Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
Go to
www.irs.gov/Form990 for instructions and the latest information.
| (i) Name of supported organization | (ii) EIN | (iii) Type of organization (described on lines 1- 10 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 | |||||
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Total |
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Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in)
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(a) 2017 | (b) 2018 | (c) 2019 | (d) 2020 | (e) 2021 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grant.") .. | ||||||
| 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)
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(a) 2017 | (b) 2018 | (c) 2019 | (d) 2020 | (e) 2021 | (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) 2017 | (b) 2018 | (c) 2019 | (d) 2020 | (e) 2021 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grants.") . | 7,053,166 | 4,113,003 | 6,993,379 | 4,506,989 | 13,744,380 | 36,410,917 |
| 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 | 27,182,388 | 28,260,140 | 29,167,299 | 19,014,421 | 18,719,785 | 122,344,033 |
| 3 | Gross receipts from activities that are not an unrelated trade or business under section 513 ..... | 668,860 | 482,209 | 610,700 | 153,442 | 253,105 | 2,168,316 |
| 4 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf... | ||||||
| 5 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge | ||||||
| 6 | Total. Add lines 1 through 5 | 34,904,414 | 32,855,352 | 36,771,378 | 23,674,852 | 32,717,270 | 160,923,266 |
| 7a | Amounts included on lines 1, 2, and 3 received from disqualified persons | 324,295 | 85,246 | 2,671,250 | 388,845 | 146,561 | 3,616,197 |
| 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.. | 324,295 | 85,246 | 2,671,250 | 388,845 | 146,561 | 3,616,197 |
| 8 | Public support. (Subtract line 7c from line 6.) | 157,307,069 | |||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2017 | (b) 2018 | (c) 2019 | (d) 2020 | (e) 2021 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amounts from line 6... | 34,904,414 | 32,855,352 | 36,771,378 | 23,674,852 | 32,717,270 | 160,923,266 |
| 10a | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources.. | 167,188 | 224,592 | 183,034 | 59,430 | 46,743 | 680,987 |
| b | Unrelated business taxable income (less section 511 taxes) from businesses acquired after June 30, 1975. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 10a and 10b. | 167,188 | 224,592 | 183,034 | 59,430 | 46,743 | 680,987 |
| 11 | Net income from unrelated business activities not included on line 10b, whether or not the business is regularly carried on. | ||||||
| 12 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.) .. | 2,615,202 | 2,615,202 | ||||
| 13 | Total support. (Add lines 9, 10c, 11, and 12.).. | 35,071,602 | 35,695,146 | 36,954,412 | 23,734,282 | 32,764,013 | 164,219,455 |
| 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 0.015 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 0.035 | 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 | 1 | |
|
2
Amounts paid to perform activity that directly furthers exempt purposes of supported organizations, in excess of income from activity |
2 | |
| 3 Administrative expenses paid to accomplish exempt purposes of supported organizations | 3 | |
| 4 Amounts paid to acquire exempt-use assets | 4 | |
| 5 Qualified set-aside amounts (prior IRS approval required - provide details in Part VI) | 5 | |
| 6 Other distributions (describe in Part VI). See instructions | 6 | |
| 7Total annual distributions. Add lines 1 through 6. | 7 | |
|
8
Distributions to attentive supported organizations to which the organization is responsive (provide details in Part VI). See instructions |
8 | |
| 9 Distributable amount for 2021 from Section C, line 6 | 9 | |
| 10 Line 8 amount divided by Line 9 amount | 10 | |
| Section E - Distribution Allocations (see instructions) |
(i) Excess Distributions |
(ii) Underdistributions Pre-2021 |
(iii) Distributable Amount for 2021 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Distributable amount for 2021 from Section C, line 6 | ||||
|
2
Underdistributions, if any, for years prior to 2021 (reasonable cause required-- explain in Part VI). See instructions. |
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| 3 Excess distributions carryover, if any, to 2021: | ||||
| a From 2016....... | ||||
| b From 2017....... | ||||
| c From 2018....... | ||||
| d From 2019....... | ||||
| e From 2020....... | ||||
| fTotal of lines 3a through e | ||||
| g Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| h Applied to 2021 distributable amount | ||||
|
i
Carryover from 2016 not applied (see instructions) |
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| j Remainder. Subtract lines 3g, 3h, and 3i from line 3f. | ||||
| 4Distributions for 2021 from Section D, line 7: | ||||
| $ | ||||
| a Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| b Applied to 2021 distributable amount | ||||
| c Remainder. Subtract lines 4a and 4b from line 4. | ||||
|
5
Remaining underdistributions for years prior to 2021, if any. Subtract lines 3g and 4a from line 2. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
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6
Remaining underdistributions for 2021. Subtract lines 3h and 4b from line 1. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
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7 Excess distributions carryover to 2022. Add lines 3j and 4c. |
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| 8 Breakdown of line 7: | ||||
| a Excess from 2017..... | ||||
| b Excess from 2018..... | ||||
| c Excess from 2019..... | ||||
| d Excess from 2020..... | ||||
| e Excess from 2021..... | ||||
| Facts And Circumstances Test |
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| Return Reference | Explanation |
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| Software ID: | |
| Software Version: |
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Go to www.irs.gov/Form990 for the latest information.
