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Kansas City Ballet Association

EIN 43-6052680 · Kansas City, MO

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood85 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO INSPIRE AND ENGAGE THROUGH THE BEAUTY, POWER AND PASSION OF DANCE

Income
$16.2 million
Spending
$12.5 million
Spent on programs
77%
Reserves
5.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 50%
Employees
240
Volunteers
300
Highest pay
$249,440, artistic director

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

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 5.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 7% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 23% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 47% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    77% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 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 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    29 of 31 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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)
  1. $7.0 million spent. KANSAS CITY BALLET PERFORMANCES. 62,435 PERFORMANCE ATTENDANCE. KANSAS CITY BALLET OPENED ITS 67TH SEASON WITH 'ALICE (IN WONDERLAND)' (OCTOBER 11-20), (CHOREOGRAPHY BY SEPTIME WEBRE, MUSIC BY MATTHEW PIERCE). IN DECEMBER, KANSAS CITY BALLET PERFORMED DEVON CARNEY'S HOLIDAY CLASSIC 'THE NUTCRACKER' WITH MUSIC BY PETER I. TCHAIKOVSKY IN TWO SCHOOL, ONE SENSORY AND TWENTY-THREE PUBLIC PERFORMANCES (DECEMBER 6-24). EACH SHOW IS PERFORMED BY THE OUTSTANDING PROFESSIONAL COMPANY OF KANSAS CITY BALLET WITH MEMBERS OF THE KANSAS CITY BALLET SCHOOL AND ACCOMPANIED BY THE KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY. KANSAS CITY BALLET SHOWCASED CONTEMPORARY BALLET IN AN INTIMATE SETTING WITH ITS 'NEW MOVES' SERIES, FEATURING VARIOUS EMERGING CHOREOGRAPHERS (JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 2). FOR ITS WINTER PERFORMANCE (MARCH 21-30), KANSAS CITY BALLET PERFORMED 'DON QUIXOTE' (CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANNA-MARIE HOLMES AFTER MARIUS PETIPA, MUSIC BY LUDWIG MINKUS). KANSAS CITY BALLET CONCLUDED ITS 2024-25 PERFORMANCE SEASON WITH A MIXED REPERTOIRE PROGRAM CALLED 'FUSION' (MAY 9-18). SELECTIONS INCLUDED 'TULIPS AND LOBSTER' (CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA), 'CELTS' (CHOREOGRAPHY BY LILA YORK), 'IN THE MIDDLE, SOMEWHAT ELEVATED' (CHOREOGRAPHY BY WILLIAM FORSYTHE) AND 'HOLD ON TIGHT' (CHOREOGRAPHY BY CAROLINE DAHM).
  2. $2.4 million spent. KANSAS CITY BALLET SCHOOL DANCE ACADEMY 2,665 PEOPLE SERVED. PROVIDING EXCELLENCE IN DANCE TRAINING SINCE 1981, KANSAS CITY BALLET SCHOOL HAS TWO CAMPUSES, DOWNTOWN AND IN JOHNSON COUNTY, SERVING THE NEEDS OF PRE-PROFESSIONAL AND RECREATIONAL DANCE STUDENTS, BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS. THE ACADEMY OFFERS CLASSES FOR CHILDREN AGES 2-19 VARYING FROM CREATIVE MOVEMENT, BALLET, POINTE, MODERN, JAZZ, CONTEMPORARY, VARIATIONS, CONDITIONING, FLAMENCO & MORE. WE OFFER AN ADAPTIVE DANCE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH MIXED COGNITIVE ABILITIES AS WELL AS A DAYTIME PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE LOOKING TO FURTHER THEIR DANCE EDUCATION EVEN MORE. STUDENTS IN THE ACADEMY PROGRAM HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO AUDITION FOR COMPANY PRODUCTIONS SUCH AS THE NUTCRACKER, AND ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A SPRING SCHOOL PERFORMANCE. OUR PRE-PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS ALSO ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN KANSAS CITY YOUTH BALLET (THE PERFORMING ENSEMBLE OF THE SCHOOL) AND IN COMPETITIONS SUCH AS YOUTH AMERICA GRAND PRIX AND UNIVERSAL BALLET COMPETITION. EACH YEAR KCBS OFFERS A FIVE-WEEK SUMMER INTENSIVE PROGRAM, WHICH ATTRACTS STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. KANSAS CITY BALLET'S SECOND COMPANY SERVES AS AN EMERGING PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM FOR EXTRAORDINARILY TALENTED YOUNG DANCERS. OUR STUDIO PROGRAM OFFERS DROP-IN CLASSES FOR TEENS AND ADULTS OF ANY LEVEL IN VARIOUS STYLES OF DANCE AND FITNESS. THERE ARE CLASSES SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR SILVER COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THOSE RECOVERING FROM A BRAIN INJURY. WE OFFER CLASSES IN BALLET, TAP, JAZZ, FLAMENCO, PROGRESSING BALLET TECHNIQUE (PBT), PILATES, YOGA, DANCEFIX, BEMOVED, BALLET BOD, BARRE FITNESS, BABY BUNDLE AND MORE.
  3. $235,240 spent. KANSAS CITY BALLET PARTNERSHIP AND REACH OUT AND DANCE (ROAD) PROGRAMS. YOUTH AND ADULTS WERE IMPACTED THROUGH A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS OFFERED BY KANSAS CITY BALLET'S PARTNERSHIP AND ROAD DEPARTMENTS. 4,464 GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS ATTENDED 3 STUDENT MATINEE PERFORMANCES OF 'THE NUTCRACKER', INCLUDING 1,061 FROM TITLE I SCHOOLS. 874 AUDIENCE MEMBERS ATTENDED SENSORY-FRIENDLY NUTCRACKER AND ALICE (IN WONDERLAND) PERFORMANCES. THE PARTNERSHIP DEPARTMENT SPONSORED 81 DIFFERENT EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING 17 COMMUNITY DANCE WORKSHOPS (5,119 ATTENDED) AND 7 SECOND COMPANY INFORMANCES (1,837 ATTENDED) PLACED IN SCHOOLS, SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES AND OTHER PUBLIC SPACES. IN FY25 A TOTAL OF 84 NEW REACH OUT AND DANCE (""R.O.A.D."") SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS WERE SELECTED TO COME AND STUDY DANCE AT KC BALLET. 40 R.O.A.D. SCHOLAR FAMILIES ATTENDED TWO PARENT/GUARDIAN ORIENTATIONS. 200 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE R.O.A.D. SCHOLARSHIP SHOWCASE PERFORMED BY THE R.O.A.D. SCHOLARS FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND TEACHERS WITH A R.O.A.D. SCHOLAR RECEPTION HELD WITH 48 R.O.A.D. SCHOLARS IN ATTENDANCE. KCB'S 12 TO 24 - WEEK DANCE RESIDENCY PROGRAM IN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS TAUGHT BY KANSAS CITY BALLET TEACHING ARTIST TO LIVE PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT SERVED 798 THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS FROM 14 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT MISSOURI AND KANSAS. FALL AND SPRING R.O.A.D. RALLIES WERE CONDUCTED IN PERSON WITH A TOTAL OF 1,821 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE.

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

  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 November 6, 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 June 2025.

    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 January 1959.

    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 November 4, 2026.

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