Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
Information about Schedule A (Form 990 or 990-EZ) and its instructions is at www.irs.gov/form990.
| (i)Name of supported organization | (ii) EIN | (iii) Type of organization (described on lines 1- 9 above (see instructions)) | (iv) Is the organization listed in your governing document? | (v) Amount of monetary support (see instructions) | (vi) Amount of other support (see instructions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||||
| Total | ||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2011 | (b) 2012 | (c) 2013 | (d) 2014 | (e) 2015 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any unusual grants.) .... | ||||||
| 2 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf....... | ||||||
| 3 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | ||||||
| 4 | Total. Add lines 1 through 3 | ||||||
| 5 | The portion of total contributions by each person (other than a governmental unit or publicly supported organization) included on line 1 that exceeds 2% of the amount shown on line 11, column (f).. | ||||||
| 6 | Public support. Subtract line 5 from line 4. | ||||||
Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2011 | (b) 2012 | (c) 2013 | (d) 2014 | (e) 2015 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Amounts from line 4.. | ||||||
| 8 | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources... | ||||||
| 9 | Net income from unrelated business activities, whether or not the business is regularly carried on.. | ||||||
| 10 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.).. | ||||||
| 11 | Total support. Add lines 7 through 10. | ||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2011 | (b) 2012 | (c) 2013 | (d) 2014 | (e) 2015 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grants.") . | 25,494,301 | 22,938,932 | 44,782,063 | 47,916,874 | 29,085,009 | 170,217,179 |
| 2 | Gross receipts from admissions, merchandise sold or services performed, or facilities furnished in any activity that is related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose...... | 35,412,176 | 38,309,941 | 39,487,351 | 43,451,445 | 45,015,537 | 201,676,450 |
| 3 | Gross receipts from activities that are not an unrelated trade or business under section 513... | 0 | |||||
| 4 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf... | 0 | |||||
| 5 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | 0 | |||||
| 6 | Total. Add lines 1 through 5. | 60,906,477 | 61,248,873 | 84,269,414 | 91,368,319 | 74,100,546 | 371,893,629 |
| 7a | Amounts included on lines 1, 2, and 3 received from disqualified persons... | 1,252,164 | 1,187,684 | 26,611,091 | 743,264 | 524,000 | 30,318,203 |
| b | Amounts included on lines 2 and 3 received from other than disqualified persons that exceed the greater of $5,000 or 1% of the amount on line 13 for the year. | 0 | |||||
| c | Add lines 7a and 7b.. | 1,252,164 | 1,187,684 | 26,611,091 | 743,264 | 524,000 | 30,318,203 |
| 8 | Public support. (Subtract line 7c from line 6.) | 341,575,426 | |||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2011 | (b) 2012 | (c) 2013 | (d) 2014 | (e) 2015 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amounts from line 6... | 60,906,477 | 61,248,873 | 84,269,414 | 91,368,319 | 74,100,546 | 371,893,629 |
| 10a | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources.. | 4,330,416 | 5,127,121 | 5,420,675 | 6,399,701 | 6,676,470 | 27,954,383 |
| b | Unrelated business taxable income (less section 511 taxes) from businesses acquired after June 30, 1975. | 0 | |||||
| c | Add lines 10a and 10b. | 4,330,416 | 5,127,121 | 5,420,675 | 6,399,701 | 6,676,470 | 27,954,383 |
| 11 | Net income from unrelated business activities not included in line 10b, whether or not the business is regularly carried on. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.) .. | 766,657 | 389,050 | 267,710 | 708,527 | 555,479 | 2,687,423 |
| 13 | Total support. (Add lines 9, 10c, 11, and 12.).. | 66,003,550 | 66,765,044 | 89,957,799 | 98,476,547 | 81,332,495 | 402,535,435 |
| Section A - Adjusted Net Income | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Net short-term capital gain | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Other gross income (see instructions) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Add lines 1 through 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Depreciation and depletion | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Portion of operating expenses paid or incurred for production or collection of gross income or for management, conservation, or maintenance of property held for production of income (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Other expenses (see instructions) | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Adjusted Net Income (subtract lines 5, 6 and 7 from line 4) | 8 | ||||
| Section B - Minimum Asset Amount | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Aggregate fair market value of all non-exempt-use assets (see instructions for short tax year or assets held for part of year): | 1 | ||||
| a | Average monthly value of securities | 1a | ||||
| b | Average monthly cash balances | 1b | ||||
| c | Fair market value of other non-exempt-use assets | 1c | ||||
| d | Total (add lines 1a, 1b, and 1c) | 1d | ||||
| e |
Discount claimed for blockage or other factors (explain in detail in Part VI): |
