New Ballet Ensemble
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE GOALS OF NEW BALLET ENSEMBLE, INC. ARE TO TRAIN COMMUNITY STUDENTS REGARDLESS OF FAMILY INCOME TO A PROFESSIONAL OR PRE-PROFESSIONAL LEVEL OF DANCE IN ORDER TO PRODUCE DANCERS FROM RACIALLY AND SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS IN THE MEMPHIS AREA; TO PERFORM IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE YOUTH; TO PROVIDE STUDIO SPACE AT MINIMAL COST TO OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS; AND TO PROVIDE CLASSES OUTSIDE OF THE CORE PROFESSIONAL TRACT TO CHILDREN WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM DANCE INSTRUCTION BUT MAY NOT PURSUE CAREERS IN DANCE. UTILIZING CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTIONS AND EXCELLENCE IN DANCE TRAINING, NEW BALLET PROPELS COMMUNITY CHANGE AND TRANSFORMS LIVES THROUGH ARTS EDUCATION.
- Income
- $1.5 million
- Spending
- $1.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- 1.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 51%
- Employees
- 34
- Volunteers
- 48
- Highest pay
- $99,411, founder, chief strategy officer
Source: Form 990 for the year ending July 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 50 out of 100. Higher than 20% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 6% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 27% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 21% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending July 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 95 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 15 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
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 July 31, 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 (4)
- $874,848 spent. DANCE EDUCATION (BALLET SCHOOL) - NEW BALLET ENSEMBLE & SCHOOL (NBES) TRAINS YOUNG DANCERS IN A QUALITY CLASSICAL BALLET CURRICULUM WITH A SOLID AND VARIED REPERTOIRE, SPEAKING TO DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. USING CONSERVATORY TRAINING AS A MODEL, NBES INSTILLS KNOWLEDGE OF WEST AFRICAN DANCE, MODERN DANCE, HIP-HOP, AND FLAMENCO WITH BALLET SO THAT THE STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO TRAINING PRESENT IN BFA PROGRAMS. THE CURRENT ENROLLMENT IN THE SCHOOL'S STUDIO PROGRAM IS 171 STUDENTS. APPROXIMATELY 40% OF ENROLLED STUDENTS ATTEND ON SOME FORM OF SCHOLARSHIP. NBE HAS AWARDED OVER $500,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS OVER THE PAST DECADE, ENSURING EQUAL ACCESS TO A PROFESSIONAL STANDARD OF TRAINING. IN ADDITION TO FORMAL DANCE TRAINING, NBE PROVIDES MENTORING SERVICES, TUTORING, AND COLLEGE PREP SERVICES TO ENROLLED STUDENTS TO AID THEIR SCHOLASTIC PURSUITS. EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS - THE NBES PATHWAYS PROGRAM SERVES TEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS SHELBY.
- $648,036 spent. SCHOOL PERFORMANCES - THESE ENGAGING PERFORMANCES INCLUDE A VARIETY OF CURRICULUM-BASED STORYTELLING WITH LESSON PLANS ATTACHED TO ADDRESS ARTS, SOCIAL STUDIES, LANGUAGE, AND CREATIVE WRITING OBJECTIVES. THROUGH THESE SCHOOL PERFORMANCES, NBE IMPACTS CHILDREN LIVING IN HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES THROUGH PRE-PERFORMANCE CURRICULA, LIVE PERFORMANCES, AND POST-PERFORMANCE EXPERIENTIAL WORKSHOPS. IN ADDITION, NBE STUDENTS AND ENSEMBLE ARTISTS PERFORM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY-BASED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS AND LIBRARIES, HELPING TO FOSTER A PASSION FOR THE ARTS IN A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT.MAINSTAGE PERFORMANCES - NBES ANNUALLY PRESENTS SEVERAL PUBLIC MAINSTAGE PERFORMANCES. THESE PERFORMANCES COLLECTIVELY REACH OVER 4,500 AUDIENCE MEMBERS WITH NEW STORIES TO REPLACE THE OLD AND NEW STYLES TO BRING DANCE TO DIVERSE AUDIENCES, SPACES, AND COMMUNITIES. NY TIMES DANCE CRITIC ALASTAIR MACULAY'S REVIEW OF NBE'S "NUTREMIX" PERFORMANCE STATED, "MOST OF THE PERFORMERS ARE CHILDREN, AND THIS PERFORMANCE SEEMED TO BIND ALL INTO A WORLD WHERE BALLET AND HIP-HOP EXIST ON EQUAL TERMS WITH OTHER DANCE FORMS." THESE PERFORMANCES REINFORCE THE IDEA THAT ALL CULTURES CAN BLEND AND BORROW WHILE REMAINING TRUE TO THEIR ORIGINS.
- $97,206 spent. EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS - THE NBES PATHWAYS PROGRAM SERVES TEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS ACROSS SHELBY COUNTY WITH FREE DANCE TRAINING FOR ALL STUDENTS AFTER SCHOOL AND DURING THE DAY AS AN ELECTIVE. NBE'S TEACHING ARTISTS LEAD PATHWAYS UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE DIRECTOR OF ARTS EDUCATION, PREPARING STUDENTS FOR ENROLLMENT IN NBE'S CORE PROGRAM WHEN DESIRED BY THE STUDENT AND FAMILY AND WORKING TO BUILD EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE AND MOVEMENT SKILLS IN ALL CHILDREN, REGARDLESS OF THEIR DESIRE TO PURSUE PROFESSIONAL DANCE. THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS SERVED IN THE PATHWAYS PROGRAM IS 281.
- PROFESSIONAL APPRENTICESHIP - NEW BALLET ESTABLISHED THE PAID TRAINEE PROGRAM IN 2005 AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENT ARTISTS TO FURTHER THEIR TRAINING AFTER HIGH SCHOOL ON THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL. THE PROGRAM WAS FORMALIZED IN 2020 AND BECAME KNOWN AS THE TEACHING AND PERFORMING ARTIST APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. APPRENTICES PARTICIPATE FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME. ALL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS FUNDED ON SALARY WITH ACCOMMODATIONS AND TRAVEL INCLUDED, AND THE APPRENTICE OWNS THEIR CERTIFICATION IN THESE PROGRAMS AS THEY GROW INTO THE SUBSEQUENT PHASES OF THEIR CAREERS. THIS INCLUDES TRAINING WITH THE AMERICAN BALLET THEATER TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM, DANCE EDUCATION LABORATORY, AND THE NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE. NEW BALLET IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING APPRENTICES WITH THE TRAINING THEY NEED TO SUCCEED AS FUTURE PERFORMERS AND TEACHING ARTISTS, WHETHER THEY REMAIN IN MEMPHIS OR ASCEND TO THE WORLD'S GREAT STAGES! PAST PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE NEW BALLET ALUMNUS BREANA MOORE, RON K. BROWN EVIDENCE, A DANCE COMPANY; MAXX REED SPIDERMAN TURN OFF THE DARK; AND CHARLES "LIL BUCK" RILEY.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending July 31, 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 October 13, 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 July 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 May 2004.
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 October 21, 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.