Richmond Ballet Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THROUGH ALL OF ITS PROGRAMS, RICHMOND BALLET STRIVES TO EXPAND ACCESS TO DANCE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AT THE HEART OF THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION, TO AWAKEN, UPLIFT, AND UNITE HUMAN SPIRITS, IS THE CONVICTION THAT THE APPETITE AND NEED FOR ARTS EXPERIENCES IS BOTH UNIVERSAL AND ETERNAL. ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ARTS CREATES SHARED EXPERIENCES THAT UNITE PEOPLE OF DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. RICHMOND BALLET IS COMMITTED TO IDENTIFYINGAND CARVING PATHWAYS THROUGHBARRIERS IN ACCESS TO THESE EXPERIENCES FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
- Income
- $7.7 million
- Spending
- $7.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 84%
- Reserves
- 8.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 56%
- Employees
- 179
- Volunteers
- 317
- Highest pay
- $138,286, assoc. 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: 77 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 8.7 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 19% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 2% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1584% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 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 2532 of 33 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)
- $4.5 million spent. PROFESSIONAL COMPANY PERFORMANCES - AFTER A TWENTY-PLUS YEAR CAREER AS A PRINCIPAL DANCER AND RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHER FOR TULSA BALLET, MA CONG JOINED RICHMOND BALLET AS ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IN 2019 AND BECAME ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IN 2024. MA HAS BROUGHT A VITALITY AND ENTHUSIASM TO THE COMPANY THAT IS ROOTED IN HIS HISTORY - A CHINESE-BORN NATURALIZED CITIZEN WITH A PASSION FOR HUMANITY AND THE ARTS. DURING 2024 2025, RICHMOND BALLET REACHED A RECORD-BREAKING 86,000 PEOPLE THROUGH ALL PROGRAMS.THE 2024-2025 SEASON INCLUDED A FINAL REPERTORY PERFORMANCE AT THE RICHMOND BALLET STUDIO THEATRE. THIS FINALE FEATURED VAL CANIPAROLI'S PROVOCATIVE WHAT'S GOING ON AND A WORLD PREMIERE BALLET BY MA CONG, ENCHALANT. DECEMBER OF 2024 FEATURED 17 PERFORMANCES OF FAMILY-FAVORITE THE NUTCRACKER. THIS PRODUCTION SAW RECORD ATTENDANCE, AND APPROXIMATELY 600 PATRONS WERE ADMITTED FREE OF CHARGE, SPONSORED BY "BALLET FOR ALL" A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO DIVERSIFY OUR AUDIENCE. AFTER THE MAJOR SUCCESS OF BEN STEVENSON'S DRACULA IN THE PRIOR YEAR, RICHMOND BALLET PRESENTED HIS VERSION OF CINDERELLA, IN FEBRUARY OF 2025, TO AUDIENCE AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM. BOTH OF THESE FULL LENGTH STORY BALLETS WERE PERFORMED AT THE DOMINION ENERGY CENTER, A LARGE TRADITIONAL THEATRE IN DOWNTOWN RICHMOND, ACCOMPANIED BY THE RICHMOND SYMPHONY.IN THE SPRING OF 2025, RICHMOND BALLET MOVED THE REMAINDER OF ITS REPERTORY SERIES TO THE NEWLY RENOVATED LESLIE CHEEK THEATRE INSIDE THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS ("VMFA"). THE MOVE DOUBLED OUR AUDIENCE CAPACITY AND ALLOWED THE BALLET TO SCHEDULE PERFORMANCES OVER A TWO-WEEK PERIOD, PERMITTING MORE OPTIONS FOR ATTENDANCE IN A MORE ACCESSIBLE AND POPULATED LOCATION IN RICHMOND. AS A PART OF THE RENOVATION, THE LESLIE CHEEK THEATRE STAGE WAS RENAMED, "THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY STAGE IN HONOR OF RICHMOND BALLET." NEWLY NAMED THE "MOVING ART" SERIES, THE INAUGURAL PERFORMANCE, MOVING ART ONE, FEATURED THREE BOLD WORKS, ALL OF WHICH WERE VIRGINIA PREMIERES: MA CONG'S PENTAPTYCH, CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON'S AFTER THE RAIN, AND VAL CANIPAROLI'S LAMBARENA. TO CLOSE OUT THE SEASON IN MAY, MOVING ART TWO FEATURED JOSHUA L. PEUGH'S SLUMP, STONER WINSLETT'S ECHOING PAST, AND YURY YANOWSKY'S WORLD PREMIERE FADING CREATURES. TOURING CONTINUES TO BE A PRIORITY FOR RICHMOND BALLET. ON OCTOBER 18, 2024, RICHMOND BALLET BROUGHT THE ICONIC CARMINA BURANA TO THE GAILLARD CENTER STAGE IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA. THE RICHMOND BALLET STUDIO COMPANY PERFORMED TOURS AND LECTURE DEMONSTRATIONS AT VARIOUS SCHOOLS AND LOCALITIES THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA REACHING AN ESTIMATED 25,000 STUDENTS AND 4,000 COMMUNITY PATRONS.
