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Florida Orchestra Inc

EIN 59-1223691 · St Petersburg, FL

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair61 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO ENRICH THE LIFE OF THE TAMPA BAY AREA AS IT INSPIRES, ENTERTAINS AND EDUCATES A WIDE AND DIVERSE AUDIENCE WITH THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF LIVE SYMPHONIC MUSIC, ENSURING THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL CONTINUE TO ENJOY THIS LEGACY THAT CELEBRATES THE HUMAN SPIRIT.

Income
$15.9 million
Spending
$14.1 million
Spent on programs
84%
Reserves
-0.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 62%
Employees
276
Volunteers
662
Highest pay
$226,203, 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

Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 31% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    0 of 35

    Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 21% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 11% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 21% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    84% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 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

    33 of 33 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 (2)
  1. $10.0 million spent. CONCERT PERFORMANCES:FOR MORE THAN 57 YEARS, THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA (TFO) HAS SERVED THE TAMPA BAY AREA AND BEYOND. TFO IS RECOGNIZED AS TAMPA BAY'S LEADING PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTION, THE LARGEST PROFESSIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN FLORIDA, AND ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT AND INNOVATIVE ORCHESTRAS IN AMERICA. THROUGH EXTRAORDINARY MUSICAL PERFORMANCES, THE ORCHESTRA INSPIRES THE PEOPLE OF TAMPA BAY AND SERVES AS A LEADER AND BEACON FOR THE MUSICAL ARTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. REGARDLESS OF WHERE PERFORMANCES OCCUR, THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA IS COMMITTED TO SERVING THE ENTIRE TAMPA BAY AREA.CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O. THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA PERFORMS NEARLY 100 CONCERTS ANNUALLY IN THE TRI-CITY AREA OF TAMPA, CLEARWATER, AND ST. PETERSBURG. CONCERT SERIES INCLUDE MASTERWORKS, POPS, MATINEES, ROCK CONCERTS, FREE POPS IN THE PARK CONCERTS, AND EDUCATIONAL YOUTH CONCERTS.
  2. $1.8 million spent. EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY:TFO'S EXTENSIVE EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR A LARGE PORTION OF ITS ANNUAL TOTAL AUDIENCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ITS SERVICES FREE OF CHARGE OR FOR LOW COST. THESE ACTIVITIES FOLLOW TFO'S COMMITMENT TO EDUCATE AND IMPACT A WIDE RANGE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF ALL AGES, BACKGROUNDS, AND SOCIOECONOMIC MEANS. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O. TFO STRINGS PROJECT - TFO STRINGS PROJECT INTEGRATES VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS AS A WAY TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE DEVELOP LIFE SKILLS SUCH AS COMMUNICATION, LEADERSHIP, PROBLEM SOLVING, ANGER MANAGEMENT, CAREER ASPIRATIONS, AND GOAL SETTING. THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIPS, THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA OFFERS GROUP STRING CLASSES TO CHILDREN AT SITES ACROSS PINELLAS AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES. TEACHING ARTIST - TFO TEACHING ARTISTS COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH PINELLAS COUNTY SCHOOL ORCHESTRA DIRECTORS, PROVIDING INVALUABLE CLASSROOM SUPPORT. BY SUPPORTING LESSON PLANNING, TECHNICAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT, AND FOSTERING ARTISTIC GROWTH, THEY HAVE PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN EXPANDING STRING PROGRAMS AND ENHANCING BOTH ARTISTIC AND PEDAGOGICAL METHODOLOGIES IN THE CLASSROOMS. SIDE BY SIDE - TFO IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH LOCAL YOUTH ORCHESTRAS FOR SIDE-BY-SIDE PERFORMANCES. TFO MUSICIANS WORK CLOSELY WITH YOUNG PERFORMERS, OFFERING MENTORSHIP AND REHEARSING TOGETHER TO PRESENT A SHARED PIECE ONSTAGE. THIS COLLABORATION PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN FROM PROFESSIONALS AND PERFORM IN A SHARED MUSICAL EXPERIENCE.

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 June 1969.

    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.

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.