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California Music Center

To seek and nurture exceptional young string musicians, foster and further their performance and professional skills development, and provide them with performance opportunities and monetary support.

Arts & Culture San Francisco, CA EIN: 510138643 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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80
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
80/100 · methodology

About California Music Center

Since 1986, the irving m. Klein international string competition has attracted some of the world's finest young string players to san francisco each june. (please see schedule o for more information) "strings attached" house concert series. This series of recitals, usually 3-5 per year, features past klein prizewinners in both virtual and traditional chamber music settings. (please see schedule o for more detail) education/outreach program. The cmc education & outreach program features past klein winners and renowned teachers from the best conservatories in public master classes and classroom visits to schools and community centers

Founded
Headquarters
San Francisco, CA
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
A60
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
small

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1975

Mission

To seek and nurture exceptional young string musicians, foster and further their performance and professional skills development, and provide them with performance opportunities and monetary support.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar arts & culture in United States
Program spending This charity: 88%
Peer average: 76%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 28.98%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 80
Peer average: 90

Concerns

· 1 red flag
High Executive Pay
Top executive compensation is 26.6% of total expenses ($47,160 of $177,241).

Where every $1 goes

· FY2025 · IRS 990 (FY2025)
$0.88
Program$0.88
88% to programs beats the peer average (76%) and beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, California Music Center has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.

  • GiveRadar holds 6 years of financial filings for this organization, the most recent for fiscal year 2025 - a deeper filing history than 90% of the 56,467 arts & culture charities in the United States with filings on record. See the filings
  • GiveRadar has verified more about this organization than about 90% of the 133,127 arts & culture charities in the United States it tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
  • It has more complete contact information than nearly all comparable charities, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. See national comparisons
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (6 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • third-party accreditation
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • a donation page
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

California Music Center is a registered arts & culture nonprofit based in San Francisco, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1974 and has been operating for 52 years. Its EIN is 510138643. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 80/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $163K in annual revenue. 57 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. GiveRadar has identified 1 potential concern.

California Music Center's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 510138643. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.

California Music Center has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 80 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 88% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for arts & culture charities in United States is 90/100.

California Music Center is located in San Francisco, CA, United States. The organization was established in 1974 and has been active for 52 years.

Based on official tax filings, California Music Center has $163K in annual revenue. It allocates 88% of expenses to programs and services. This is above the average of 76% for arts & culture charities in United States. Its revenue is below the peer average of $1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

California Music Center is classified as an Arts & Culture organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a small organization. It has $163K in annual revenue. The organization has 57 disclosed officers and directors.

GiveRadar has identified 1 potential concern for California Music Center. Red flags are automatically detected from official data and may include high executive compensation relative to budget, low program spending, or missing financial filings. Red flags do not necessarily mean wrongdoing but indicate areas that may warrant further review before donating.

According to GiveRadar's records, California Music Center holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 88% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 76%). GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

Since 1986, the irving m. Klein international string competition has attracted some of the world's finest young string players to san francisco each june. (please see schedule o for more information) "strings attached" house concert series. This series of recitals, usually 3-5 per year, features past klein prizewinners in both virtual and traditional chamber music settings. (please see schedule o for more detail) education/outreach program. The cmc education & outreach program features past klein winners and renowned teachers from the best conservatories in public master classes and classroom visits to schools and community centers California Music Center is classified as an arts & culture organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1974.

Among arts & culture charities registered in United States: It allocates 88% of expenses to programs, above the peer average of 76%. Its annual revenue of $163K is below the peer average of $1M.

Yes, donations to California Music Center are generally tax-deductible in the United States. California Music Center is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 510138643, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Annual revenue
$100K-$1M
88% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2025) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

6 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2025, FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
Financial details are free - with a GiveRadar account

See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.

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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
1

Leadership

From FY2025 filing

ZO
Zoe L••
Executive Director

Officers & trustees (17)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

17 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$0.2M revenue
FY2025
IRS 990
Form filed
$0.1M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Form filed
$0.2M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
Form filed
$0.2M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$0.2M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$0.1M revenue
FY2020
IRS 990

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Cause areas in United States

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Human Services 322,679
Education 195,586
Arts & Culture this charity 133,128
Advocacy & Civil Rights 128,026
Religion 114,636
Health 98,862
Community Development 56,086
Youth Development 53,450
See all cause areas in United States

Most common causes in United States

Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.

Community Development 235,146
Education 159,016
Religion 103,741
Arts & Culture 101,203
Human Rights 76,926
Health 65,250
Youth Development 47,775
Animal Welfare 32,425

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 57 disclosed in the public registry.
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 10
  • Financial data · FY2025 on record
  • Named leadership · 57 officers on file
  • Executive pay · Disclosed
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Tax-deductibility · Verified
  • Founding date · 1974
Not available · 1
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about California Music Center

What is California Music Center?
California Music Center is a arts & culture publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in San Francisco, United States. Since 1986, the irving m. Klein international string competition has attracted some of the world's finest young string players to san francisco each june. (please see schedule o for more information) "strings attached" house concert series. This series of recitals, usually 3-5 per year, features past klein prizewinners in both virtual and traditional chamber music settings. (please see schedule o for more detail) education/outreach program. The cmc education & outreach program features past klein winners and renowned teachers from the best conservatories in public master classes and classroom visits to schools and community centers
When was California Music Center founded?
California Music Center was founded in 1974.
Who leads California Music Center?
Zoe Lin serves as Executive Director.
Where is California Music Center located?
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, United States.
What is California Music Center's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $100K-$1M. 88% of expenses go to program services.
Is California Music Center trustworthy?
California Music Center has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is California Music Center's registration number?
IRS EIN: 510138643.
What is California Music Center's website?
https://www.californiamusiccenter.org/