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| 2 | Acquisition indebtedness applicable to non-exempt use assets | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Subtract line 2 from line 1d | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Cash deemed held for exempt use. Enter 1-1/2% of line 3 (for greater amount, see instructions). | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Net value of non-exempt-use assets (subtract line 4 from line 3) | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Multiply line 5 by .035 | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Minimum Asset Amount (add line 7 to line 6) | 8 | ||||
| Section C - Distributable Amount | Current Year | |||||
| 1 | Adjusted net income for prior year (from Section A, line 8, Column A) | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Enter 85% of line 1 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Minimum asset amount for prior year (from Section B, line 8, Column A) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Enter greater of line 2 or line 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Income tax imposed in prior year | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Distributable Amount. Subtract line 5 from line 4, unless subject to emergency temporary reduction (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| Section D - Distributions | Current Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Amounts paid to supported organizations to accomplish exempt purposes | ||
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2
Amounts paid to perform activity that directly furthers exempt purposes of supported organizations, in excess of income from activity |
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| 3 Administrative expenses paid to accomplish exempt purposes of supported organizations | ||
| 4 Amounts paid to acquire exempt-use assets | ||
| 5 Qualified set-aside amounts (prior IRS approval required) | ||
| 6 Other distributions (describe in Part VI). See instructions | ||
| 7Total annual distributions. Add lines 1 through 6. | ||
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8
Distributions to attentive supported organizations to which the organization is responsive (provide details in Part VI). See instructions |
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| 9 Distributable amount for 2015 from Section C, line 6 | ||
| 10 Line 8 amount divided by Line 9 amount | ||
| Section E - Distribution Allocations (see instructions) |
(i) Excess Distributions |
(ii) Underdistributions Pre-2015 |
(iii) Distributable Amount for 2015 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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1
Distributable amount for 2015 from Section C, line 6 |
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2
Underdistributions, if any, for years prior to 2015 (reasonable cause required--see instructions) |
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| 3 Excess distributions carryover, if any, to 2015: | ||||
| a | ||||
| b | ||||
| c | ||||
| d From 2013....... | ||||
| e From 2014....... | ||||
| fTotal of lines 3a through e | ||||
| g Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| h Applied to 2015 distributable amount | ||||
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i
Carryover from 2010 not applied (see instructions) |
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| j Remainder. Subtract lines 3g, 3h, and 3i from 3f. | ||||
| 4Distributions for 2015 from Section D, line 7: | ||||
| $ | ||||
| a Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| b Applied to 2015 distributable amount | ||||
| c Remainder. Subtract lines 4a and 4b from 4. | ||||
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5
Remaining underdistributions for years prior to 2015, if any. Subtract lines 3g and 4a from line 2 (if amount greater than zero, see instructions) |
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6
Remaining underdistributions for 2015. Subtract lines 3h and 4b from line 1 (if amount greater than zero, see instructions) |
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7 Excess distributions carryover to 2016. Add lines 3j and 4c. |
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| 8 Breakdown of line 7: | ||||
| a | ||||
| b | ||||
| c Excess from 2013....... | ||||
| d From 2014....... | ||||
| e From 2015....... | ||||
| Facts And Circumstances Test |
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| Return Reference | Explanation |
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Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Information about Schedule O (Form 990 or 990-EZ) and its instructions is at| Return Reference | Explanation |