- $1.6 million spent. DANCE SCHOOL - THE SCHOOL OF RICHMOND BALLET OFFERS TRAINING IN A VARIETY OF DANCE FORMS, INCLUDING BALLET, MODERN, THEATER DANCE, AND CHARACTER. WITH NO AUDITION REQUIREMENT AND FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE, ADMISSION TO THE SCHOOL IS INCLUSIVE. DANCE CLASSES ARE PROVIDED TO APPROXIMATELY 1,000 STUDENTS, AGES 4 TO ADULT, 6 DAYS A WEEK. THE SCHOOL PROVIDES ADVANCED TRAINING FOR ASPIRING STUDENTS THROUGH THE TRAINEE PROGRAM AND STUDIO COMPANY, WHO PERFORM WITH THE BALLET'S PROFESSIONAL COMPANY. $150,000 WAS GIVEN BY A SINGLE FOUNDATION SPECIFICALLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS. OTHER GIVING DESIGNATED FOR THE SCHOOL AND USED FOR FINANCIAL AID, INCLUDING AN ENDOWMENT DRAW FROM THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND AND AN APPROPRIATION OF OPERATING FUNDS, TOTALED APPROXIMATELY $100,000.
- $454,886 spent. MINDS IN MOTION (MIM), RICHMOND BALLET'S PRIMARY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM, REACHED 1016 CHILDREN FROM A RANGE OF SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS IN RICHMOND AND PORTSMOUTH IN THE 2024-2025 SEASON. THIS IN-SCHOOL PROGRAM FEATURES AN ENGAGING, MOVEMENT-BASED CURRICULUM TAUGHT BY PROFESSIONAL TEACHING ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. MIM STRIVES TO NURTURE SELF-CONFIDENCE IN STUDENTS AND ENDEAVORS TO CULTIVATE COMMUNICATION AND TEAMWORK SKILLS. TEACHING ARTISTS FOLLOW A CURRICULUM THAT GUIDES STUDENTS TOWARD MASTERY OF MOVEMENT AND MUSIC, REQUIRING MEMORIZATION SKILLS AND THE ABILITY TO QUICKLY PIVOT AND CATCH-UP WHEN STEPS MAY BE MISSED. THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE OF SUCCESSFUL GROUP LEARNING, STUDENTS PERCEIVE AND MODEL THE VALUE AND BENEFITS OF TEAMWORK AND RESPECTFUL COMMUNICATION. THE PROGRAM CONCLUDES WITH AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION PRESENTED FOR A LIVE AUDIENCE, WITH A THEME THAT RELATES TO THE STUDENTS' CURRICULUM AT SCHOOL. OF THE 15 SCHOOLS SERVED IN RICHMOND, 7 ARE TITLE I AND 2 ARE TUITION-FREE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS. TWO SCHOOLS ARE SERVED IN PORTSMOUTH THROUGH A RESIDENCY SERVING APPROXIMATELY 160 STUDENTS. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, MIM REMAINS THE ONLY PROGRAM OF ITS KIND IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. THE PROGRAM CELEBRATES THE STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENTS IN A CULMINATING PERFORMANCE WITH OVER 3,500 PEERS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE AUDIENCE. MBERS IN PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA.
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 March 1960.
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.