Mid-City Community Music
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
Provide music and arts education to underserved and underprivileged youth and adults in San Diego
- Income
- $271,454
- Spending
- $596,134
- Spent on programs
- 61%
- Reserves
- -5.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 74%
- Employees
- 0
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 8 out of 100. Higher than 0% 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 250% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 120% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 72% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1561% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Weak: 22 out of 100. Higher than 2% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
5 of 250 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
0 of 5Reports that it does not keep minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give 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 December 31, 2024, 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)
- $365,644 spent. MCCM provided music and arts education to students enrolled at the Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) at locations in City Heights and Logan Heights. This program was operated in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education, which provided our teaching artists access to the schools, along with classroom supervision while MCCM teaching artists instructed students in guitar, ukulele, drawing, poetry, dance, and visual arts.
- Though scaled back due to limitations in funding relative to previous years, MCCM provided high school students in City Heights the chance to experience an E-commerce businesses through the Mid-City Entrepreneurs program. Students were provided tablets and other tools to help them start their own businesses selling products that featured their original art and told their personal stories and the stories of their communities.
- MCCM music education included in-person and virtual learning events for budding musicians of all ages. This took the form of adult performance workshops, no-cost teen performance workshops, in-person and online community music jams, and community concerts at local venues, such as Queen Bees cultural arts center in North Park. Teen students also had the opportunity to perform solo and with MCCM adult performance workshop graduates at a downtown rooftop restaurant (Above Ash Social) for Sunday brunches, with the restaurant donating a portion of proceeds to MCCM.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 2015.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.