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Ballet Education and Scholarship Inc

Saint James, NY · EIN 112552242 · Form 990EZ · FY2023 · NTEE A63I · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Micro (<$100K) · besfi.com
revenue
$78K
expenses
$77K
net assets
$6K
employees
mission · from form 990

To promote Ballet Education in Suffolk County, NY To promote Ballet Education in Suffolk County, NY

profile · synthesized from sources

Ballet Education and Scholarship Fund, Inc. (BESFI) promotes ballet education in Suffolk County, New York, by providing scholarships and summer workshops for young dancers. The organization supports access to high-quality training through financial assistance and collaborates with Seiskaya Ballet for instruction. BESFI also produces annual benefit performances featuring guest artists to raise funds and community awareness.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Annual Benefit Performances
Staged performances at the Staller Center for the Arts featuring guest artists and student dancers to promote ballet and raise funds
BESFI Summer Intensive Workshop
Annual summer ballet program running from July to August, offering training to young dancers; held at Seiskaya Studios in St. James, NY
Scholarship Competition
Annual competition that awards financial support to dancers for summer intensive programs, based on merit and potential
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Ballet and Dance Education Programs 2 activities
    • Conducts annual summer dance workshops and programs
      Runs intensive summer dance programs, such as the 2024 workshop from July 8 to August 16 and the scheduled 2025 program from July 7 to August 15, providing structured training and development opportunities for young dancers.
    • Offers structured ballet education and training programs
      Provides comprehensive dance education through two distinct programs: Seiskaya Ballet Academy for career-oriented dancers and Seiskaya OPEN for students pursuing classical dance for personal fulfillment, delivered in professional facilities equipped with modern flooring, climate control, and multimedia resources.
  • Annual Ballet Performances with Community Engagement 1 activity
    • Produces professional dance performances and benefit events
      Produces and stages professional dance performances, including an annual production of The Nutcracker and a long-running annual benefit performance—such as the 35th edition held at the Staller Center—to provide performance opportunities for young artists and cultural enrichment for the community.
  • Arts Education Scholarships 1 activity
    • Provides ballet scholarships and financial aid to young dancers
      Awards grants and scholarships to enable young dancers in Suffolk County, NY, to access ballet programs they could not otherwise afford, including funding for nationally recognized summer workshops. The organization has awarded $5 million in ballet scholarships over time, with a record-tying $8,000 distributed in a single competition.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$78K
Contributions & grants$1K1%
Program service revenue$77K99%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$77K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits$21K
Grants paid out
balance sheet
Total assets$6K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$6K
3 years on record · 2021–2023 · YoY revenue -3.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Valentini D Papadakos Director 35 $12K
board members · 5
  • Joanne Beckman-Hertzman — Director
  • Lesli Lyon Theobald — Director
  • Michael Grundfast — Director
  • Susan Tuccillio — Director
  • Ted Kastrinos — Director
relationships · 4

Who they work with

  • BALLET EDUCATION & SCHOLARSHIP FUND, INC Partner — Partner organization associated with Seiskaya Ballet, likely providing scholarship support.
  • Seiskaya Ballet Partner — Collaborates with Seiskaya Ballet, as indicated by the co-listing of organizational links and programming focus.
  • Staller Center Partner — Host venue for BESFI's annual benefit performances and scholarship competitions.
  • Staller Center Partner — Venue partner hosting performances of The Nutcracker.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Access Through Scholarships and Workshops
    methodology: access_through_scholarships_and_workshops
    By providing financial support and educational workshops, we increase access to ballet training for young artists facing economic or geographic barriers, because removing these barriers enables broader participation and talent development in underserved communities.
  • Russian Tradition-Based Pedagogy
    methodology: Russian tradition-based pedagogy
    By using a unified pedagogical approach rooted in Russian ballet tradition, we ensure technical rigor and artistic consistency in training, because this method produces disciplined, highly skilled dancers prepared for professional pathways.
  • Scholarship Competition Model
    methodology: scholarship_competition
    By hosting competitive scholarship events, we identify and support talented young dancers, because merit-based selection combined with financial aid ensures both excellence and accessibility in ballet education.