Public Charity

MERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC

MERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC is a Public Charity headquartered in Chicago, IL. Financial data from the 2025 filing: $13.8M revenue, $9.8M expenses, $46.9M total assets. 70 publicly reported grants to this organization, totaling roughly $4.3M, appear in IRS filings.

EIN: 363028768 Chicago, IL Performing Arts Schools NTEE: A6E Latest filing: 2025
Total Revenue$13.8M
Total Expenses$9.8M
Total Assets$46.9M
Grant Records70
Funding Total$4.3M
Filing Years2021–2025

Mission

Merit School of Music is dedicated to helping young people transform their lives by removing barriers to high-quality music education, with the majority of students benefitting from need-based financial aid, scholarship support, or low-cost instrument rental. Merit enables motivated students, regardless of economic circumstance, to develop their talent and to use music as a springboard for achieving their full personal potential, with 100% of Merit graduates going on to college. The community music school's programming continuum consists of five major areas: Early Childhood, Instrumental & Vocal Music Program(Group classes), Private Lessons, Merit Music in Communities, and the Alice S. Pfaelzer Conservatory.

Where $100 goes at Merit School of Music

How Merit School of Music divides every $100 it spends, from its own Form 990 filings, averaged across 8 years.

$78 Programs the work itself
$15 Management running the organization
$7 Fundraising raising the next dollar

Inside the $78 for programs

$26
Merit School of Music has a robust private lesson program for jazz and classical students of all ages and levels of musical ability
33% of program spending · Reported in the filing: 900 students
$22
The Merit Music in Communities (MMiC) program was founded in response to a request from Chicago Public Schools to create an in-school music education program
28% of program spending
$11
Merit's Instrumental & Vocal Music program provides beginning and intermediate K-9 musicians with small group after-school programming for string, band, piano, guitar, and voice
14% of program spending

Plus 3 more programs. Cost per person served and the full program breakdown are on the full profile.

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Source: Form 990 filings with the IRS, latest fiscal year 2025. Shares are from the organization's reported expenses. Data by Imperigo; not affiliated with the IRS.

Sample Grants Received

2025
GENERAL SUPPORT
$15,014
2024
CULTURE & ARTS
$610,000
2024
For grant recipient's exempt purposes
$200,670
2024
FOR RECIPIENT'S EXEMPT PURPOSE
$105,500
2024
PROVIDE MUSIC LESSONS TO HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENTS AT VARIOUS SCHOOLS
$70,471

Showing up to 5 of 70 total records — full history available with membership.

Officers & Directors

Trustee Abiman Rajadurai
Vice President for Finance & Administration Amy Johnson
Trustee Binta Brown
Trustee Carol Clavadetscher
Trustee Cathy Wloch
President and Executive Director Charles Grode

Officer compensation and complete director data available with membership.

Top Grant Purposes

General Support
$1,803,019 41 grants
Arts & Culture
$1,556,031 16 grants
Animal Welfare
$441,584 1 grant
Education
$208,391 5 grants
Fundraising & Sponsorship
$182,250 4 grants

Financial Trends

Year Revenue Expenses Assets
2025 $13.8M $9.8M $46.9M
2024 $16.0M $9.2M $43.0M
2023 $11.7M $8.4M $36.0M
2022 $6.6M $8.1M $32.4M
2021 $10.2M $7.1M $34.3M

Between 2021 and 2025, reported annual revenue grew from $10.2M to $13.8M (+36%), with total assets most recently reported at $46.9M.

Interactive year-over-year charts and full filing details available with membership.

See the full picture for MERIT SCHOOL OF MUSIC

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