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IRS-authorized e-file provider · not the IRS

Nonprofit · EIN 99-0956940

HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION

Tax-exempt · AVA, MO 65608

Financials

$0$02023$21K$21K2024$38K$33K2025
Revenue Expenses · by fiscal year end
Financials of HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION by year, from its e-filed returns
Year endedFormRevenueExpensesNet incomeTotal assetsLiabilitiesNet assets
December 31, 2025990-EZ$38,243$33,309$4,934$4,934$0$4,934
December 31, 2024990-EZ$21,360$21,360$0$0$0$0
December 31, 2023990-EZ$0$0$0$0$0$0
Financial details: 990-EZ for the year ended December 31, 2025

Revenue

Contributions, gifts and grants
$26,723
Program service revenue
$11,520
Investment income
$0
Other revenue
$0

Expenses

Grants and similar amounts paid
$0
Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
$0
Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
$0
Professional fees and payments to contractors
$24,549
Occupancy
$4,102
Printing, publications and postage
$785
Other expenses
$3,873
Program services (functional)
$33,309

Balance sheet and other

Total assets, start of year
$0
Total assets, end of year
$4,934
Total liabilities, end of year
$0
Net assets, end of year
$4,934
Cash, savings and investments
$4,934
Gross receipts
$38,243

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990-EZ for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
Claire LeaPresident10$0
Michael GemkowTreasurer15$0
Rex LangleySecretary5$0
990-EZ for the year ended December 31, 2024: 3 people
NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
Claire LeaPresident5$0
Michael GemkowTreasurer15$0
Rex LangleySecretary5$0
990-EZ for the year ended December 31, 2023: 3 people
NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
Claire LeaPresident10$0
Michael GemkowTreasurer10$0
Rex LangleySecretary5$0

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)
RR 7 BOX 7351-F, AVA, MO 65608-9783
Signed the 990-EZ
Claire Lea, President
Phone
(417) 430-7545

Mission

(a) To promote the arts, music, and nature and to educate the public by providing access to experiences in arts, music, culture, and nature; (b) Organizing, supporting, and facilitating a variety of experiences in furtherance of the Corporation's charitable and educational purposes, including but not limited to: 1. Musical and spoken word performances; 2. Workshops for adults and children; 3. Hiking, foraging, planting, and harvesting activities; 4. Music festivals and concerts; 5. Animal husbandry; and 6. Other nature education events.

