irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $386KMEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS Conferences: Both educational and inspiring, our national conferences are opportunities for member organizations to interact, collaborate, and share ideas on the latest trends in musical theatre. The 2024 Fall Conference was held in New York, NY on October 22 & 23, 2024, and was entitled "Reboot & Regroup." Maybe the most important musical theatre networking event of the year, the 2024 Fall Conference explored the most pressing issues around new work production and development, as well as the state of the industry more broadly. Just as importantly, it provided a community for leaders of theatres from all over the country and the world to share best practices, brainstorm and support one another. The conference also included networking opportunities, such as a cocktail party and the NAMT Annual Membership Meeting. The 2025 Spring Conference, entitled "Backstage to Box Office: Building Better Branding," was held at Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham, AL on April 9-11, 2025, where we hosted in-depth sessions on marketing best practices, innovations and the state of the field. In addition to panels, breakouts and speakers, the Spring Conference featured plenty of networking time to network, great food, and visits to some of Birmingham's top attractions. Conference topics included managing your organization-wide messaging and collaborating across departments, subscriptions and data analysis, social media case studies, new technological tools, case studies through an entire ticketing cycle, alternative revenue streams, and marketing's role in accessibility and community engagement. Webinars: NAMT continued to expand its virtual programming, offering a robust slate of webinars to inform, connect, and support its membership. A key addition was the launch of Conference Continued, a new monthly series of online roundtables designed to dive deeper into topics raised during NAMT's in-person conferences. This inaugural year featured conversations on co-productions, commercial enhancement, care for artists, and innovative approaches to the enhancement model. NAMT also hosted informational webinars to support applicants for the Writers Residency Grant and the new Impact & Exploration Fund, providing transparency and guidance throughout the application processes. Additional online offerings included two Town Halls-one announcing the 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals writing teams and another preparing first-time attendees for NAMT's Fall events. Together, these webinars helped extend NAMT's reach and deepen member engagement year-round. NAMT News & Notes: NAMT News & Notes provides topical industry information to all members and Festival alumni writers. It is sent monthly via email. The Table Read: Launched in April 2023, NAMT's New Works Department newsletter, The Table Read, features articles on and interviews with NAMT Festival/Grantee writers and NAMT members, as well as new interactive media inclusions like New Works Department Spotify playlists and more video and audio content. The Table Read has a readership of ~7,500, with an average open rate of 54% and an average click rate of 10%. Website: NAMT's website, www.namt.org, remains our primary communication tool with members, donors, writers, prospects, and the industry at large. It includes Festival information, updates on other NAMT programs, member information, and more. Some sections require a login and are limited to members or Festival alumni writers, including a detailed member directory, member production histories, a complete directory of Festival and Frank Young Fund for New Musicals shows and their writers, and discount offers and corporate partnerships. The website also includes our Set & Costume Registry, through which members can earn revenue by renting sets, costumes, props, and orchestrations. Since 2019, we have expanded our web-based resources to include the New Musicals Map, an interactive tool that allows members and the public to keep abreast of new musical development happening worldwide; the Impact & Exploration Guide, a compilation of case studies, videos, and grant reports outlining valuable lessons and best practices from NAMT members and other experts; and EDI and Anti-Racism Resources shared among our members and other partners. The site also houses recordings of webinars and online town halls and serves as a central hub for information, upcoming events, member benefits, and all things NAMT. In FY24, NAMT implemented a redesign of our homepage and main navigation menus to drive engagement and improve clarity. Research Services: NAMT conducts industry surveys on subjects such as salaries, benefits, and royalties, sharing the findings with our members.