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| Organization's Mission | Form 990, Part I, Line 1 and Form 990, Part III, line 1: The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the ocean. Created with an initial gift from David and Lucille Packard, the Aquarium facilities opened to the public in 1984. Major programs include a public aquarium whose exhibits focus primarily, but not exclusively, on marine life of Monterey Bay and Californias central coast; education programs serving students from preschool through college as well as primary and secondary school educators; and research and conservation initiatives which include (a) the long-term survival of the southern sea otter, (b) understanding and conserving tuna and other highly migratory animals, (c) promoting seafood sustainability, and (d) conducting and communication scientific research that promotes marine conservation and informs ocean policy. In 2015, we served 2.1 million visitors (the second time weve had back-to-back years with over 2 million guests); the Silicon Valley Business Journal recognized our Education programs with its Community Impact Award; the White House honored employee Sarah-Mae Nelson for her work interpreting to visitors the effects of climate change on ocean health; we played a leading role in the fight for a plastic-free ocean by backing state and federal actions to phase out plastic microbeads; and we hosted an unprecedented televion program - Big Blue Live - that celebrated the health of Monterey Bays wildlife and ecosystems on prime-time television in the United Kingdom and United States, spotlighting its recovery as a conservation success story of global significance. |
| Program Service Accomplishment Description | Form 990, Part III, Line 4a - Marine Life Exhibition and Care: Marine life exhibition and care costs of $31,387,581 include the cost of operating and maintaining the Aquariums living exhibit galleries. The special exhibition Tentacles: The Astounding Lives of Octopuses, Squid and Cuttlefishes introduced visitors to several species of deep-sea cephalopods. We were the first in the world to debut the mysterious vampire squid, and among the first to show the cock-eyed squid and the Japetella octopus. Another uncommon animal became an international media sensation after a research colleague at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute dubbed the as-yet-unnamed Opisthoteuthis species "adorabilis" - the "adorable" octopus. Elsewhere in Tentacles, several nautiluses laid over 10 eggs on exhibit and behind the scenes, implying the collection is healthy and thriving on exhibit, according to our biologists. During 2015, work was underway with research on and development of a community of reptiles in preparation for the 2016 debut of Viva Baja! Life on the Edge. The $3.8 million dollar exhibit includes colorful tropical fishes and invertebrates, plus our most diverse terrestrial exhibit, where - for the first time at the Aquarium - visitors encounter snakes, scorpions, tortoises, tarantulas, and lizards. We participated in the "Traveling Turtle" program for the third year in a row, joining nine other U.S. aquariums that foster baby loggerhead sea turtles rescued off North Carolina, so that visitors can learn the story of the endangered species. After a year or two, the turtles grow large enough to join other rescued juvenile sea turtles that are fitted with satellite tags and released into the Atlantic Ocean. Our collection of giant sea bass, a critically endangered species, comprises several fish of various ages, from babies to adults 30 years old. We began working with baby giant sea bass as part of a research project to document growth rate and colorization/pattern changes throughout life. By studying individuals at different life stages, we help strengthen laws protecting these gentle giants that - with their hefty weight and wide, wide, lips - hold a special place in the hearts of our visitors, and especially our members and donors. We also welcomed a penguin chick and a common murre chick into our avian collection; both hatched from eggs laid by exhibit birds. These fuzzy additions were among several penguin and murre chicks that have hatched here over the past few years. Some birds we keep; some we send to other accredited institutions as part of species survival plans governed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. |
| Program Service Accomplishment Description | Form 990, Part III, Line 4b - Education and Outreach: Education and Outreach costs of $12,193,553 include the cost of education programs for both teachers and students, Aquarium Adventures programs to deepen guest experiences, and culinary events that promote sustainable seafood practices. We continued to raise funds for a new LEED-certified Center for Ocean Education and Leadership. The Center will enable us to double the number of visiting schoolchildren who take part in programs led by Aquarium educators, double the number of science teachers we reach through institutes and workshops designed to build their skills and double the number of teens in leadership programs. All of these education programs for schoolchildren, teachers and teens are available free, and include complimentary admission to the Aquarium. During 2015, we worked with 284 teens who participated in the summer WATCH (Watsonville Area Teens Conserving Habitats), Young Women in Science and Teen Conservation Leader (TCL) programs; an additional 12 TCL Alums supported the program this summer as paid assistants. A total of 1,546 teachers participated in fall workshops, conferences, presentations and events in 2015. In October, more than 100 Head Start teachers, staff and administrators joined Aquarium staff to engage in professional development and celebrate the 15th anniversary of our Splash Zone partnership with Monterey and Santa Cruz County Head Start Centers. Throughout 2015 we reached thousands of visitors through customized fee-based Aquarium Adventures programs, ranging from behind-the-scenes