990-EZ for the year ended December 31, 2025

Program accomplishments

  • The Highlonesome Music Festival (HMF) is a family friendly, all-ages outdoor Festival. HMF provides three days of High-Quality Professional Musical Performances, Children's Music and Art Workshops, visual arts vendors and Yoga and wellness activities. Opportunities are provided for all attendees to access Pottery wheels and natural pigments, paints and dyes. Events include a Musical Forest Hike with buskers playing music along the trails, a guided History of Ozarks Heritage Music Hike featuring the traditional songs of the Osage and Scottish and Irish immigrants, a song-writing competition, Campfire-side musical collaborative jams for all attendees and a story-telling event. The event shall be held at Dockley Ranch, an outdoor music venue in Douglas County, MO. The venue is built from an original 1860's homestead, reconfigured into a stage, a dining area, and several public gathering spaces. The stage leverages the natural acoustics of the 250 year old White Oak tree that reaches over the performance space in a natural amphitheater. The venue is flanked by rolling natural vistas and a pasture populated by a family of Nigerian Dwarf goats and wandering alpacas. Dockley Ranch features 60 acres of trails, creeks, a waterfall and several individual and group campsites. 2024 marked the third year of HMF. Attendance increased from 275 to 400 in year three. Based on Digital Surveys sent to HMF attendees of years one and two, festival goers have especially appreciated the inclusive nature of the event, the high quality of the musical performances, the children's activities and playground, and the interactive nature of the festival, which encourages performers to camp at the venue and participate in the myriad of activities featured over the three day event. The goal of The Highlonesome Music Festival (HMF) is to feature relevant, professional musical performances representative of a broad swath of Ozark Heritage Music, both historical and contemporary. The HHMF Talent Acquisition Committee (TAC) seeks artists with a depth of understanding about the history and culture of the music of the region as well as a polished and experienced performing resume. In 2023, The Highlonesome Music Festival, through a $1,900 grant from The Douglas County Community Foundation, provided scholarships to The Children's Ozark Heritage Music Workshop, a children's music history hike and a songwriting workshop with "Banjo Jack" Bowden. This funding provided free entry to the festival for 24 Douglas County Residents. We aim to increase that number this year to 35 by working with The Ozark Strings Project in Ava. We received a $3000 donation this year from a KC company towards funding Ha Ha Tonka, this year's Saturday Night headlining band. The Missouri Mycological Society donated the time and expertise of several of their members in order to provide free mushroom forays into the woods during the Musical Forest as musicians played at designated places along the trails. Artists from Square Peg Pottery in Columbia, MO have donated several pieces of music themed ceramic art to provide to performing musicians at the festival. Other community support includes partnerships with nature-based arts organizations like Wildarts Learning in Rogersville, MO, and Hartsbend Studio in Hartville, MO. They provide opportunities for festival attendees to produce art during the event with onsite pottery wheels and nature-based pigments and paints. Through participation in local Farmers' Markets, HHMF gives out festival passes and recruits volunteers (we work with over 30 volunteers from the community during the Festival weekend) and musicians and provide opportunities for children to build and use a one-stringed Canjo instrument. Our project addresses a significant lack of opportunity to attend a Music Festival in our community. We are Douglas County's sole private outdoor music festival. Due to the demographics of our population-18% of Douglas County residents live under the Federal poverty line-many of our neighbors do not have the means to travel to other Festivals inside or outside of Missouri. In the U.S., The average 3-day Music Festival ticket costs between $200-$600. The two closet to our region are Hillberry in Winfield, KS ($200/3 day pass) and The Walnut Valley Festival in Eureka Springs, AR ($150/3-day pass) In comparison, 3-day passes to The HMF cost $85, and family passes, which allow parents and children to attend together, cost $160 for the entire event.
    Expenses $33,309 · grants $38,243

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990-N (e-Postcard). Gross receipts normally $50,000 or less. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

Tax yearYear endedDueIRS public records
2025December 31, 2025May 15, 2026990-EZ on file
2024December 31, 2024May 15, 2025990-EZ on file
2023December 31, 2023May 15, 2024990-EZ on file

File the 2026 990-N for HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION

Due May 17, 2027 · e-filed with the IRS by 990.tax, an IRS-authorized e-file provider

IRS record

EIN
99-0956940
Tax-exempt status
501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
Foundation status
Publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))
Donations deductible (Pub 78)
Public charity, 50% deduction limit
Exempt since
2024
Accounting year ends
December
Files
Form 990-N (e-Postcard)
Assets (IRS master file)
$4,934
Income (IRS master file)
$38,243

Filing history

FormYear endedRevenueExpensesAssetsReturn
990-EZDecember 2025$38,243$33,309$4,934XML
990-EZDecember 2024$21,360$21,360$0IRS
990-EZDecember 2023$0$0$0XML

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 99-0956940).

Questions about HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION

What is the EIN of HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION?
The employer identification number (EIN) of HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION is 99-0956940.
Is HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION tax-exempt?
Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 2024.
Are donations to HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION tax-deductible?
Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
Which annual return does HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION file?
Form 990-N (e-Postcard). Gross receipts normally $50,000 or less.
When is the next return of HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION due?
The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
When did HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION last file with the IRS?
The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990-EZ for the year ended December 2025.
Who are the officers and directors of HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION?
The 990-EZ for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 3 people; 0 received compensation from the organization.
How much revenue does HIGHLONESOME HERITAGE MUSIC FOUNDATION have?
On its 990-EZ for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $38,243, expenses of $33,309 and total assets of $4,934 at year end.

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