Saint Paul Ballet
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
Saint Paul Ballet's vision is to rejoice in the beauty and immediacy of dance with the widest possible audience and to lift the human spirit through the art of ballet. Its mission is to provide the finest dance education, reduce barriers to involvement in the art of dance, and perform a vibrant repertory with a passion for the highest level of excellence.
- Income
- $491,255
- Spending
- $486,196
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- -2.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 48%
- Employees
- 33
- Volunteers
- 75
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: 42 out of 100. Higher than 11% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 296% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 16% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1583% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 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
Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 40% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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
12 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
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)
- $100,293 spent. PERFORMANCES: St. Paul Ballet presented The Nutcracker Reimagined 2024 at The O'Shaughnessy with over 2,000 in attendance and a second year of partnering with 50-year-old Ethnic Dance Theater and 40-year-old CAAM Chinese Dance Theater. The Spring Showcase at The O'Shaughnessy was performed May 30 and 31, 2025. The program included SPB's original production Kenetic Canvas which matches a visual artwork to choreography for the youngest dancers and excerpts from Le Jardin garden scene from Les Corsaire for the upper level dancers.
- $303,747 spent. EDUCATION: St. Paul Ballet continued to offer our renowned Pre-Professional training program for ages 7-18 to build the foundation for college-level programs or a professional career. Additionally, St. Paul Ballet increased our engagement of recreational dancers and community members through targeted programs: 1.) Children's Division promotes dance as a form of play for ages 2.5-7, including classes like Parent & Me, Creative Dance, Pre-Ballet ; 2.) Adult Division Classes include Boomer Ballet for ages 55+. Extension Division reaches beyond the traditional age, experience, and ability entry points of ballet to promote life-long learning. Saint Paul Ballet launched Boomer Ballet for ages 55 or better who have never tried ballet has continued to thrive and bring in new students. This programming is accelerating our recovery from the pandemic by more than six months. We have earned a full page in the St. Paul Community Education catalog which is distributed to 70,000 households. One of our highest level students was invited to spend her senior year in training at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle last year. This year she was invited to join the 6 apprentices and has performed in all of their productions including the newly staged Sleeping Beauty. She and her family attribute her success to her 8 years at St. Paul Ballet.
- COMMUNITY We continued providing Pay-As-Able ticketing to our The Nutcracker Reimagined. It resulted in over 1,700 attendees at The O'Shaughnessy, with 3x the number of children who traditionally attend! Surveying attendees we found the increased participation, especially by those on fixed incomes and children were able to attend building new audiences.
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 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 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 June 1998.
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.