California › Arts, entertainment and recreation › 100 to 249 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
Retirement Plan for Employees of San Francisco Symphony Corporation
Sponsored by San Francisco Symphony Corporaton, San Francisco, CA
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
In the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, Retirement Plan for Employees of San Francisco Symphony Corporation covered 170 participants and held $22.1M in net assets. The plan is a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by San Francisco Symphony Corporaton of San Francisco, California.
Net assets came to $129,823 per participant, well above the $80,635 median for defined benefit plans with 100 to 249 participants and well above the $98,070 median for defined benefit plans in arts, entertainment and recreation. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Schedule C lists 4 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $176K: $1,037 per participant, well above the same-size median of $451. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $194K. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $8.9M in 2009 to $22.1M in 2024 (up 148%), and participants from 192 to 170 (down 11%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $129,823 | $80,635 | $98,070 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | — | $9,975 | $8,284 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $1,037 | $451 | $440 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.80% | 0.52% | 0.49% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $1,139 | $582 | $715 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 100 to 249 participants (1,156 plans), arts, entertainment and recreation (119) and all US plans (5,308). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 170 | $22.1M | $129,824 | — | — | $176K |
| 2023 | 172 | $19.7M | $114,419 | — | — | $124K |
| 2022 | 173 | $18.4M | $106,514 | $84K | — | $167K |
| 2021 | 175 | $21.4M | $122,011 | $441K | — | $54K |
| 2020 | 175 | $19.3M | $110,377 | $534K | — | $60K |
| 2019 | 175 | $18.1M | $103,446 | $202K | — | $69K |
| 2018 | 174 | $16.0M | $91,678 | $253K | — | $63K |
| 2017 | 175 | $17.6M | $100,817 | $252K | — | $65K |
| 2016 | 176 | $15.7M | $89,364 | $164K | — | $71K |
| 2015 | 176 | $15.1M | $86,011 | $160K | — | $87K |
| 2014 | 176 | $15.9M | $90,085 | $769K | — | $71K |
| 2013 | 176 | $14.9M | $84,881 | $744K | — | $71K |
| 2012 | 179 | $12.2M | $68,061 | $429K | — | $81K |
| 2011 | 181 | $10.7M | $59,337 | $1.1M | — | $91K |
| 2010 | 188 | $10.3M | $54,952 | $638K | — | $107K |
| 2009 | 192 | $8.9M | $46,422 | $634K | — | $123K |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$19,680,449
- Employer contributions—
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$0
- Total income, including investment results$3,622,769
- Benefits paid$1,039,748
- Administrative expenses$193,616
- Total expenses$1,233,364
- Net income$2,389,405
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$22,069,854
Participants
- Active participants23
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits64
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits79
- Total participants, end of year170
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partners Capital | Investment management | $110,644 | $0 |
| Milliman | Actuarial | $33,851 | $0 |
| Northern Trust | Investment advisory (participants) | $17,449 | $0 |
| Grant Thornton | Accounting (including auditing) | $14,300 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Investment advisory and management fees$110,644
- Actuarial fees$33,851
- Trustee and custodial fees$17,449
- Other administrative expenses$17,372
- IQPA audit fees$14,300
- Total administrative expenses$193,616
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Common/collective trusts$12.6M · 54.1%
- Other investments$8.8M · 37.9%
- Receivables$1.0M · 4.4%
- Partnership/joint venture interests$777K · 3.3%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$58K · 0.2%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmGrant Thornton
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $2,000,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
1ABenefits are primarily pay related1IFrozen plan
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 711100: Performing Arts Companies.
Other plans of San Francisco Symphony Corporaton
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Symphony Tsa Thrift Plan | 1,030 | $87.1M |
| San Francisco Symphony Retirement Plan | 185 | $107M |
Similar plans in California
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concession & Program Employees Local 468 Pension Plan | Board of Trustees of Concession & Program Employees Local 468 Pension | 183 | $961K | $5,253 |
| The Retirement Income Plan of the Corporation of Fine Arts Museums | Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums | 151 | $28.5M | $188,562 |
| San Francisco Symphony Retirement Plan | San Francisco Symphony Corporation | 185 | $107M | $579,378 |
| Los Angeles Turf Club, Incorporated Retirement Income Plan | Los Angeles Turf Club, Incorporated | 210 | $23.7M | $112,652 |
| San Diego Symphony Orchestra Musicians' Pension Plan | San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association | 229 | $13.8M | $60,198 |
| Performing Arts Center Retirement Plan | Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County | 301 | $17.6M | $58,389 |
Defined benefit plans in arts, entertainment and recreation closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is Retirement Plan for Employees of San Francisco Symphony Corporation?
170 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 23 were active employees, with net assets of $22,069,854. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 100 to 249 participants band, which held 1,156 plans in plan year 2024.
What does San Francisco Symphony Corporaton contribute per participant?
This filing has no Schedule H financial statement, so employer contributions are not reported here.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $176,244 in compensation to service provider organisations, $1,037 per participant or 0.80% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $451 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $193,616. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is San Francisco Symphony Corporaton. Investment advisory or management: Partners Capital and Northern Trust. The financial statements were audited by Grant Thornton. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 14 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 94-1156284, plan 001, received 14 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.