named programs · 7 · from sources
What they call their work
Conference Continued
Monthly online roundtable series expanding on topics from in-person conferences
Fall Conference
Annual national conference for member organizations focusing on industry trends, new work development, and networking; recent themes include "Reboot & Regroup" and "New Works, New World"
Knowledge Exchange Webinars
Virtual webinar series offering ongoing professional development and resource-sharing for members on industry best practices
New Works Roundtable
Gathering of theatre representatives to discuss artistic and commercial aspects of new musical development; hosted by member theatres such as Goodspeed Musicals
Spring Conference
Biannual conference held in rotating locations such as Birmingham, AL and Chicago, IL, focusing on operational topics like marketing, fundraising, and branding
The Table Read
Monthly newsletter featuring interviews with alumni, members, and industry professionals focused on new musical productions
Writers' Roundtable
Event for NAMT alumni writers and producers to discuss resource investment and creative solutions in musical development
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Youth Writing Contests & Recognition Programs 1 activity
- Administering the Musical Theater Songwriting ChallengeSupports young songwriters by premiering original songs written by high school students across the U.S. and hosting a livestreamed performance event in partnership with Apples & Oranges Arts.
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Performing Arts Production Support 1 activity
- Awarding grants for the development and production of new musicalsFunds nonprofit theatres across the U.S. to develop and produce new musicals through the Frank Young Fund for New Musicals, offering development grants up to $5,000 (requiring a 2-to-1 match) and production grants from $5,000 to $10,000 (requiring a 3-to-1 match). Also awards Writers Residency Grants twice annually to support collaborations between producers and writers.
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Professional Conference & Symposium Organization 1 activity
- Convening conferences and roundtables for theatre professionalsHosts annual in-person conferences—including Fall and Spring Conferences—and specialized roundtables on topics such as marketing, branding, audience engagement, and new works development. These events include structured programming, peer collaboration, networking opportunities, and site visits, with recent conferences held in New York, Birmingham, and Toronto.
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Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Distributing newsletters with industry and new works informationProduces and distributes two monthly newsletters—NAMT News & Notes and The Table Read—that provide members and alumni writers with updates on the musical theatre field, interviews, and information about new works.
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New Play Development Programs 1 activity
- Hosting the Festival of New MusicalsProduces an annual event that presents staged readings of eight new musicals to industry professionals, having introduced nearly 300 musicals and over 500 writers since 1989. The festival includes in-person and virtual formats, with recent iterations attracting over 1,000 attendees.
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Organization Website and Online Platform Management 1 activity
- Maintaining directories and resource registries for membersOperates multiple shared databases including a Member Directory, Production Directory, Set & Costume Registry, Alumni Directory, New Musicals Directory, New Musicals Map, and a jobs board to facilitate information exchange and resource sharing across the network.
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Member-Exclusive Resource Access 1 activity
- Operating ongoing virtual knowledge-sharing programsRuns a continuous program of online webinars including "Conference Continued" and the "Knowledge Exchange" series, allowing members to explore conference topics in depth and share best practices. All sessions are archived on the NAMT website for sustained member access.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Facilitating post-grant knowledge sharing among membersRequires grant recipients to submit detailed post-project reports, which are compiled and disseminated to members via the Innovation & Exploration Guide, conferences, roundtables, and publications to promote learning and replication of successful practices.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.32M
Contributions & grants$847K64%
Program service revenue$470K36%
Investment income$4K0%
Other revenue$104
expenses
Total expenses$1.32M
Program expenses81%
Admin / overhead6%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$636K
Grants paid out$93K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$622K
Cash$444K
Investments$0
Liabilities$298K
Net assets$324K
Liquid reserves4.0 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +24.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betsy King Militello | Executive Director | 40 | $156K |
board members · 19
- Anthony Rodriguez — Treasurer
- Ashley Wells — Board Member
- Bill Berry — Board Member
- Brandon Huldeen — Board Member
- Brannon Bowers — Board Member
- Eric Keen-Louie — Vice President
- Hillary Hart — President
- Jennifer Jaquess — Vice President
- Kappy Kilburn — Board Member
- Kwofe Coleman — Immediate Past President
- Mac Ingram — Secretary
- Mark Fleischer — Board Member
- Matt Morrow — Board Member
- Ray Hogg — Board Member
- Rick Edinger — Board Member
- Sharon Fallon — Board Member
- Snehal Desai — Board Member
- Soren Moller — Board Member
- Susanna Gellert — Board Member
relationships · 23
Who they work with
- Apples & Oranges Arts Partner — Provided livestream and capture services for the Challenge Accepted! 2026 event.
