Ten Thousand Things
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Ten Thousand Things awakens the creative spirit of audiences and artists by bringing essential and exceptional theater to people from all backgrounds and life experiences.
- Income
- $1.0 million
- Spending
- $963,872
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 10.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 64%
- Employees
- 34
- Volunteers
- 50
- Highest pay
- $87,445, managing dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending May 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 83 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 14% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending May 31, 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 2517 of 17 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 May 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)
- $767,891 spent. Ten Thousand Things awakens the creative spirit of audiences and artists by bringing essential and exceptional theater to people from all backgrounds and life experiences.Ten Thousand Things delivered on FY24/25 season goals to produce excellent and accessible theater programming to diverse audiences in Minnesota. Programming highlights included three season productions: John Barton and Kenneth Cavanders HELEN, based on the play by Euripides, produced in the fall; Finegan Kruckemeyers THIS GIRL LAUGHS, produced in the winter; and Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawleys VIOLET, produced in the spring. All three productions were presented both to paying public audiences and to audiences who may not otherwise have access to professional theater, through free community tours across the Twin Cities. The season received critical acclaim and the productions were received positively by audiences. In addition to our main production season, Ten Thousand Things re-developed educational programming for individuals experiencing incarceration, after a multi-year pause due to pandemic-related changes in staff and policies at our carceral partner facilities. We developed and led three semester-long theater courses: partnering with Scholars Serving Time to deliver a course in theater to women at Minnesota Correctional Facility Shakopee in the fall; working with Transformation and Reentry Through Education and Community (TREC) to deliver a course to men at Minnesota Correctional Facility Stillwater in the fall; and working again with TREC to deliver a course to men at Minnesota Correctional Facility Faribault in the spring. We also taught workshops at Ramsey County Corrections and Harmony Learning Center's ELL program. In total, we presented 104 shows, reaching 8,191 audience members, and led 50 workshops attended by 945 participants. We partnered with 24 community organizations to reach new audiences. We continued to increase our partnerships with correctional facilities across Minnesota throughout the season, while also serving audience members in the Twin Cities through partnerships with ELL centers, elder centers, youth-serving centers, rehabilitation centers, support centers for the unhoused, and organizations serving people with disabilities. Ten Thousand Things unique, bare-bones model of essentialized theaterperformed in the round, with all the lights on, minimal sets and live musicmakes it possible to tour directly into community organizations and paying audience venues throughout the Twin Cities and into Greater MN.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending May 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 May 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 October 1995.
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.