tours and overnight sleepovers to educational scuba adventures. In 2015 we added a new "Insider's Tour" wherein visitors explore exhibits with our most seasoned guides. Through their personal stories and insight, visitors uncover new animals and fishes, step behind the scenes to discover the secret lives of jellies, and hear about the Aquarium's groundbreaking research efforts with marine wildlife. In 2015 we refocused our Cooking for Solutions annual events into a year-round celebration with several smaller, more intimate events with a stronger focus on making choices for a healthy ocean, particularly food. Highlights of the revamped Cooking for Solutions included two celebration weekends with ticketed events and free public events for Aquarium visitors; sustainable tasting events during our extended public hours Evenings by the Bay weekends; and "On the Road" events with partners including The Hess Collection and Hog Island Oyster Company. |
| Program Service Accomplishment Description | Form 990, Part III, Line 4c - Conservation and Science: Conservation and Science costs of $7,275,504 represent expenses for marine conservation policy and advocacy efforts, the Seafood Watch sustainability program and field research supporting species survival. Our Conservation and Science programs continued to be an influence locally and nationally, and we further expanded them globally in 2015. We supported the enactment of several state and federal laws by providing testimony, writing letters, activating our audiences, and working with legislative staff on bill language. One was A.B. 888, the strongest law of its type in the nation, which banned the sale of personal care products that contain plastic microbeads by January 2020 in California. At the federal level, we worked to strengthen the language in a similar bill, and urged Congress to pass the bill and asked President Obama to sign it into law - which he did. Another was A.B. 96, which improved restrictions on the sale of illegal ivory, including from certain marine wildlife. In October, after years of negotiation, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 774, the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015. We expect the bill to significantly improve the federal governments response to IUU fishing, keeping black-market seafood out of U.S. markets and encouraging enforcement by other nations. Locally, we supported Monterey Bay Fisheries Trusts acquisition of more than $1 million in commercial groundfish fishing quotas from The Nature Conservancy. The Aquarium worked with the City of Monterey and other community members to establish a new, non-profit trust to own and lease groundfish quotas to local fishermen, with the advice and support of The Nature Conservancy, the California Fisheries Fund of Environmental Defense Fund and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation. Our Seafood Watch program continues to set the standard for sustainable seafood, and in 2015 we advanced initiatives to support sustainable seafood production around the world - bringing our respected program to a global audience. We brought business and government leaders together in Southeast Asia to shape new standards for sustainable aquaculture, and welcomed Indonesias progressive fisheries minister to the Aquarium in Monterey. We helped colleagues in Brazil, Japan, and Europe advance their sustainable seafood initiatives, and worked with partners in Mexico to move toward sustainable fishing and aquaculture in the Gulf of California. We were pleased when Louisiana repealed its turtle excluder device (TED) exemption rule, making their use now required in fisheries. Oceana.com sited Seafood Watch's "Avoid" rating as having a direct effect on the choice to annul the law. We welcomed new Seafood Watch business partners in 2015, including Disney Parks and Resorts, and celebrated the accomplishments of partners like Aramark, which now sources 100 percent of its tuna from sustainable sources. We also joined 15 major U.S. aquariums to support a new Aquarium Conservation Partnership pilot project to harness the power of aquariums for collective action to improve ocean health. We led the development of the ACP with partners at Shedd Aquarium and National Aquarium, producing a 2016-17 Conservation Action Agenda and ACP Charter that will guide the work of the ACP over a two-year pilot phase. We welcomed new Director of Science Kyle Van Houtan to oversee the Aquariums science and conservation research programs, including those devoted to bluefin tuna, white sharks, sea otters and other species. Dr. Van Houtans research and teaching have focused on multi-faceted approaches to marine biodiversity conservation, and his work spans a range of topics - from animal behavior, foraging ecology and physiology, to fisheries stock assessments, climate change and ecosystem-based management. His research also explores global change, biodiversity conservation, processes arising from climate, long-term ecological monitoring, and ethics. Our Sea Otter Program team collaborated with other sea otter biologists to sequence the sea otter genome for the first time. National and international media shared details of our work with sea otters in stories covering a wild sea otter mom giving birth in our Great Tide Pool. Our white shark research team concluded a record field season, tagging and tracking adult and