San Diego Comic Convention
San Diego Comic Convention reported $33.7 million in revenue and $31.1 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $79.78 went to program services, $13.24 to management and general costs and $6.98 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 96.1% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $260,983 (PRESIDENT). 13 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 947% between 2020 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $31MFor context, the median across 2,433 covered unclassified charities: $88.27 programs, $11.68 management, $0.05 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 $34MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.8% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 13.2% | 11.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 7.0% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $3.76 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 1.7% | 29.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 1.0% | 3.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 96.1% | 58.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $260,983 | $301,601 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.84% | 1.38% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 13 | 6 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 7.7 | 6.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 7 of 12 | 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 expenseThe organization holds the comic-con international convention in San Diego, ca and wondercon convention in anaheim, ca every year. The conventions promote and celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture
Museum:thrive as a world-class attraction and gateway to popular art, culture, and life-long learning for San Diego residents and visiting tourists. Serve as a pop culture focal point, enhancing the ways San Diego celebrates its unique place in the popular culture landscape. Enhance the economic strength of the community. Become a sustainable model for equitable and environmentally-sound community service through our practices and offerings
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 Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $260,305 | $0 | $678 | $260,983 |
| CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $203,563 | $0 | $36,208 | $239,771 |
| CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS AND S Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $199,837 | $0 | $22,250 | $222,087 |
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $167,553 | $0 | $30,988 | $198,541 |
| SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $168,679 | $0 | $15,782 | $184,461 |
| DIRECTOR OF EXHIBITS Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $119,161 | $0 | $45,312 | $164,473 |
| DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, COMIC-CON MUSEUM Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $106,544 | $0 | $47,192 | $153,736 |
| SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $118,454 | $0 | $33,303 | $151,757 |
13 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from San Diego Comic Convention (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $715K (Part IX, line 5).
5 years of filings
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–1b12 · 7 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 4No
- 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 5109
- Volunteers Part I, line 68,000
Private foundation grants it received
4 private foundations reported grants to San Diego Comic Convention totaling $184K 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 San Diego Comic Convention's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for San Diego Comic Convention, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 San Diego Comic Convention spent in 2024, $79.78 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All unclassified charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of San Diego Comic Convention's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, San Diego Comic Convention reported that 79.8% of its $31.1 million in expenses went to program services, 13.2% to management and general and 7.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does San Diego Comic Convention pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation San Diego Comic Convention reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $260,983, for the role of PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does San Diego Comic Convention get its money?
Of $33.7 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 1.7% came from contributions and grants (including 1.0% from government grants) and 96.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is San Diego Comic Convention a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 95-3072188 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 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 (amended), object 202642189349301574 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202403209349327250 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202303189349314245 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202233199349315638 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020 (amended), object 202313479349301301 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 95-3072188: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.