Virginia Waring International Piano Competition
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSION OF THE PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION IS TO EXCITE, EDUCATE, AND ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE WITH THE JOY OF CLASSICAL PIANO BY PRESENTING, PROMOTING, AND NURTURING CLASSICAL MUSIC THROUGH LIVE PIANO PERFORMANCE INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS, CONCERTS, AND LOCAL EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES.
- Income
- $367,048
- Spending
- $619,417
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- 10.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 48%
- Employees
- 4
- Volunteers
- 56
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 56 out of 100.
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 69% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 56% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 43 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 91 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2519 of 19 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 (1)
- $465,547 spent. Between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 Palm Springs International Piano Competition presented its triennial International Competition. Live rounds for preliminary, semi-final and concerto semi-final were offered free of charge. This allowed students, seniors and other community members to experience this week-long competition free of charge. To better accommodate senior citzens, we offered bussing to the venue. More than 2,000 people attended over the week. For the Concerto Finals, more than 300 tickets were offered to schools, senior citzens and low-income families. Prior to the competition, we held three concerts featuring world-renowned pianists. At each concert, complimentary tickets were provided to the community's senior citzens and high school students. In addition to the public concerts, private in-school concerts were offered for schools within the Palm Springs Unified and Desert Sands Unified School Districts. More than 500 elementary and high school students attended concerts at their school. A post-concert Q & A session allowed students to better understand the educational requirements for a career in music, music performance and music education. We have seen marked growth in our hands-on keyboard classes. Ten courses provided more than 300 hours of instruction to elementary and middle school-aged students, including those students participating in a home school setting. One session was offered to middle school students in Indio. This was the initial introduction to music, specifically piano, for all of the 18 participants. Volunteers are integral to the success of our programming. Approximately 56 volunteers provided more than 425 hours during the year.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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.
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.
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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 1987.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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.