Arts, Culture & Humanities (A6E0) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

MERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC

EIN: 36-3028768 · CHICAGO, IL 60607-2628 · United States · FY 2025 Data

3 out of 5 58 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 84/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 88/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2025 · Scored 9/13/2026

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CharityAI™ Score

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Mission Statement

Merit School of Music transforms the lives of Chicago-area youth by providing the highest quality music education – with a focus on underserved communities – inspiring young people to achieve their full musical and personal potential.

Financial Overview — FY 2025

$13.8M

Total Revenue

$9.8M

Total Expenses

$45.6M

Net Assets

224

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 80.1%

Fundraising Efficiency N/A

Operating Reserve 55.96x

Liability-to-Asset 2.9%

Revenue Diversification 50.1%

Executive Compensation $554K

Compared with Peers

FY 2025

Compared with 2,263 similar organizations (United States, Arts, Culture & Humanities, $1M–$10M in expenses), FY 2025.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	80.1%	77.7%	P10P90	Above median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	12.8%	14.2%	P10P90	Above median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	7.1%	5.8%	P10P90	Below median
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	56.0 mo	15.8 mo	P10P90	Top quarter
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	2.9%	11.4%	P10P90	Top quarter
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	50.1%	71.6%	P10P90	Top quarter
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	-13.2%	7.5%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	6.6%	5.6%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	29.4%	0.9%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2025	$13.8M	$9.8M	$45.6M	80.1%	224
2024	$16.0M	$9.2M	$41.5M	79.1%	203
2023	$11.7M	$8.4M	$34.7M	80.4%	207
2022	$6.6M	$8.1M	$31.4M	79.2%	207
2021	$10.2M	$7.1M	N/A	—	175

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Organization Details

EIN: 36-3028768
State: IL
City: CHICAGO
ZIP: 60607-2628
Classification: A6E0
Category: Arts, Culture & Humanities
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1979
Foundation Code: 11
Form 990: On File

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CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

★★★★★ 80–100 ★★★★☆ 60–79 ★★★☆☆ 40–59 ★★☆☆☆ 20–39 ★☆☆☆☆ 1–19

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The coverage grade (A to D) says how much filing data the score rests on; NONE means there is not enough to rate.
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