Music and Dance Theater Chicago Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
See Schedule O
- Income
- $8.9 million
- Spending
- $10.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- -4.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 53%
- Employees
- 217
- Volunteers
- 274
- Highest pay
- $306,410, president & ceo
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
Weak: 44 out of 100. Higher than 14% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 38% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 15% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 15% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1583% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 22 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: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2533 of 34 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 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 (3)
- $4.1 million spent. Resident Program: Supporting Chicago Artists - Founded specifically to serve Chicagos vibrant community of small to midsize performing arts organizations and support culturally relevant programming in Chicago, HT has served as a home for over 55 local arts and humanities organizations. The current 30 Resident Companies perform in a wide variety of genres and cultural traditions and represent the wide diversity of arts and culture organizations in Chicago. We subsidize all rental costs for our Resident Companies by more than 55%, provide dedicated production, marketing, and box office support from our expert staff, and offer free professional development and training opportunities. Our work supports these small to midsize companies and ensures their longevity in an ever-shifting arts ecosystem. In the 2024-25 Season, Resident Companies presented 42 performances on the Harris Theater stage for 39,673 audience members.
- $3.0 million spent. Harris Theather Presents: Presenting Diverse Voices - In addition to the support we offer to our Resident Companies, our own Harris Theater Presents (HTP) series brings the highest caliber artists from every corner of the world to Chicago to tell stories of human experiences from a multitude of perspectives. Representing over 32 countries across six continents, HTP brings ambitious international projects, new commissions, and co-productions to the HT stage, the rooftop, and the iconic Pritzker Pavilion. The 2024-25 Harris Theater Presents Season showcased leading artists and ensembles in music and dance, continuing Chicagos reputation as an international hub for cultural exchange through the arts. The Harris Theater produced 27 HTP performances during the 2024-25 Season. Highlights included the GRAMMY Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble with their newest production, American Railroad, Twyla Tharp Dances Diamond Jubilee celebrating Twyla Tharps 60 years as a world-renowned choreographer, and the U.S. premiere of Volcano Productions Scott Joplins Treemonisha - A Musical Reimagining, a reworked, fully-staged version of Scott Joplins only opera.
- $1.4 million spent. Community Engagement Programs: Generating Lasting Community Impact - Woven through each aspect of the Theaters work are Community Engagement programs that ensure our multicultural programming reaches as many Chicago community members as possible. Our Mix at Six and Family Series break down barriers for patrons to experience the arts in an inclusive environment for all ages and abilities, and our Education Residency Initiative brings the world-renowned artists from our Harris Theater Presents series into Chicago classrooms to provide high school students with hands-on experiences that transform them from audience members to pre-professional artists. We also partner with local community organizations to make programming accessible to patrons of all income levels through the Access Tickets program. Above all, our commitment to DEIA principles permeates our vision to make the Harris Theater truly inclusive and accessible to our community. In addition to the accessible Mix at Six and Family Series, during the 2024-25 Season the Harris Theater distributed 1,650 free Access Tickets to Community Partner organizations and provided arts education and mentorship to 406 students and community members, engaging 52 visiting artists to share their knowledge and experience with these young artists across 21 free Community Engagement events, including a music masterclass with Silkroad Ensemble members Mike Block and Balla Kouyat at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, a poetry workshop with Marc Bamuthi Joseph at Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, and a dance Masterclass at Chicago High School for the Arts with Ragamala Dance Company founders.
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 April 1994.
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.