juvenile white sharks off the coasts of California and Mexico. Our researchers have identified 117 individual white sharks, 43 new animals in 2015, and one shark that returned to the Farallon Islands for a record 27th year. Partnering with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and others, we began developing a camera tag that will reveal what adult sharks are doing in a gathering area far offshore near Hawaii, dubbed the "White Shark Cafe." We also released a study in November documenting how research Dr. Sal Jorgensen and colleagues fed "Fitbit"-style tags to white sharks to track their activity level and monitor their feeding success. Working with research colleagues, we expanded Pacific bluefin tuna tagging efforts with Japans Fisheries Research Agency. Our staff joined Japanese scientists in tagging both 2-3 month old and 4-6 year old (spawning age) Pacific bluefin tuna. Information from tag returns should provide insight into how the fish use and interact with their habitat. For the third summer in a row, we again collaborated with Japanese fisheries scientists to tag hundreds of 3-month old Pacific bluefin tuna off the coast of Shikoku, Japan. Data recovered to date have shown that these tuna begin their trans-Pacific migration at just over a year old, earlier than previously thought. |
| Program Service Accomplishment Description | Form 990, Part III, Line 4d - Other program services: Other program services of $17,536,991 represent the costs of activities to provide a high-quality experience for the 2.1 million people who visited the Aquarium in 2015. Included in this category are costs for marketing, guest services and membership services, as well as costs associated with food services and retail. Marketing includes costs associated with the creation, production and placement of advertising in various media for the purpose of building awareness about the opportunity to connect with marine life and ocean conservation through an Aquarium visit. An allocation of marketing costs is included in management and general expenses to represent the costs associated with soliciting admission revenue. Calendar year 2015s attendance was our third highest ever, and the second time in our history that weve had back-to-back years with over 2 million guests. Our digital, search-based advertising campaign once again helped to attract more high-propensity visitors from Southern California and other cities across the U.S. to the Aquarium and the Monterey area. About one-third (32%) of the total number of paid Aquarium visitors from California were Hispanic. Most of our Hispanic attendance is from California, with the majority of visitors arriving from the San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and local tri-county area (Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties) markets in which we advertise directly in Spanish-language media. Weve been successful in driving millennial visitation. More than one-half (54%) of 2015 Aquarium visitors were between the ages of 18 and 34, while only one-third (33%) of California residents are in that age group. We will continue to focus on this audience, with additional emphasis on engaging them with the Aquarium and our mission largely through our social channels. Our active and responsive presence on social media platforms allows visitors to remain connected with us, and us with them, once they leave the Aquarium. We ended 2015 with 2.7 million followers (an increase of approximately 300,000 over 2014) across all social media platforms and properties, including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and a Spanish-language Facebook page called Tu Monterey Bay Aquarium. In 2015 the team ventured into Periscope, a live video platform, with good success and engagement. Were considered one of the social media leaders among zoos and aquariums across the country, not only in the number and engagement with our followers, but also in our innovative approaches to content. In 2015, the Aquarium admitted more than 95,000 people in our community free of charge. These guests included underserved audiences visiting through our Free to Learn, Shelf to Shore, Student Ocean Stewards, and annual Community Open House programs. Membership households totaled 78,000. In addition to the essential processing and customer service functions, membership services hosts several member events each year including sleepovers, a Halloween dance party, and holiday wine tasting event. Aquarium members also receive Shorelines, the Aquariums member magazine and targeted monthly e-newsletters. Membership services include other efforts to serve, retain and communicate with members about our conservation mission. The Aquariums overall outreach wouldnt have the impact it does without the dedication of our many volunteers, who do more than make the Aquarium better they make our work possible. For each staff member, we have two volunteers sharing their energy and enthusiasm for the ocean. In 2015, over 1,300 individuals volunteered over 163,000 hours of service in 79 different work areas, notably in education and animal care. Our volunteer community hails from all over central and nothern california - 86 cities in all - and volunteers range in age from teenagers to folks in their 90s. |