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| FORM 990, PART I, LINE 1, DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION MISSION: | Audubon Nature Institute operates a family of museums and parks dedicated to nature on behalf of the City of New Orleans. Facilities include Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Audubon Park, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Wilderness Park and Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center. There are eight basic tenets of Audubon Nature Institute's mission statement that guide decisions at all facilities. The tenets are as follows: Provide a guest experience of outstanding quality, exhibit diversity of wildlife, preserve native Louisiana habitats, educate our diverse audience about the natural world, enhance the care and survival of wildlife through research and conservation, provide opportunities for recreation in natural settings, operate a financially self-sufficient collection of museums and parks, and weave quality entertainment through the guest experience. |
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4a | 2021 was a year of resilience and rebuilding in the face of uncertainty from the continued COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida recovery. Despite these challenges, contributed support and federal aid from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant helped operations normalize and visitation begin to rebound. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Audubon Zoo were once again among the top winners of the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest. The Aquarium ranked 6th and the Zoo secured 7th place among 20 nominees, all accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Aquarium was also ranked in the top ten in the nation by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Audubon advanced planning efforts for combining Audubon Aquarium and Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium into a cutting-edge attraction for our community. The reimagined downtown facility will include roughly 17,000 square feet of new exhibit space and an enclosed shared public lobby. Many fan-favorite galleries will be included, like Field Camp and Bug Apptit. New and reimagined Aquarium galleries will include the Mississippi River Gallery and Amazon Rainforest Gallery. The much-anticipated new Shark Discovery gallery opened in June on the Aquarium's second floor, giving guests a new way to connect with wildlife by reaching into a 60-foot-long, 13,000-gallon touchpool filled with a variety of shark and ray species. Audubon's Coastal Wildlife Network, the primary stranding network for marine mammals and sea turtles in Louisiana and the only entity in the state responsible for the rehabilitation of marine animals, responded to seven live out-of-habitat marine mammal strandings, from Pecan Island to Grand Isle. In 2021, more than 100 marine mammal strandings were reported. In the spring, Seasonal Stranding Responders surveyed Grand Isle beaches for stranded sea turtles through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant coordinated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This project collected critical data on stranding trends in southeast Louisiana. CWN also rehabilitated and released a group of sea turtles dubbed "the Krewe of Turtles" for their Carnival season release. The turtles arrived at CWN for rehabilitation after they were cold stunned off the New England coast in November 2020. Through a grant funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Fishery Innovation Fund, Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries successfully created a strategic plan that serves as a road map to ensure the Gulf of Mexico Highly Migratory Species Industry's long-term sustainability. G.U.L.F. also developed new education programming about sustainable seafood and continued to operate fishery improvement projects for the Gulf of Mexico shrimp industry. During Plastic Free July, Audubon Nature Institute's team kept 2,189 pieces of plastic from entering the waste stream, and the average number of pieces saved per participant more than doubled from 30 in 2020 to 63 in 2021. To celebrate this annual awareness month, Audubon Concessions and Gift Shops became 100% plastic beverage bottle free. The Alliance for Sustainable Wildlife at Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center enjoyed another year of breeding successes, welcoming whooping cranes, Mississippi sandhill cranes, saddle-billed storks, and their first blue-billed curassow as well as the births of sable antelope, sitatunga, giraffe, and barasingha. Audubon Species Survival Center and Audubon Zoo are also serving another critical role for species preservation. They are two of the only four AZA-accredited facilities that house barasingha, a swamp-loving species of deer whose populations are rapidly declining in their home habitat along the border of India and Nepal. New births continued to arrive throughout the year as a reminder of the perseverance of life in the face of tragedy, including Pacha the endangered Baird's tapir, a prehensile-tailed porcupette, an owl monkey, and a clutch of dwarf shield-tailed agama. In February, Audubon Aquarium welcomed the hatching of its 56th endangered African penguin chick as part of our Species Survival Plan breeding program. The chick was the offspring of Hubig (mother) and Ocio (father), who are also parents to Zion, the African penguin chick hatched at the Aquarium in 2020. Audubon Zoo's herpetology department was hailed as the most successful breeder of monitor lizards in the world in 2021. Not only have they been successful with breeding monitors, but they also had much higher egg viability rates and hatch rates than most other institutions. 