Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Clearwater Marine Aquarium reported $22.9 million in revenue and $25.3 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $75.13 went to program services, $21.34 to management and general costs and $3.53 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 47.6% of the total. Government grants made up 28.9%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $585,707 (President & CEO). 11 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 72% between FY2020 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $25MFor context, the median across 245 covered animal-related charities: $83.96 programs, $9.42 management, $6.62 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $23MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 75.1% | 82.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 21.3% | 9.2% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 3.5% | 6.5% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 38.5% | 67.3% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 28.9% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 47.6% | 19.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $585,707 | $314,886 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.32% | 1.63% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 11 | 10 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 35.4 | 26.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 16 of 16 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseEducation:In FY 2024, Education Department hosted the Creepy Sea Cavern event as well as the Blizzard Bay event where we opened the Education floor to the public. The Education team taught guests about creepy sea creatures in the depths of the oceans or arctic animals and connected them back with our resident animals at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.For the summer of 2024, the department educated over 1,300 summer campers on marine conservation and stewardship in the R.O. Jacobson Education Center. The summer campers receive a hands-on, educational summer camp experience with lessons covering…
Zoological Care:Clearwater Marine Aquarium's Zoological Care team had a landmark year focused on advancing animal welfare, expanding rehabilitation programs, and engaging the community through meaningful education and conservation initiatives.Animal Care specialists provided exceptional care across the collection, including developing a long-term treatment plan for Walle, a 13-year-old river otter facing mobility challenges, and successfully integrating Opie, a rescued otter, into Otter Oasis alongside Boomer and Walle. The team achieved annual revenue goals early through expanded guest…
Animal Health:For fiscal year 2024, the animal health team released 39 sea turtles along with 392 sea turtle hatchlings, which included our very first leatherback hatchlings. In the fall, the hospital was significantly affected from Hurricane Helene which caused over almost four feet of water affecting the surgical suite, medical laboratory and rehabilitation pools. With the damage, the rehabilitation area closed temporarily for six weeks. Despite the challenges during the recovery, the veterinary team was able to continue to provide care for the 1100+ resident animals at CMA
Highest reported compensation
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President & CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $536,024 | $0 | $49,683 | $585,707 |
| COO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $222,416 | $0 | $14,773 | $237,189 |
| CZO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $201,726 | $0 | $27,775 | $229,501 |
| VP, Development Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $153,384 | $0 | $0 | $153,384 |
| VP, Animal & Environmental Health Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $128,223 | $0 | $19,425 | $147,648 |
| VP, Finance Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $131,279 | $0 | $7,590 | $138,869 |
| VP, Conservation Education Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $126,845 | $0 | $10,425 | $137,270 |
| VP, People & Culture Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $130,390 | $0 | $6,500 | $136,890 |
11 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Clearwater Marine Aquarium (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.0M (Part IX, line 5).
6 filings since FY2020
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b16 · 16 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2Yes
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5271
- Volunteers Part I, line 6320
Private foundation grants it received
20 private foundations reported grants to Clearwater Marine Aquarium totaling $211K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Clearwater Marine Aquarium's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Clearwater Marine Aquarium, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Clearwater Marine Aquarium spent in 2024, $75.13 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Tulsa Zoo ManagementTulsa, OK · revenue $23M · programs 86.0% · 2024
- Sedgwick County Zoological SocietyWichita, KS · revenue $23M · programs 91.1% · 2024
- The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust USALaguna Hills, CA · revenue $23M · programs 95.9% · FY2026
- San Francisco Zoological SocietySan Francisco, CA · revenue $23M · programs 85.9% · FY2025
- Washington Humane SocietyWashington, DC · revenue $23M · programs 72.8% · FY2025
Questions people ask
How much of Clearwater Marine Aquarium's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Clearwater Marine Aquarium reported that 75.1% of its $25.3 million in expenses went to program services, 21.3% to management and general and 3.5% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Clearwater Marine Aquarium pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Clearwater Marine Aquarium reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $585,707, for the role of President & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Clearwater Marine Aquarium get its money?
Of $22.9 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 38.5% came from contributions and grants (including 28.9% from government grants) and 47.6% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Clearwater Marine Aquarium a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 59-2086737 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202523189349303687 · read the filing · XML
- FY2023 (3 mo.): Form 990 for the 3-month short period ending December 31, 2023, object 202540629349300749 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, object 202432289349302853 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, object 202342279349302849 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, object 202212279349302126 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, object 202122249349301107 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 59-2086737: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.