| Family or Business Relationships | Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 2: Trustees Julie Packard and Susan Orr are sisters. Chris Scholin, a Trustee, is the CEO of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute ("MBARI"), of which Julie Packard and Barbara Wright are Board members. |
| Form 990 Review Process | Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 11B: The Form 990 is prepared by Grant Thornton LLP based on audited financial statements and with the assistance of the Aquarium's finance and accounting staff. The final draft of the Form 990 is reviewed by the CFO and the Executive Director. Upon acceptance of the draft by the CFO and Executive Director, the draft Form 990 is delivered to the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees, which reviews the draft and directs comments and questions to the CFO and Executive Director. Finally, the Board receives a copy of the final version of the Form 990 prior to filing. |
| Monitoring and Enforcement of Comflict of Interest Policy | Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c: The Aquarium regularly and consistently monitors and enforces compliance with its conflict of interest policies. Trustees and officers Conflict of Interest Policy -- The Executive Director's office assures that all disclosures forms (and mitigation plans, if applicable) have been received by January 31 of each year from all trustees and officers, prepares a summary of disclosures, and forwards the completed forms and the summary to the Aquarium's Conflicts Review Panel, consisting of the Executive Director, Legal Counsel, VP of Human Resources, and Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"). Trustees and officers also acknowledge receipt and understanding of the Aquariums COI Policy in conjunction with providing the annual disclosures. Following review by the Panel, the Panels findings and the disclosures are provided to the Board's Audit Committee, which reviews the disclosures and makes a report to the Board at its March Board meeting. Both the Panel and the Audit Committee annually evaluate the effectiveness of the process. The CFO assures appropriate reporting to the external auditors and tax filings preparer. Trustees and officers have a continuing duty to make additional disclosures throughout the year if warranted. Employees Code of Ethical Conduct Policy -- The VP of Human Resources forwards the Code, which includes a section on conflicts of interest, to all managers in early January each year, and assures that each manager responds that they have read it and are in compliance by January 31. Managers are also required to disclose any interests which could give rise to conflict, and to assure that any staff in their areas with interests which could give rise to conflict has done the same. Disclosures (and mitigation plans, if applicable) are reviewed by the Executive Director, VP of Human Resources and CFO by March. This team also evaluates the effectiveness of the process. The CFO assures appropriate reporting to the external auditors and tax filings preparer. Employees have a continuing duty to make additional disclosures throughout the year if warranted. |
| Process for Determining Compensation | Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Lines 15a and 15b: The Board of Trustees maintains a performance evaluation process for the Chief Executive Officer, referred to as the Executive Director, who is a member of the Board. The Boards Executive Compensation Committee, comprised of independent directors, reviews the CEO's performance with input from the other Board members, and recommends the compensation of the CEO to the Board. The Committee obtains and reviews market survey data from several independent organizations containing data for comparable positions at comparable organizations. The Committee provides the performance review and comparable salary information to the Board and recommends the CEO's compensation. Based upon the performance review and comparable salary information, the independent members of the Board determine that the compensation is fair, just and reasonable and then approves total compensation for the CEO. The Board delegates to the Executive Compensation Committee the performance review and compensation approval of the CFO, who is not a member of the Board, and any other officers or senior staff who are highly compensated. Based upon the performance review and comparable salary information, the Committee determines that the compensation is fair, just and reasonable and approves total compensation for the CFO and all other key employees. In each case, the review and approval is contemporaneously documented in the minutes of the Committee and the Board, respectively. |
| Documents Made Available to the Public | Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19: The Aquarium makes its audited financial statements and Form 990 for the most recent three years available to the public by posting on its website. The conflict of interest policy and governing documents are provided upon request within two business days. |
| Other Changes in Net Assets | Form 990, Part XI, Line 9: Unrealized Loss on Interest in Charitable Remainder Trusts: $(28,902) |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G | DESCRIPTION:OUTSIDE SERVICES TOTAL FEES:7723201 |
| FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G | DESCRIPTION:OTHER FEES TOTAL FEES:819861 |
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