Playful People Productions
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
Playful People Productions brings welcoming, joyful theater to life through a vibrant mix of Mainstage productions, family programming, and training opportunities for all ages. Each season, we produce 46 family-friendly, Broadway-style musicalsincluding new worksfeaturing casts that range from our youngest performers (ages 410) to teens and all-age youth ensembles. Our unique Family Casts create meaningful shared experiences by bringing multiple generations of youth and adults onstage together. Beyond productions, we offer multi-age choir, dance, and voice classes, plus dynamic summer camps for kids (and adults!) in acting, voice, dance, and technical theater. For tweens, teens and young adults, our Internship program provides advanced leadership development and hands-on production experience, cultivating the next generation of artists both onstage and behind the scenes.
- Income
- $738,240
- Spending
- $675,980
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- -2.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 62%
- Employees
- 52
- Volunteers
- 10
- Highest pay
- $64,554, director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 38 out of 100. Higher than 9% 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 204% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 8% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 59% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1583% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 35 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 79% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 259 of 11 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
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 August 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 (1)
- $563,633 spent. In the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2025, Playful People Productions actively continued growing our operations towards pre-pandemic levels. We paid fair wages to 55 employees, including 5 full time and 2 part-time year round Staff members, and an additional 7 contractors. We served 581 participants via 4 productions and 6 camps, and 13 classes, a 23% increase from last year. We continued a multi-age choir and a summer camp series of classes and productions for adults and teens as new offerings that exceeded enrollment expectations. We proudly welcomed 163 new participants to our programs, and openly supported authenticity within our community of adults, teens, and children, as well as staff members.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 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 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 August 2025.
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 May 2018.
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.