- Asolo Repertory Theatre Partner — Member organization whose producing artistic director described NAMT as a national intersection for musical theatre organizations.
- Aurora Theatre Partner — Member organization whose co-founder stated that NAMT has been the most helpful national organization.
- Concord Theatricals Partner — Works with Concord Theatricals, as shown by shared presence and representation at the Fall Conference 2020.
- Constellation Stage Partner — Member organization whose managing director provided a testimonial about NAMT membership benefits.
- Festival Committee Partner — Committee responsible for selecting musicals for the Festival of New Musicals.
- FineWomen Productions Partner — Member organization whose producer described NAMT as the center of the musical theatre universe.
- Goodspeed Musicals Partner — Hosted the 2019 New Works Roundtable in partnership with NAMT.
- Goodspeed Musicals Partner — Partners with Goodspeed Musicals, as indicated by mutual participation in the Fall Conference 2020.
- La Jolla Playhouse Partner — Engages with La Jolla Playhouse through collaborative industry participation in the Fall Conference 2020.
- Mercury Musical Developments Partner — Collaborates with Mercury Musical Developments, evidenced by shared participation in the Fall Conference 2020.
- Music Theatre International Partner — Collaborates with Music Theatre International through joint involvement in the Fall Conference 2020.
- Music Theatre Wichita Partner — Member organization whose managing director praised NAMT’s Spring Conferences held outside major coastal cities.
- National Endowment for the Arts Government — Represented at the Challenge Accepted! 2026 event by Ouida Maedel and Tom Simplot.
- National Endowment for the Arts Partner — Partners with NAMT on the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for high school students.
- New Works Committee Coalition — Committee of NAMT members and professionals that awards Writers Residency Grants
- Olney Theatre Center Partner — Member organization whose artistic director stated that NAMT membership has repaid itself many times over.
- Paper Mill Playhouse Partner — Member organization whose producing artistic director expressed appreciation for alignment with NAMT’s core principles.
- Pittsburgh Musical Theater Partner — Recipient of the Impact & Exploration Fund grant for its Technical Theatre Training Program.
- Red Mountain Theatre Partner — Hosted the 2025 Spring Conference in partnership with NAMT.
- The Dramatists Guild Foundation Partner — Hosted the 2020 Writers Roundtable in partnership with NAMT.
- The Muny Partner — Host venue for the 2027 Spring Conference.
- The Muny Partner — Hosting the 2027 Spring Conference on Marketing, Fundraising, and Education in St. Louis, MO.
strategies · 4
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.
- Collaborative Resource & Production Sharing Infrastructuremethodology: collaborative_resource_sharingBy maintaining centralized databases and encouraging the sharing of expertise, productions, and resources among member theatres, the organization strengthens the development pipeline for new musicals because accessible, reusable assets reduce duplication of effort and enable smaller or under-resourced theatres to participate in high-quality production and innovation.
- Peer-Powered Knowledge Exchange Networkmethodology: peer_learning_networkBy creating structured forums—such as national conferences and ongoing webinars—for member organizations to exchange ideas and practical knowledge, the organization fosters mutual learning and field-wide capacity building because peer-to-peer interaction promotes trust, aligns stakeholders around emerging trends, and enables staff at all levels to contribute meaningfully.
- Shared Learning Through Competitive Grantmakingmethodology: shared_learning_through_grantmakingBy using a competitive grant process to fund new musical development, the organization reduces financial barriers to innovation and ensures that lessons from funded projects are shared across the network, promoting collective growth regardless of individual success because widespread knowledge diffusion amplifies impact across diverse theatres and developmental stages.
- Youth Artist Mentorship Modelmethodology: artist-mentorship modelBy pairing high school student songwriters with professional musical theatre artists as mentors, the organization cultivates emerging talent and advances the future of the art form because guided experiential learning increases creative confidence, technical skill, and industry connection among young creators.