Blackbox Ensemble Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To present and promote contemporary classical music through innovative, interdisciplinary performances; to support living composers; and to engage diverse audiences through education, collaboration, and community-based programming. BlackBox Ensemble produced live performances featuring contemporary repertoire and interdisciplinary collaborations. The ensemble supported the development and presentation of new works by emerging and established composers, including premieres and multimedia projects. In addition, BlackBox conducted educational residencies, workshops, and masterclasses at universities and community institutions. These activities aim to expand access to contemporary music, support artistic creation, and foster engagement with diverse audiences.
- Income
- $73,809
- Spending
- $71,873
- Reserves
- 0.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 54%
- Highest pay
- $7,266, executive director & board president
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 56 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, under $250k).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.5 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 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 (1)
- $57,350 spent. Described as "ambitious" by TimeOut and The New Yorker, the New York City-based BlackBox Ensemble creates immersive, interdisciplinary, and site-responsive performances that engage deeply with classical traditions while reimagining them through contemporary lenses, opening space for new ideas, collaborations, and ways of listening. BlackBox has presented work at leading museums, festivals, and performance spaces across the U.S., including the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, The Whitney Museum, Bang on a Can's Long Play Festival, National Sawdust, Roulette Intermedium, the Clark Art Institute, the Noguchi Museum, and PS21. The ensemble has toured nationally and held residencies at universities including NYU, University of Chicago, Penn State, George Washington University, UC Davis, University of Richmond, University of Michigan, University of Florida, and San Francisco State University, among others. Recent highlights include a three-performance run of Speculative Listening: The Sonic World of Julius Eastman, a program exploring Eastman's influences curated by Eastman scholar Isaac Jean-Francois in collaboration with Kyle Marshall Choreography, as well as The Sound of Space Between Us, a site-specific outdoor music and dance performance at the Clark Art Institute conceived by flutist Annie Nikunen. Our name, BlackBox, comes from the many meanings the term holds. In theatre, a black box is a bare, flexible space-four dark walls that can transform into anything, creating an environment ripe for bold experimentation and intimate connection. In science and technology, a black box is a system with known inputs and outputs, but the mystery of what happens inside makes it compelling. For us, we believe music, as a cultural medium, lives in that same space-enacting an ambiguous but vital relationship between artistic expression and social life, where sound, expression, and human experience collide in ways that can't always be explained, but always resonate. Guided by the spirit of the theatrical black box, we create programs that invite risk, innovation, and connection, presenting contemporary classical music in ways that feel fresh, human, and alive. Our performance highlights in FY24-25 include: May 11th, 2025 - performance of music by and inspired by Julius Eastman at Whitney Museum in NY. May 4, 2025 - performance of music by and inspired by Julius Eastman on Bang on a Can's Long Play Festival, Brooklyn, NY. November 23, 2024 - performance at the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew in Brooklyn, NY including 7 New York City premiere compositions October 4, 2024 Performance at the University of South Carolina Southern Exposure Series, Columbia, SC., and etc.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 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 June 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 February 2025.
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.