Instituto Cimarron Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Instituto Cimarrón advances arts, culture, and education by researching, commissioning, and performing classical and operatic works that restore visibility to Afro-Latinx composers, histories, and voices historically excluded from the concert stage and academic canon. Named for the Afro-descendants across Latin America and the Caribbean who practiced marronage - resistance and the formation of free communities - the organization carries that legacy forward through artistic expression and cultural research as tools for education and social change, guided by the principle "Our Culture is Our Freedom."
- Income
- $75,000
- Spending
- $75,000
- Reserves
- 0 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Highest pay
- $9,929, founder and executive director
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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)
- $43,200 spent. Afro-Latinx Song & Opera Project: Instituto Cimarrón commissioned, researched, and performed classical and operatic works recovering Afro-Latinx composers, histories, and voices excluded from the concert stage and academic canon, including Cantos de Quisqueya (Dr. Inirio's Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall debut) and Negro: The Arturo Schomburg Story (world premiere excerpt at the Schomburg Center's Centennial Celebration), presented in partnership with the Schomburg Center, Carnegie Hall, and the University of Pittsburgh.
- $28,800 spent. Art in Healing: A trauma-informed creative workshop model for the Afro-Latinx and broader Afro-diasporic community, piloted in partnership with ARYSE and Casa San José, using workshop materials, facilitator fees, and mental health support services to provide accessible, culturally grounded healing programming.
- $3,000 spent. Afrolatinidad & Panel Series and National Presentations: A recurring virtual panel series and residency program (Jackson State University, Bowdoin College) connecting Afro-Latinx scholarship and performance to national audiences, reaching a 10,000+ virtual audience target and building formal partnerships including a research collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh and an editorial role in a forthcoming UT Austin Press volume on Afrolatinidad.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 December 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 August 2024.
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.