2021 was also a big year for orangutan babies at Audubon Zoo, as Jambi, the group's male, fathered infant Madu with female Reese and infant Roux with female Menari. In November, Audubon Zoo welcomed a seven-month-old female jaguar, Reina, that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rescued from a wildlife trafficking situation. AZA reached out to Audubon to care for this animal because the Zoo is experienced and equipped to house two jaguars. The Education team continued offering virtual outreach programs for children across Louisiana through streaming video conferencing. These virtual programs allow students to discover amazing animals with Audubon educators in real time as they explore nature and science together. Thanks to the support of Chevron, Audubon was able to offer virtual programming to Title 1 schools in Louisiana free of charge. Audubon Zoo Camp returned, with more than 600 children participating in hands-on science investigations, crafts, and nature-themed activities. More than 200 children also participated in the Zoo's new Nature at Night program, which offered up-close animal encounters, animal-themed activities, and a fun flashlight tour. In 2021, Audubon Nature Institute and New Orleans Museum of Art partnered with the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation to expand the Taylor Scholars Awards Program to include sixth grade students for the first time. More than 223,000 high-achieving students in grades 6 through 12 statewide received free Audubon Memberships in the 2020-2021 school year as part of the ongoing initiative established by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation to reward Louisiana students' hard work. Audubon's Community Connect initiative continued to offer free admission to Audubon Zoo and Audubon Aquarium through three components: Orleans Parish Appreciation Days for Orleans Parish residents (available on a rotating Wednesday schedule); the Audubon SNAP Program for SNAP benefit recipients and their families; and the Audubon Museum Culture Pass for Orleans Parish Public Library holders. In 2021, Community Connect made it possible for more than 64,000 community members to visit Audubon facilities and celebrate the wonders of nature. The combined attendance at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Audubon Zoo in 2021 was approximately 737,000 visitors, and revenue from admissions was $10.6 million. Audubon Nature Institute's program service total for operation and management of all facilities was $20,960,152, which includes salaries incurred by Audubon Nature Institute employees. These salary costs were reimbursed by a management contract with Audubon Commission. With an eye on the future, Audubon remained committed to protecting the wonders of nature through outstanding guest experiences, educational opportunities, and developing partnerships. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 2 | -J. Steve Perry, Quentin Messer, Jr. and Ron Forman have a business relationship. -J. Steve Perry and Mark Romig have a business relationship. -Quentin Messer and Nolan Marshall have a business relationship. -JOhn Nickens and Beau Box have a business relationship -Mark Romig and Dennis Lauscha have a business relationship. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 6 | The members of the Audubon Nature Institute consists of the following classes: individual, student, senior citizen, family, individual plus one, family plus one, bronze patron, and honorary member. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 7a | The members of the Audubon Nature Institute consist of the following classes: individual, student, senior citizen, family, individual plus one, family plus one, bronze patron, and honorary member. The members elect the governing body. Each membership, except honorary members, is entitled to one vote on any matter submitted to a vote of the membership. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b | The 990 is reviewed by the VP of Finance and the Executive VP/Chief Administrative Officer. The return is also reviewed by the tax department of a public accounting firm. Once the return has been reviewed by the accounting firm, it is provided to the board of directors for review, with the exception of the donors' names and addresses on Schedule B, and then the return is filed with the IRS. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c | Audubon Nature Institute has a conflict of interest policy that has procedures in place to handle disclosing conflicts, determining whether a conflict exists, addressing the conflict, and violations of the policy. Annual statements are signed regarding the policy and periodic reviews are conducted to ensure the policy is being followed. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 | The compensation of contracted Executive Staff shall be approved by the Executive and Compensation Committees. The Compensation Committee, consisting of the ANI Board Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Immediate Past Chairman and Treasurer, shall meet every three (3) years or prior to contract expiration, whichever is shorter. The Compensation Committee shall be provided with the following for their review: 1.Compensation analysis from comparable zoos, aquariums, museums, and other national attractions. 2.Independent salary and benefit studies of other similar entities including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, IRS Form 990s of similar organizations or documented phone calls with similar organizations. 3.Six (6) year history of the Personal Service Agreement, outlining raises, length of term and any notable changes. 4.Most recent Compensation Survey conducted by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) that compares the salaries of the Officers with that of similarly qualified individuals, in comparable positions at similar organizations, with a comparable number of facilities, annual visitation, staffing and operating budgets. This information shall be compiled by Staff and overseen by the Chairman, who shall act independently without undue influence from the contracted Officers. The Compensation Committee shall make and approve a resolution to set the base salary and benefits. The resolution of the Compensation Committee shall then be presented to the ANI Executive Committee for final approval. The Executive Committee is authorized by the ANI Board to enter into the Personal Services Contract with the Officers. The ANI Board, as executed by the Chairman, shall enter into a written Personal Services Agreement (or amended Agreement) with the Officers. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 18 | Audubon Nature Institute's Form 990 is available on the organization's website. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 | Audubon Nature Institute makes it governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request. |
| Form 990, Part XI, line 9: | 457 DEFERRED COMPENSATION - UNREALIZED GAIN(LOSS) -99,264. |
| Form 990 Part XII Line 2C | The organization did not change its audit oversight process or selection process. |
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