Youth and community nonprofits / Texas / Dallas

Arts education

Big Thought

A tax-exempt nonprofit in Dallas, Texas, classified by the IRS as arts education. For the year ending Jun 2024 it reported $12,656,224 in revenue and $11,818,707 in expenses.

Data as of November 8, 2026Markdown copy JSON data

What it says it does

“The mission of Big Thought is to make imagination a part of everyday learning. We bring relentless optimism, innovation, and imagination to the biggest problem facing education today: the opportunity gap.”From the organization's Form 990 for the year ending Jun 2024, as written (including spelling); all-capital text shown in normal capitalization.

IRS facts

Type: Arts education (IRS activity code A250)

Mailing city (IRS): Dallas, Texas 75215

EIN: 75-2170035

Tax status: 501(c)(3), eligible to receive tax-deductible donations; IRS-recognized as tax-exempt since 1987, per IRS records posted October 13, 2026.

Revenue on its latest IRS filing: $12,656,224 (year ending Jun 2024)

Check its status on IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search · Filings on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

Big Thought finances

From the annual returns the group files with the IRS (Form 990, or the shorter Form 990-EZ for smaller groups), 3 filed years. Net assets are what it owns minus what it owes; management and general is office, admin and insurance cost. A dash means not reported (the short form does not ask for employees or volunteers). Each figure links to that year's return. A year is left out when no return is in the IRS e-file data; that does not mean the group was inactive.

Year ending	Jun 2021	Jun 2023	Jun 2024
Total revenue	$9,225,791	$11,029,928	$12,656,224
Total expenses	$7,338,089	$12,566,706	$11,818,707
Total assets	$5,164,665	$2,990,276	$4,028,491
Liabilities	$3,153,251	$1,579,768	$1,797,419
Net assets	$2,011,414	$1,410,508	$2,231,072
Employees	196	148	203
Volunteers	60	30	50
IRS form	Form 990	Form 990	Form 990

Where the money goes, year ending Jun 2024

Programs $9,849,531 (83%)
Management and general $1,436,019 (12%)
Fundraising $533,157 (5%)

Where the money comes from, year ending Jun 2024

Gifts and grants $9,080,706 (72%)
Program fees $3,463,090 (27%)
Investment income $44,042 (0%)
Other $68,386 (1%)

People: 203 employees and 50 volunteers reported for the year ending Jun 2024. Counts only; BackPR does not publish names of officers or staff.

Revenue trend: Growing. Revenue went from $9,225,791 (year ending Jun 2021) to $12,656,224 (Jun 2024), about +11% a year.

Growth label: we compare total revenue on the oldest and the newest return shown above. Growing means revenue rose by more than 10% a year on average, Shrinking means it fell by more than 10% a year, and Steady means a change between -10% and +10% a year. The rate is the compounded yearly average between the two returns, so it hides ups and downs in between (see the table). We only label groups with returns at least a year apart and at least $5,000 of revenue on the oldest one. This is our own calculation, not an IRS rating or a judgment of quality.

Source: IRS Form 990 Series Downloads (the returns open on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, which republishes the IRS files). Figures are as the organization filed them. Texas nonprofit.

How it compares

1 of 33 arts education nonprofits in Dallas when sorted from largest to smallest revenue. This shows size only, not quality. Groups with no reported revenue are listed last.

Size: revenue of $9,643,762 is in the top 10% of the 72 arts education nonprofits in Texas that report revenue to the IRS (the city count above also includes groups with none). The median is $165,372.

Our analysis of the IRS Business Master File (posted October 13, 2026), using each group's latest reported revenue. Groups are sorted by revenue and split into ten equal bands, using all Texas groups of this type (Arts education, which covers several IRS activity codes). Size only, not a rating.

Around Dallas and its county

Dallas County, Texas: the Census Bureau estimates about 651,464 children under 18 (July 1, 2024). This directory lists 1,159 youth and community nonprofits with a mailing ZIP code in the county, about 1.8 per 1,000 children. The count includes PTAs, arts and day care groups, so it is not a measure of places for kids.

This group's ZIP code is matched to the county that holds most of its area, so counts are approximate. County figures come from the Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 population estimates.

What is Big Thought's EIN?

Big Thought's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 75-2170035. It is the nine-digit number the IRS uses to identify the organization. Source: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File posted October 13, 2026.

Is Big Thought a nonprofit?

Yes. The IRS lists Big Thought in Dallas, Texas as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3), recognized since 1987. This is from the IRS Business Master File posted October 13, 2026. Status can change, so check its current status on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search before you donate.

Are donations to Big Thought tax-deductible?

Yes, the IRS lists gifts to Big Thought as tax-deductible (IRS Business Master File posted October 13, 2026). How much you can deduct depends on your own taxes, and this is not tax advice. Check its current status on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search before you donate.

What does Big Thought do?

In its own words on its Form 990 for the year ending Jun 2024: "The mission of Big Thought is to make imagination a part of everyday learning. We bring relentless optimism, innovation, and imagination to the biggest problem facing education today: the opportunity gap." The IRS classifies it as: Arts education.

How much money does Big Thought take in?

For the year ending Jun 2024, Big Thought reported total revenue of $12,656,224 and total expenses of $11,818,707 on its Form 990 (IRS Form 990 e-file data).

Do you run this organization?

Tax-exempt since 2009 · EIN 26-3360895

Arts education

Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallasinc

Dallas, TX 75207

Tax-exempt since 2009 · EIN 20-5730465

All youth and community nonprofits in Dallas

Source: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, posted October 13, 2026. We list 501(c)(3) organizations whose IRS activity code is youth development, amateur sports, camps and recreation, parent-teacher groups, children's services, child day care or arts education. We show the city and ZIP code only, never a street address or contact person. A listing is not an endorsement.

Data as of November 8, 2026. Sources: IRS Business Master File (posted October 13, 2026), IRS Form 990 series e-file data, U.S. Census Bureau population estimates (July 1, 2024), state child care licensing records in the BackPR finder. Growth labels, ranks and percentiles are BackPR's own calculations.

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