SCHOLARLY EXCHANGE. SIX INTEREST GROUPS RECEIVED ALMOST 3,000 IN GRANTS TO SUPPORT SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE CONFERENCE, AND TWENTY-ONE MEMBERS RECEIVED TRAVEL GRANTS TOTALING OVER 8,000 TO PARTIALLY OFFSET EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENDANCE.
  4. $8,642 spent. HOST ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE INCLUDING COMMUNICATION TOOLS, LISTSERV, ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER, AND INFORMATIONAL POSTS.
  5. HOST ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE INCLUDING COMMUNICATION TOOLS, LISTSERV, ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER, AND INFORMATIONAL POSTS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since February 1980.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.