Charities United States Arts & Culture Charleston Opera Theater Inc
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Charleston Opera Theater Inc

Charleston opera theater, inc.'s purposes of the corporation are:charleston opera theater is committed to a prominent, year-round, professional opera presence in our city and the surrounding lowcountry. We …

Arts & Culture Charleston, SC EIN 843020830 · IRS Sign up to see website
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93
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
93/100 · methodology

About Charleston Opera Theater Inc

Coffee cantata/the telephone: may 14 (summerville) and june 2,3 and 4 2022 (piccolo spoleto festival: the piccolo spoleto festival is a community minded arts festival created to bolster local artists and organizations in charleston to coincide with spoleto festival usa. These low ticket priced productions provide affordable access to arts programming for both local patrons and tourists attending the main spoleto festival. In 2022, cot produced a double bill of bachs coffee cantata and menottis the telephone. The performances were hosted at a local coffee shop mercantile and mash. The setting for both operas was staged in a coffee shop, making the venue and ideal location for an immersive audience experience. Ticket prices were intentionally kept low at $25 to …

Founded
Headquarters
Charleston, SC
Foundation type
Supporting organization (509(a)(3))
NTEE code
A6A
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
micro

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 2020

Mission

Charleston opera theater, inc.'s purposes of the corporation are:charleston opera theater is committed to a prominent, year-round, professional opera presence in our city and the surrounding lowcountry. We place high value on the advancement of acoustic vocal traditions, through quality performances, education, mentorship, training and the exposure of the art form to new audiences, through community outreach, performances and events.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Arts & Culture · NTEE A6A
Cause tags

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar arts & culture in United States
Program spending This charity: 83%
Peer average: 93%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 0.94%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 93
Peer average: 93

Red flags

· All clear
IRS revocation history
OFAC / EU / UN sanctions
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Where every $1 goes

$0.83
Program expenses$0.83 ($384,184)
83% to programs beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Charleston Opera Theater Inc is a registered arts & culture nonprofit based in Charleston, SC, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2019 and has been operating for 7 years. Its EIN is 843020830. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. The organization reports $424K in annual revenue. 47 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Charleston Opera Theater Inc has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93/100. 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 93 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 83% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for arts & culture charities in United States is 93/100.

Charleston Opera Theater Inc is located in Charleston, SC, United States. The organization was established in 2019 and has been active for 7 years.

Based on official tax filings, Charleston Opera Theater Inc has $424K in annual revenue. It allocates 83% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 93% 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.

Charleston Opera Theater Inc is classified as a Arts & Culture organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Supporting organization (509(a)(3)). By size, it is categorized as a micro organization. It has $424K in annual revenue. The organization has 47 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Charleston Opera Theater Inc. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

Charleston Opera Theater Inc has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93/100 (Strong transparency) and no red flags have been detected, which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the IRS. 83% of expenses go to programs. The peer average is 93%. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

Coffee cantata/the telephone: may 14 (summerville) and june 2,3 and 4 2022 (piccolo spoleto festival: the piccolo spoleto festival is a community minded arts festival created to bolster local artists and organizations in charleston to coincide with spoleto festival usa. These low ticket priced productions provide affordable access to arts programming for both local patrons and tourists attending the main spoleto festival. In 2022, cot produced a double bill of bachs coffee cantata and menottis the telephone. The performances were hosted at a local coffee shop mercantile and mash. The setting for both operas was staged in a coffee shop, making the venue and ideal location for an immersive audience... Charleston Opera Theater Inc is classified as a arts & culture organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 2019.

Among arts & culture charities registered in United States: Charleston Opera Theater Inc's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93/100 is in line with the peer average of 93/100. It allocates 83% of expenses to programs, below the peer average of 93%. Its annual revenue of $424K is below the peer average of $1M.

Yes, donations to Charleston Opera Theater Inc are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Charleston Opera Theater Inc is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 843020830, 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.

Verified against 5 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
$100K-$1M
83% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2025) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 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.
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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.

Leadership

SA
Sandy Deathos-Meers
Administrative Director

Officers & trustees (15)

Source: Public filings

DR
Dr R••••••• C•••
BOARD MEMBER
ED
Edward B••••••
Director
EU
Eugene M•••••••••
BOARD MEMBER
HA
Harold M••••
EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
JA
James M•••••
BOARD MEMBER
JA
James T•••••
BOARD MEMBER
MI
Michael W••••
BOARD MEMBER
MI
Mike W••••
BOARD MEMBER
RE
Rebecca E P•••••••••••••
BOARD MEMBER
RO
Rongrong C•••
BOARD MEMBER
SA
Sandy D••••••
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR
SA
Sandy D••••••••••••
Administrative Director
SA
Saundra D••••••••••••
BOARD MEMBER
SU
Susan S•••••••
BOARD MEMBER
TH
Thomas R•••••
BOARD MEMBER
Full names, contact details & compensation

