California Youth Symphony Association

“California Youth Symphony passed new Bylaws during the last fiscal year (2023-24), which included eliminating the membership structure.”

“Form 990 is prepared by an outside tax professional. The form is then reviewed by the organization's management. After a full review, the final version of the tax return is provided to all members of the organization's voting body. A representative of management authorizes the final form 990 which is then e-filed with the internal revenue service.”

“Members of the Board of Directors review all potential conflicts of interest periodically. Top management and all Board members are required to disclose potential conflicts and any related party affiliations. The organization seeks full transparency on all relationships. Any potential conflicts (in fact or appearance) are discussed openly and resolved in accordance with the organization's policies and procedures.”

“Members of the board of directors review the compensation of all high-level personnel periodically in accordance with IRS rules and regulations. Efforts are made to secure compensation data from industry sources in order to determine competitiveness and appropriateness of salaries. Every effort is made to ensure that the process is thorough and transparent in accordance with IRS guidelines and the organization's policies and procedures.”

“Compensation of other personnel and highly compensated employees is reviewed periodically by members of management. Efforts are made to secure compensation data from industry sources in order to determine competitiveness and appropriateness of salaries and all related benefits. All decisions are then documented in personnel files.”

“Tax returns are available for download from several websites and by request from the organization's office in Palo Alto, California.”

“All of the organization's governing documents, financial statements, and other legal filings are maintained in a secure environment and held available for inspection by tax authorities and the general public. Among other websites, Tax returns are posted annually to www.guidestar.org (where they are available for viewing as electronic copies) and are also available by request from the organization's office.”

“The California Youth Symphony was founded in 1952. Over the years we have established an international reputation for the quality of our programs. In 1963 we became the first American youth orchestra ever to tour overseas when we accepted an invitation to visit Japan. Over the following years sixteen additional tours to all parts of the world have earned us universal praise. However, our greatest accomplishments and our most intense focus has always been here in the San Francisco Peninsula/South Bay area. The San Mateo County Times described us as "one of the finest of the worlds youth symphonies."The California Youth Symphony has consistently expanded its programs over the last twenty years in order to meet the growing need for youth music programs. We now have eight programs that offer musical instruction and performance opportunities on all symphonic instruments for young musicians of beginning through advanced levels. Enrollment exceeds 400.”