Music for All Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 59 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
The mission of Music For All is to create, provide and expand positively life-changing experiences through music. Music For All's vision is continued on Schedule O.The vision of Music for All is to be a catalyst to ensure that every child across America has access and opportunity to participate in active music making in his or her scholastic environment. We use our resources to provide national programs that recognize and support music students' performance and success, offer music educator training and professional development, and deliver tools and resources to participants and their communities that will assist them in supporting music education by promoting awareness of music's impact on student growth and achievement.
- Income
- $13.4 million
- Spending
- $12.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- 11.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 86%
- Employees
- 46
- Volunteers
- 3,663
- Highest pay
- $418,089, president & ceo(left in dec 2024)
Source: Form 990 for the year ending February 28, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 74 out of 100. Higher than 49% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.8 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 25% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 6% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1591% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 59 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending February 28, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2522 of 22 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.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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 February 28, 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 (4)
- $6.8 million spent. FALL BANDS OF AMERICA (BOA) MARCHING BAND SEASON: Music for All's marching band championships are the premier events for marching band in the nation. BOA's marching band shows offer positively life-changing experiences for the students, teachers, and parents of bands who participate, as well as fans and spectators.GRAND NATIONALS: Music for All's Bands of America Grand National Championships is America's premiere national marching band event. First and foremost, Grand Nationals is an educational performance opportunity. Grand Nationals is also a spectacular music and pageantry event, one that band fans from across the nation and around the world travel to for exciting and creative performances.
- $3.0 million spent. NATIONAL FESTIVAL: The Music for All National Festival's non-competitive atmosphere provides a place for growth, cooperative encouragement, and mutual respect among music programs, students, administrators, and community. The event features nationally recognized clinicians that are of the highest caliber in the music education world. High school and middle school ensembles, concert bands, orchestras, percussion ensembles, and chamber ensembles from around the country submit applications to be selected to participate in the National Festival. Individual high school students also apply to participate in the Honor Band of America, Honor Orchestra of America, and Jazz Band of America.
- $1.4 million spent. BANDS OF AMERICA SUMMER CAMP: only at the Bands of America Summer Camp will you travel for exciting and creative performances. Experience the most-intensive, non-stop, make-you-better approach to musicianship, performance excellence, and student leadership development. It's the leading summer camp for middle and high school band students and band directors, brought to you by Music for All.
- $143,220 spent. Music for All Newsletter a series of digital e-news letters and printed newsletters that are emailed to approximately 110,000 subscribers per monthly issue and mailed to approximately 8,000 high school band directors one time annually with information about all of Music for All's educational programs and events.Advocacy Programs: A series of programs providing educational and advocacy resources, including a series of Affiliated Regional Music Festivals. Other Advocacy programs include: Professional development programs, Advocacy in Action awards program providing recognition to support music in our schools, working to ensure music education is available to every child, with emphasis on increasing access to music education for students and teachers from underappreciated communities, including small, rural, and urban schools. Music for All offers these programs independently and also collaborates with a number of other programs to extend the reach of its advocacy programming.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending February 28, 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 November 6, 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 February 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 February 2007.
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 November 4, 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.