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Latest news

From global news sources

10 articles found

From global news sources

Sentiment

Neutral

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

From Rihanna to Rodin, here are 3 artsy things to do in March in Charleston - Post and Courier
Apr 2026
www.postandcourier.com
'Barber of Seville' playing at CofC - Post and Courier
Feb 2026
www.postandcourier.com
Charleston Opera Theater to stage ‘Il barbiere di Siviglia’ in March - WCBD News 2
Feb 2026
www.counton2.com
Form filed
$0.4M revenue
FY2025
IRS_990
'Legally Blonde,' 'Cabaret,' Mozart and more in Charleston's 2025-26 arts season calendar - Post and Courier
Apr 2025
www.postandcourier.com
Form filed
$0.2M revenue
FY2024
IRS_990
Form filed
$0.1M revenue
FY2023
IRS_990
Form filed
$0.2M revenue
FY2022
IRS_990
In a historic Charleston park, the art is about to mushroom - Post and Courier
Oct 2022
www.postandcourier.com
Charleston Opera Theater performs its take on 'Don Giovanni' - Post and Courier
Oct 2022
www.postandcourier.com
Charleston Piccolo Spoleto Festival Guide - Charleston City Paper
May 2022
charlestoncitypaper.com
Form filed
$0.1M revenue
FY2021
IRS_990
Opera Theater brings big Italian celebration - Charleston City Paper
Sep 2021
charlestoncitypaper.com
Opera: Connecting Artists with Audiences - The College Today
Dec 2020
today.cofc.edu
After 8 months, Charleston Music Hall reopens for indoor concerts at reduced capacity - Post and Courier
Oct 2020
www.postandcourier.com

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Peer charities

Other arts & culture in United States, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
Charleston Opera Theater Inc This page 93 $424,145 83%
Paris Community Theater 93 $316,442 100%
Taylor Music Group 93 $100,949 83%
Chinese Center on Long Island Inc 93 $228,712 100%
Boston Festival Orchestra Inc 93 $215,316 94%
Oregon Arts Watch 93 $304,412 84%
Orchestra Santa Monica 93 $329,123 81%
Methow Music Festival Association 93 $217,431 100%
Border Crossing 93 $261,798 100%

Sources and verification

Refreshed

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 - 47 disclosed in the public registry.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
May 27, 2026
Profile completeness
100%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Operating reach
Countries where programs run not specified

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Charleston Opera Theater Inc

What is Charleston Opera Theater Inc?
Charleston Opera Theater Inc is a arts & culture supporting organization (509(a)(3)) based in Charleston, United States. Coffee cantata/the telephone: may 14 (summerville) and june 2,3 and 4 2022 (piccolo spoleto festival: the piccolo spoleto festival is a community minded arts festival created to bolster local artists and organizations in charleston to coincide with spoleto festival usa. These low ticket priced productions provide affordable access to arts programming for both local patrons and tourists attending the main spoleto festival. In 2022, cot produced a double bill of bachs coffee cantata and menottis the telephone. The performances were hosted at a local coffee shop mercantile and mash. The setting for both operas was staged in a coffee shop, making the venue and ideal location for an immersive audience experience. Ticket prices were intentionally kept low at $25 to encourage community interaction. Over 400 people attended the performances over the 3-day period, and it reached a diverse group of attendees. A single performance was also staged in summerville, sc at coastal coffee roasters drawing over 100 in attendance. The production was co-produced with the summerville orchestra. Mozarts don giovannI in full production: october 20 and 22, 2022: charleston opera theater presented its first full-scale, staged opera at the college of charleston sottile theatre on october 20 and 22. The setting of the opera was transported from 18th century spain to modern mexico on dia de los muertos. These performances featured a professional cast of international soloists, recent college of charleston alumni, and a chorus comprised of community members and college of charleston opera student artists. Accompanying them in the orchestra pit were 38 professional musicians. College of charleston students were also utilized in key positions such as assistant stage managers, wardrobe personnel and technical crew. This performance not only brought a high-level artistic product to the cultural life of charleston, but it also kept with cots pay it forward policy by providing valuable experiences a
When was Charleston Opera Theater Inc founded?
Charleston Opera Theater Inc was founded in 2019.
Who leads Charleston Opera Theater Inc?
Sandy Deathos-Meers serves as Administrative Director.
Where is Charleston Opera Theater Inc located?
Headquartered in Charleston, United States.
What is Charleston Opera Theater Inc's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $100K-$1M. 83% of expenses go to program services.
Is Charleston Opera Theater Inc trustworthy?
Charleston Opera Theater Inc has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93 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 Charleston Opera Theater Inc's registration number?
IRS EIN: 843020830.
What is Charleston Opera Theater Inc's website?
http://www.charlestonoperatheater.org