Massachusetts · Nonprofit
THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC
THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC (Massachusetts) receives grants from 7 organizations whose IRS filings report $104,288 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($73,700). 3 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 96% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2025
- $250k
- Funders on record
- 7
- Grants received
- $104k
- Net assets
- $1.3M
What The Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston Inc does
Mission
The boston civic symphony ("bcs") is the second oldest symphony orchestra in the city of boston. Founded in 1924 by the late educator, conductor and composer, joseph wagner, the bcs is one of boston's most respected musical organizations and has distinguished itself through its focus on showcasing the talents of exceptionally skilled young musicians, many of whom have gone on to have distinguished professional careers. The missions of the bcs are:1) to encourage attendance by a diverse population from the greater boston area by offering moderately priced tickets and by distribution of a number of free tickets to underserved populations in the community.2) to provide orchestral training and experience under competent direction for teachers, students of music who are preparing for professional music careers, and skilled amateurs.3) to offer performances of unusual and contemporary works, with a special focus on american compositions, with leading soloist.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
The bcs performs subscription series concerts, classical and family performances, that offer a range of classical and contemporary music. The orchestra's presentation of works by masters like mozart, beethoven and brahms is balanced by its performances of pieces by contemporary american composers, which regularly include world premieres.
$198,145 spent$59,886 earned by the program92% of program spendingTo provide scholarships, financial support, orchestral training and experience for students pursuing a related music career.
$16,750 spentof which $16,750 as grants8% of program spending
The 2 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $214,895.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $961k to $1.2M (+28%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2018 2% · 2019 2% · 2020 6% · 2021 4% · 2022 5% · 2023 22% · 2024 4%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Who funds it, year by year
2018 → 2023: the base broadened from 2 funders to 4 funders, grant income fell $10k → $7k.
5 of 7 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 96% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 71% of grant income and the top three 89%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
96% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2018 98% · 2019 100% · 2020 79% · 2021 84% · 2022 91% · 2023 88% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
96% of THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $4k that is directly attributable, 100% of it comes from funders outside Massachusetts, across 2 states.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $100k arriving through sponsors registered in 5 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Organizations like THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Massachusetts
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
98% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
60%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC?
- THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC (Massachusetts) receives grants from 7 organizations whose IRS filings report $104,288 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($73,700). 3 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 96% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC have?
- IRS filings report 7 organizations giving $104,288 in grants to THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC, 3 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC?
- FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $73,700 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like THE CIVIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF BOSTON INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Massachusetts. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 7 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing