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SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM: Form 990, tax year 2024

View the entire original 990 at ProPublica ↗

Organization
SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM (EIN 57-0961897)
Tax period
2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31
Filed
2025-08-13
IRS object ID
202502259349301240
Schema version
2024v5.2
Source
Download XML · Original 990 at ProPublica

Every field in the e-filed return. Faint text is the IRS element name, for citing.

Return header ReturnHeader

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Return2025-08-13T11:43:52-05:00ReturnTs
Tax Period End2024-12-31TaxPeriodEndDt

Preparer Firm PreparerFirmGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Preparer Firm EIN205788602PreparerFirmEIN

Preparer Firm Name PreparerFirmName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name Line1Glaser and Company LLCBusinessNameLine1Txt

Preparer US Address PreparerUSAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line11859 Summerville Ave Suite 800AddressLine1Txt
CityCharlestonCityNm
State AbbreviationSCStateAbbreviationCd
ZIP29405ZIPCd
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Return Type990ReturnTypeCd
Tax Period Begin2024-01-01TaxPeriodBeginDt

Filer Filer

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
EIN570961897EIN

Business Name BusinessName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name Line1South Carolina AquariumBusinessNameLine1Txt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name ControlSOUTBusinessNameControlTxt
Phone8435773474PhoneNum

US Address USAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line1100 Aquarium WharfAddressLine1Txt
CityCharlestonCityNm
State AbbreviationSCStateAbbreviationCd
ZIP29401ZIPCd

Business Officer BusinessOfficerGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
PersonKevin MillsPersonNm
Person TitlePresident & CEOPersonTitleTxt
Phone8435773474PhoneNum
Signature2025-08-11SignatureDt
Discuss With Paid PreparerYes (1)DiscussWithPaidPreparerInd
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
IRS Responsible Prty Info Curr0IRSResponsiblePrtyInfoCurrInd

Preparer Person PreparerPersonGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Preparer PersonErik Glaser CPAPreparerPersonNm
PTINP00724565PTIN
Phone8438490179PhoneNum
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Tax2024TaxYr
Build TS2025-03-06 01:10:19ZBuildTS

Form 990 IRS990

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Principal OfficerKevin MillsPrincipalOfficerNm

US Address USAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line1100 Aquarium WharfAddressLine1Txt
CityCharlestonCityNm
State AbbreviationSCStateAbbreviationCd
ZIP29401ZIPCd
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Gross Receipts$40,964,271GrossReceiptsAmt
Group Return For Affiliates0GroupReturnForAffiliatesInd
Organization501c3Yes (X)Organization501c3Ind
Website Addresswww.scaquarium.orgWebsiteAddressTxt
Type Of Organization CorpYes (X)TypeOfOrganizationCorpInd
Formation1992FormationYr
Legal Domicile StateSCLegalDomicileStateCd
Activity Or MissionOur mission is to inspire conservation of the natural world by exhibiting and caring for animals, by excelling in education and research, and by providing an exceptional visitor experience.ActivityOrMissionDesc
Voting Members Governing Body40VotingMembersGoverningBodyCnt
Voting Members Independent40VotingMembersIndependentCnt
Total Employee293TotalEmployeeCnt
Total Volunteers323TotalVolunteersCnt
Total Gross UBI$0TotalGrossUBIAmt
Net Unrelated Bus Txbl Incm$0NetUnrelatedBusTxblIncmAmt
PY Contributions Grants$6,094,960PYContributionsGrantsAmt
CY Contributions Grants$5,186,538CYContributionsGrantsAmt
PY Program Service Revenue$12,760,337PYProgramServiceRevenueAmt
CY Program Service Revenue$13,276,079CYProgramServiceRevenueAmt
PY Investment Income$707,783PYInvestmentIncomeAmt
CY Investment Income$840,383CYInvestmentIncomeAmt
PY Other Revenue$1,430,725PYOtherRevenueAmt
CY Other Revenue$982,821CYOtherRevenueAmt
PY Total Revenue$20,993,805PYTotalRevenueAmt
CY Total Revenue$20,285,821CYTotalRevenueAmt
PY Grants And Similar Paid$24,584PYGrantsAndSimilarPaidAmt
CY Grants And Similar Paid$13,100CYGrantsAndSimilarPaidAmt
PY Benefits Paid To Members$0PYBenefitsPaidToMembersAmt
CY Benefits Paid To Members$0CYBenefitsPaidToMembersAmt
PY Salaries Comp Emp Bnft Paid$10,244,363PYSalariesCompEmpBnftPaidAmt
CY Salaries Comp Emp Bnft Paid$10,970,956CYSalariesCompEmpBnftPaidAmt
PY Total Prof Fndrsng Expns$0PYTotalProfFndrsngExpnsAmt
CY Total Prof Fndrsng Expns$0CYTotalProfFndrsngExpnsAmt
CY Total Fundraising Expense$1,632,837CYTotalFundraisingExpenseAmt
PY Other Expenses$6,125,263PYOtherExpensesAmt
CY Other Expenses$6,355,739CYOtherExpensesAmt
PY Total Expenses$16,394,210PYTotalExpensesAmt
CY Total Expenses$17,339,795CYTotalExpensesAmt
PY Revenues Less Expenses$4,599,595PYRevenuesLessExpensesAmt
CY Revenues Less Expenses$2,946,026CYRevenuesLessExpensesAmt
Total Assets BOY$48,426,081TotalAssetsBOYAmt
Total Assets EOY$50,879,862TotalAssetsEOYAmt
Total Liabilities BOY$3,461,335TotalLiabilitiesBOYAmt
Total Liabilities EOY$2,820,831TotalLiabilitiesEOYAmt
Net Assets Or Fund Balances BOY$44,964,746NetAssetsOrFundBalancesBOYAmt
Net Assets Or Fund Balances EOY$48,059,031NetAssetsOrFundBalancesEOYAmt
Info In Schedule O Part IIIYes (X)InfoInScheduleOPartIIIInd
MissionOur mission is to inspire conservation of the natural world by exhibiting and caring for animals, by excelling in education and research, and by providing an exceptional visitor experience.MissionDesc
Significant New Program Srvc0SignificantNewProgramSrvcInd
Significant Change0SignificantChangeInd
Expense$3,099,284ExpenseAmt
Revenue$9,904,706RevenueAmt
DescFacilities program services include all costs associated with the maintenance, security, and operation of a 20+ year-old Aquarium facility, exhibits, and animal life support systems. The 93,000 square foot facility offers a state-of-the-art environmental learning center that encompasses the entire spectrum of the southeast Appalachian watershed as found in South Carolina: mountain, piedmont, coastal plain, coast and the ocean. In 2016, the Aquarium completed a major energy performance project to replace current natural gas and electric power infrastructure, which resulted in significant energy and cost savings.The Aquarium's state-of-the-art Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery Center provides guests with an interactive learning experience so they can observe the care and rehabilitation and education related to these threatened and endangered species.Desc

Prog Srvc Accom Acty2 ProgSrvcAccomActy2Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Expense$3,864,798ExpenseAmt
DescGuest program services include admissions and environmental services. Providing new and exciting exhibits and installations to enhance the visitor experience, the SCA both educates and entertains. From interactive daily programming with hands on experiences to upgraded technology throughout the Aquarium, we have developed an exciting interpretive journey to guide guests from the mountains to the sea. The Aquarium today is the Charleston region's most visited attraction, with an average annual attendance of 500,000 (including approximately 22,000 students).2024 was a productive year which emphasized our ongoing engagement of our mission and the diverse array of projects that make our institution so unique. We saw record numbers in revenue, including incredible success of our holiday lights experience within our walls, Aquarium Aglow.An expanded partnership with the local tri-county library system brought almost 8,000 additional community members into the Aquarium free of charge in 2024.The Aquarium continues to enjoy "best of class" scores among peer Aquariums in the categories of hospitality and cleanliness. In a 2022 study, it was estimated by the College of Charleston Office of Tourism Analysis that the Aquarium's presence in the community directly and indirectly generates more than $379 million to the local economy ($414 million statewide) each year.Desc

Prog Srvc Accom Acty3 ProgSrvcAccomActy3Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Expense$2,623,065ExpenseAmt
DescAnimal care (husbandry) program services are designed to continuously collect and maintain animals for the exhibits that are displayed in the Aquarium facilities. Currently the Aquarium cares for approximately 5,000 specimens of animals within 250 species.The professional biologists and aquarists at the South Carolina Aquarium deliver excellent care for every animal, maintaining a population that encompasses the diversity of wildlife in our state. The Aquarium's staff and volunteers demonstrate a passion for, and responsibility to, these animals, providing comfort, nourishment, and enrichment for each species in accordance with accrediting standards established by the association of zoos and Aquariums (AZA).Desc

Prog Srvc Accom Acty Other ProgSrvcAccomActyOtherGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Expense$3,466,032ExpenseAmt
Grant$13,100GrantAmt
Revenue$3,522,490RevenueAmt
DescEducation:Over the years, the education program has served more than one million students with educational programming and enriched the careers of more than five thousand teachers. The SCA serves as a complementary science education institution providing hands-on learning opportunities for students of all ages. Themed interpretive programs are presented daily by the staff, and are informative and fun for all visitors. The Aquarium has developed a standards-based structure school program that allows k-12 students to participate in hands-on activities to reinforce the standards-based concepts introduced in the classroom. Last school year, the Aquarium welcomed approximately 5,600 students through this program and trained 111 SC teachers.In addition, the Aquarium invested in our distance learning program, hosting virtual programs that have reached over 50,000 participants. A robot has allowed young patients in the MUSC and Prisma Children's hospitals to engage with our staff and exhibits from their hospital room. Meanwhile, our rovers outreach program continued to bring science to life for students throughout South Carolina, reaching 15,435 participants in schools, libraries and adult retirement homes across the state who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to visit the Aquarium in person.Throughout the year, our adult learning program engaged more than 520 participants in critical conversations related to conservation and research. Our paid High School Internship program continues to engage budding scientists exploring careers in environmental education and marine science.Conservation:The Aquarium is uniquely positioned to educate and inspire the public to conserve and protect South Carolina's rich and vast biodiversity, and its vulnerable species and their vanishing habitat. As the primary sea turtle hospital in the state of South Carolina, our Sea Turtle Care Center rehabilitates sick and injured sea turtles from across the state, educates the public about conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtles, and has released 441 rehabilitated sea turtles since its inception in 2000. During 2024, the Aquarium admitted 49 sea turtle patients and successfully released 43 sea turtles back into the ocean after they were rehabilitated in the Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery. This was a record-breaking year for the number of local patients admitted, as well as the number of patients released in a single year. The SCA is working to reduce the negative impact of plastics on our environment by collaborating with local partners and organizations to advocate for bans of single-use plastics and by providing the tools and support to empower volunteers across the state to organize, track and report on local litter sweeps and conservation initiatives. The Aquarium's resilience initiative for community engagement (rice) continued its work to inform communities of the risks associated with climate change and sea level rise, and to provide stakeholders with data and tools to plan for a more resilient future.The Aquarium continued its reef research in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. We studied the effects of removing invasive lionfish in artificial reefs located in marine protected areas of the coast. Once again, the Aquarium held its annual JuLionfish Derby and Festival, where divers competed to remove as many invasive lionfish as possible from reefs.The Aquarium's sustainable seafood program, Good Catch, encourages consumers and business to purchase local (harvested between NC and FL), sustainable seafood. The Good Catch Seafood Connection is a collaborative effort that provides free, local and sustainably harvested seafood to food insecure neighbors in the Lowcountry.Membership:Membership includes unlimited admission for nearly 11,000 member households. Members also receive additional benefits including access to exclusive member programs and events like Fish or Treat, early morning toddler programs, yoga for adults, and hands-on offsite experiences like seining and beachcombing. Members receive 20% off Aquarium Aglow tickets, discounted general admission tickets, discounts at local area attractions and businesses, and onsite discounts at the gift shop, snack bar, souvenir photos and VR experience. In 2024, members made up over 25% of Aquarium attendance.Desc
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Other Prog Srvc Expense$3,466,032TotalOtherProgSrvcExpenseAmt
Total Other Prog Srvc Grant$13,100TotalOtherProgSrvcGrantAmt
Total Other Prog Srvc Revenue$3,522,490TotalOtherProgSrvcRevenueAmt
Total Program Service Expenses$13,053,179TotalProgramServiceExpensesAmt
Described In Section501c3Yes (1)DescribedInSection501c3Ind
Schedule B RequiredYes (1)ScheduleBRequiredInd
Political Campaign Acty0PoliticalCampaignActyInd
Lobbying ActivitiesYes (1)LobbyingActivitiesInd
Subject To Proxy Tax0SubjectToProxyTaxInd
Donor Advised Fund0DonorAdvisedFundInd
Conservation Easements0ConservationEasementsInd
Collections Of ArtYes (1)CollectionsOfArtInd
Credit Counseling0CreditCounselingInd
Donor Rstr Or Quasi EndowmentsYes (1)DonorRstrOrQuasiEndowmentsInd
Report Land Building EquipmentYes (1)ReportLandBuildingEquipmentInd
Report Investments Other Sec0ReportInvestmentsOtherSecInd
Report Program Related Invst0ReportProgramRelatedInvstInd
Report Other Assets0ReportOtherAssetsInd
Report Other Liabilities0ReportOtherLiabilitiesInd
Include FIN48 Footnote0IncludeFIN48FootnoteInd
Independent Audit Fincl StmtYes (1)IndependentAuditFinclStmtInd
Consolidated Audit Fincl Stmt0ConsolidatedAuditFinclStmtInd
School Operating0SchoolOperatingInd
Foreign Office0ForeignOfficeInd
Foreign Activities0ForeignActivitiesInd
More Than5000 K To Org0MoreThan5000KToOrgInd
More Than5000 K To Individuals0MoreThan5000KToIndividualsInd
Professional Fundraising0ProfessionalFundraisingInd
Fundraising ActivitiesYes (1)FundraisingActivitiesInd
Gaming Activities0GamingActivitiesInd
Operate Hospital0OperateHospitalInd
Grants To OrganizationsYes (1)GrantsToOrganizationsInd
Grants To Individuals0GrantsToIndividualsInd
Schedule J RequiredYes (1)ScheduleJRequiredInd
Tax Exempt BondsYes (1)TaxExemptBondsInd
Invest Tax Exempt Bonds0InvestTaxExemptBondsInd
Escrow Account0EscrowAccountInd
On Behalf Of Issuer0OnBehalfOfIssuerInd
Engaged In Excess Benefit Trans0EngagedInExcessBenefitTransInd
PY Excess Benefit Trans0PYExcessBenefitTransInd
Loan Outstanding0LoanOutstandingInd
Grant To Related Person0GrantToRelatedPersonInd
Business Rln With Org MemYes (1)BusinessRlnWithOrgMemInd
Business Rln With Fam MemYes (1)BusinessRlnWithFamMemInd
Business Rln With35 Ctrl EntYes (1)BusinessRlnWith35CtrlEntInd
Deductible Non Cash ContriYes (1)DeductibleNonCashContriInd
Deductible Art Contribution0DeductibleArtContributionInd
Terminate Operations0TerminateOperationsInd
Partial Liquidation0PartialLiquidationInd
Disregarded Entity0DisregardedEntityInd
Related Entity0RelatedEntityInd
Related Organization Ctrl Ent0RelatedOrganizationCtrlEntInd
Trnsfr Exmpt Non Chrtbl Rltd Org0TrnsfrExmptNonChrtblRltdOrgInd
Activities Conducted Prtshp0ActivitiesConductedPrtshpInd
Schedule O RequiredYes (1)ScheduleORequiredInd
IRP Document24IRPDocumentCnt
IRP Document W2 G0IRPDocumentW2GCnt
Employee293EmployeeCnt
Employment Tax Returns FiledYes (1)EmploymentTaxReturnsFiledInd
Unrelated Bus Incm Over Limit0UnrelatedBusIncmOverLimitInd
Foreign Financial Account0ForeignFinancialAccountInd
Prohibited Tax Shelter Trans0ProhibitedTaxShelterTransInd
Taxable Party Notification0TaxablePartyNotificationInd
Nondeductible Contributions0NondeductibleContributionsInd
Quid Pro Quo ContributionsYes (1)QuidProQuoContributionsInd
Quid Pro Quo Contri DisclYes (1)QuidProQuoContriDisclInd
Form8282 Property Disposed Of0Form8282PropertyDisposedOfInd
Rcv Fnds To Pay Prsnl Bnft Cntrct0RcvFndsToPayPrsnlBnftCntrctInd
Pay Premiums Prsnl Bnft Cntrct0PayPremiumsPrsnlBnftCntrctInd
DAF Excess Business Holdings0DAFExcessBusinessHoldingsInd
Taxable Distributions0TaxableDistributionsInd
Distribution To Donor0DistributionToDonorInd
Indoor Tanning Services0IndoorTanningServicesInd
Subj To Tax Rmnrtn Ex Prcht Pymt0SubjToTaxRmnrtnExPrchtPymtInd
Subject To Excs Tax Net Invst Inc0SubjectToExcsTaxNetInvstIncInd
Info In Schedule O Part VIYes (X)InfoInScheduleOPartVIInd
Governing Body Voting Members40GoverningBodyVotingMembersCnt
Independent Voting Member40IndependentVotingMemberCnt
Family Or Business Rln0FamilyOrBusinessRlnInd
Delegation Of Mgmt Duties0DelegationOfMgmtDutiesInd
Change To Org Documents0ChangeToOrgDocumentsInd
Material Diversion Or Misuse0MaterialDiversionOrMisuseInd
Members Or Stockholders0MembersOrStockholdersInd
Election Of Board Members0ElectionOfBoardMembersInd
Decisions Subject To Approva0DecisionsSubjectToApprovaInd
Minutes Of Governing BodyYes (1)MinutesOfGoverningBodyInd
Minutes Of CommitteesYes (1)MinutesOfCommitteesInd
Officer Mailing Address0OfficerMailingAddressInd
Local Chapters0LocalChaptersInd
Form990 Provided To Gvrn BodyYes (1)Form990ProvidedToGvrnBodyInd
Conflict Of Interest PolicyYes (1)ConflictOfInterestPolicyInd
Annual Disclosure Covered PrsnYes (1)AnnualDisclosureCoveredPrsnInd
Regular Monitoring EnfrcYes (1)RegularMonitoringEnfrcInd
Whistleblower PolicyYes (1)WhistleblowerPolicyInd
Document Retention PolicyYes (1)DocumentRetentionPolicyInd
Compensation Process CEOYes (1)CompensationProcessCEOInd
Compensation Process OtherYes (1)CompensationProcessOtherInd
Investment In Joint Venture0InvestmentInJointVentureInd
States Where Copy Of Return Is FldSCStatesWhereCopyOfReturnIsFldCd
Own WebsiteYes (X)OwnWebsiteInd
Other WebsiteYes (X)OtherWebsiteInd
Upon RequestYes (X)UponRequestInd

Books In Care Of Detail BooksInCareOfDetail

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
PersonJason OddoPersonNm
Phone8435773474PhoneNum

US Address USAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line1100 Aquarium WarfAddressLine1Txt
CityCharlestonCityNm
State AbbreviationSCStateAbbreviationCd
ZIP29401ZIPCd

Form990 Part VII Section A Form990PartVIISectionAGrp (53 entries)

TitleTitleTxtAverage Hours Per WeekAverageHoursPerWeekRtIndividual Trustee Or DirectorIndividualTrusteeOrDirectorIndOfficerOfficerIndReportable Comp From OrgReportableCompFromOrgAmtReportable Comp From Rltd OrgReportableCompFromRltdOrgAmtOther CompensationOtherCompensationAmtKey EmployeeKeyEmployeeIndHighest Compensated EmployeeHighestCompensatedEmployeeInd
Jonathan M Zucker
Chairman4.00Yes (X)Yes (X)$0$0$0
Jessica Brewer
Vice Chairman4.00Yes (X)Yes (X)$0$0$0
John A Hill
Vice Chairman4.00Yes (X)Yes (X)$0$0$0
J Donald Higgins
Treasurer/Dir. Emer.4.00Yes (X)Yes (X)$0$0$0
Tom Wright
Vice Treasurer4.00Yes (X)Yes (X)$0$0$0
Mason Holland
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Dan Battista
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Rongrong Chen PHD
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Robert C Crawford III
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Suzanne Dickerson
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Steve Durkee
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
W Andrew Gowder Jr Term Ended
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Lee Hurzeler Term Ended
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Sandy Khan
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Danny Kassis
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Palmer E Krantz III
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Harry Lesesne
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Stacie Marksbury
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Judge Daniel E Martin Jr
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Gary McLaurin
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Guy Maurice Meares III
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Dominique Milton
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
William M Patterson PhD
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Cara J Richard
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Jan Roosenburg
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Scott Snider
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
George P Watt Jr
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Pam Wilson
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
David Wood
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Marcus Jones
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Melvin Brown
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
John Danahy
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Larry Colshan
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Anne W Cleveland
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Pedro De Armos
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Steve Gray
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Lars Munson
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Michael Naioti
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Joel Neale
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Susan Rohr
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Debra White
Director2.00Yes (X)$0$0$0
Valerie Howell
Secretary4.00Yes (X)Yes (X)$0$0$0
Kevin Mills
President and CEO40.00Yes (X)$368,410$0$21,339
John L Higgins
Executive Vice Pres & COO40.00Yes (X)$217,089$0$9,508
Jason Oddo
Chief Financial Officer40.00Yes (X)$195,832$0$2,464
Kevin Kampwerth
VP Creative & Exhibits40.00$161,022$0$20,060Yes (X)
Courtenay B Lewandowski
Chief Advancement Officer40.00$229,282$0$17,937Yes (X)
Brian Brasher
Chief Infrastructure Officer40.00$153,349$0$24,164Yes (X)
Paul Nunez
Chief People Officer40.00$136,815$0$15,314Yes (X)
Amie Yam-Babinchak
Chief Marketing Officer40.00$117,207$0$26,259Yes (X)
Sara McDonald PHD
VP Conservation40.00$143,889$0$10,675Yes (X)
Brian Thill
Chief Experience Officer40.00$105,499$0$26,218Yes (X)
Jamie Torres DVM
Veterinary Care40.00$112,214$0$10,622Yes (X)
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Reportable Comp From Org$1,940,608TotalReportableCompFromOrgAmt
Tot Reportable Comp Rltd Org$0TotReportableCompRltdOrgAmt
Total Other Compensation$184,560TotalOtherCompensationAmt
Indiv Rcvd Greater Than100 K13IndivRcvdGreaterThan100KCnt
Former Ofcr Employees Listed0FormerOfcrEmployeesListedInd
Total Comp Greater Than150 KYes (1)TotalCompGreaterThan150KInd
Compensation From Other Srcs0CompensationFromOtherSrcsInd

Contractor Compensation ContractorCompensationGrp (3 entries)

Address Line1ContractorAddress/USAddress/AddressLine1TxtCityContractorAddress/USAddress/CityNmState AbbreviationContractorAddress/USAddress/StateAbbreviationCdZIPContractorAddress/USAddress/ZIPCdServicesServicesDescCompensationCompensationAmt
Trident Construction LLC
2245 Technical ParkwayNorth CharlestonSC29406Infrastructure$9,386,917
John Ciccarelli Architect LLC
337 Molasses LaneMount PleasantSC29464Architecture$187,611
Blackbaud
PO Box 930256AtlantaGA31193Software and training$103,868
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Cntrct Rcvd Greater Than100 K3CntrctRcvdGreaterThan100KCnt
Fundraising$245,480FundraisingAmt
Government Grants$1,044,821GovernmentGrantsAmt
All Other Contributions$3,896,237AllOtherContributionsAmt
Noncash Contributions$1,376,290NoncashContributionsAmt
Total Contributions$5,186,538TotalContributionsAmt

Program Service Revenue ProgramServiceRevenueGrp (5 entries)

DescDescBusinessBusinessCdTotal Revenue ColumnTotalRevenueColumnAmtRelated Or Exempt Func IncomeRelatedOrExemptFuncIncomeAmt
Admissions713990$9,904,706$9,904,706
Memberships713990$1,776,309$1,776,309
Special events713990$1,289,245$1,289,245
Guest Programs713990$207,745$207,745
Program revenues713990$98,074$98,074
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Program Service Revenue$13,276,079TotalProgramServiceRevenueAmt

Investment Income InvestmentIncomeGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Revenue Column$838,535TotalRevenueColumnAmt
Exclusion$838,535ExclusionAmt

Gross Amount Sales Assets GrossAmountSalesAssetsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Securities$20,429,367SecuritiesAmt

Less Cost Oth Basis Sales Expnss LessCostOthBasisSalesExpnssGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Securities$20,427,519SecuritiesAmt

Gain Or Loss GainOrLossGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Securities$1,848SecuritiesAmt

Net Gain Or Loss Investments NetGainOrLossInvestmentsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Revenue Column$1,848TotalRevenueColumnAmt
Exclusion$1,848ExclusionAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Fundraising Gross Income$106,216FundraisingGrossIncomeAmt
Contri Rpt Fundraising Event$245,480ContriRptFundraisingEventAmt
Fundraising Direct Expenses$250,931FundraisingDirectExpensesAmt

Net Incm From Fundraising Evt NetIncmFromFundraisingEvtGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Revenue Column-$144,715TotalRevenueColumnAmt
Exclusion-$144,715ExclusionAmt

Other Revenue Misc OtherRevenueMiscGrp (2 entries)

DescDescBusinessBusinessCdTotal Revenue ColumnTotalRevenueColumnAmtExclusionExclusionAmtRelated Or Exempt Func IncomeRelatedOrExemptFuncIncomeAmt
Concessions722515$976,419$976,419
Miscellaneous Revenue900099$151,117$151,117
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Other Revenue Total$1,127,536OtherRevenueTotalAmt

Total Revenue TotalRevenueGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Revenue Column$20,285,821TotalRevenueColumnAmt
Related Or Exempt Func Income$13,427,196RelatedOrExemptFuncIncomeAmt
Unrelated Business Revenue$0UnrelatedBusinessRevenueAmt
Exclusion$1,672,087ExclusionAmt

Grants To Domestic Orgs GrantsToDomesticOrgsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$13,100TotalAmt
Program Services$13,100ProgramServicesAmt

Comp Current Ofcr Directors CompCurrentOfcrDirectorsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$1,324,985TotalAmt
Program Services$493,310ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$574,567ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$257,108FundraisingAmt

Other Salaries And Wages OtherSalariesAndWagesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$7,749,284TotalAmt
Program Services$6,434,014ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$564,998ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$750,272FundraisingAmt

Pension Plan Contributions PensionPlanContributionsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$190,986TotalAmt
Program Services$145,800ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$23,984ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$21,202FundraisingAmt

Other Employee Benefits OtherEmployeeBenefitsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$1,062,998TotalAmt
Program Services$811,496ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$133,493ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$118,009FundraisingAmt

Payroll Taxes PayrollTaxesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$642,703TotalAmt
Program Services$490,641ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$80,712ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$71,350FundraisingAmt

Fees For Services Legal FeesForServicesLegalGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$525TotalAmt
Management And General$525ManagementAndGeneralAmt

Fees For Services Accounting FeesForServicesAccountingGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$24,857TotalAmt
Management And General$24,857ManagementAndGeneralAmt

Fees For Services Lobbying FeesForServicesLobbyingGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$90,000TotalAmt
Management And General$90,000ManagementAndGeneralAmt

Fees For Srvc Invst Mgmnt Fees FeesForSrvcInvstMgmntFeesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$40,315TotalAmt
Management And General$40,315ManagementAndGeneralAmt

Fees For Services Other FeesForServicesOtherGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$185,486TotalAmt
Program Services$74,377ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$18,007ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$93,102FundraisingAmt

Advertising AdvertisingGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$674,396TotalAmt
Program Services$639,159ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$2,751ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$32,486FundraisingAmt

Office Expenses OfficeExpensesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$198,441TotalAmt
Program Services$118,959ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$76,058ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$3,424FundraisingAmt

Information Technology InformationTechnologyGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$594,383TotalAmt
Program Services$172,900ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$376,103ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$45,380FundraisingAmt

Occupancy OccupancyGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$1,221,976TotalAmt
Program Services$1,207,199ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$14,733ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$44FundraisingAmt

Travel TravelGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$135,538TotalAmt
Program Services$78,794ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$34,866ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$21,878FundraisingAmt

Conferences Meetings ConferencesMeetingsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$151,182TotalAmt
Program Services$25ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$62,914ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$88,243FundraisingAmt

Interest InterestGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$297,275TotalAmt
Program Services$240,766ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$34,064ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$22,445FundraisingAmt

Depreciation Depletion DepreciationDepletionGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$1,227,323TotalAmt
Program Services$1,165,850ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$55,400ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$6,073FundraisingAmt

Insurance InsuranceGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$457,154TotalAmt
Program Services$226,642ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$215,860ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$14,652FundraisingAmt

Other Expenses OtherExpensesGrp (4 entries)

DescDescTotalTotalAmtProgram ServicesProgramServicesAmtManagement And GeneralManagementAndGeneralAmtFundraisingFundraisingAmt
Animal Care$423,220$396,285$26,906$29
Programs, Events and Ou$278,119$187,513$17,061$73,545
Miscellaneous$273,276$143,219$117,916$12,141
Employee Relations/Safe$80,916$11,822$67,640$1,454

All Other Expenses AllOtherExpensesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$1,357TotalAmt
Program Services$1,308ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$49ManagementAndGeneralAmt

Total Functional Expenses TotalFunctionalExpensesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$17,339,795TotalAmt
Program Services$13,053,179ProgramServicesAmt
Management And General$2,653,779ManagementAndGeneralAmt
Fundraising$1,632,837FundraisingAmt

Cash Non Interest Bearing CashNonInterestBearingGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$6,133,643BOYAmt
EOY$4,128,670EOYAmt

Savings And Temp Cash Invst SavingsAndTempCashInvstGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$12,778,200BOYAmt
EOY$7,268,132EOYAmt

Pledges And Grants Receivable PledgesAndGrantsReceivableGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$3,263,660BOYAmt
EOY$2,399,536EOYAmt

Accounts Receivable AccountsReceivableGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$155,948BOYAmt
EOY$124,627EOYAmt

Inventories For Sale Or Use InventoriesForSaleOrUseGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$12,879BOYAmt
EOY$43,902EOYAmt

Prepaid Expenses Defrd Charges PrepaidExpensesDefrdChargesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$359,844BOYAmt
EOY$318,702EOYAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Land Bldg Equip Cost Or Other Bss$44,627,519LandBldgEquipCostOrOtherBssAmt
Land Bldg Equip Accum Deprec$15,978,130LandBldgEquipAccumDeprecAmt

Land Bldg Equip Basis Net LandBldgEquipBasisNetGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$18,661,154BOYAmt
EOY$28,649,389EOYAmt

Investments Pub Traded Sec InvestmentsPubTradedSecGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$7,060,753BOYAmt
EOY$7,946,904EOYAmt

Total Assets TotalAssetsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$48,426,081BOYAmt
EOY$50,879,862EOYAmt

Accounts Payable Accr Expnss AccountsPayableAccrExpnssGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$1,355,841BOYAmt
EOY$1,162,080EOYAmt

Deferred Revenue DeferredRevenueGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$1,373,019BOYAmt
EOY$1,208,751EOYAmt

Tax Exempt Bond Liabilities TaxExemptBondLiabilitiesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$675,000BOYAmt
EOY$450,000EOYAmt

Mortg Notes Pybl Scrd Invst Prop MortgNotesPyblScrdInvstPropGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$57,475BOYAmt
EOY$0EOYAmt

Total Liabilities TotalLiabilitiesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$3,461,335BOYAmt
EOY$2,820,831EOYAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Organization Follows FASB117Yes (X)OrganizationFollowsFASB117Ind

No Donor Restriction Net Assets NoDonorRestrictionNetAssetsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$34,456,865BOYAmt
EOY$43,631,405EOYAmt

Donor Restriction Net Assets DonorRestrictionNetAssetsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$10,507,881BOYAmt
EOY$4,427,626EOYAmt

Total Net Assets Fund Balance TotalNetAssetsFundBalanceGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$44,964,746BOYAmt
EOY$48,059,031EOYAmt

Tot Liab Net Assets Fund Balance TotLiabNetAssetsFundBalanceGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$48,426,081BOYAmt
EOY$50,879,862EOYAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Reconcilation Revenue Expnss$2,946,026ReconcilationRevenueExpnssAmt
Net Unrlzd Gains Losses Invst$148,259NetUnrlzdGainsLossesInvstAmt
Other Changes In Net Assets$0OtherChangesInNetAssetsAmt
Method Of Accounting AccrualYes (X)MethodOfAccountingAccrualInd
Accountant Compile Or Review0AccountantCompileOrReviewInd
FS AuditedYes (1)FSAuditedInd

FS Audited Basis FSAuditedBasisGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Separate Basis Fincl StmtYes (X)SeparateBasisFinclStmtInd
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Audit CommitteeYes (1)AuditCommitteeInd
Federal Grant Audit Required0FederalGrantAuditRequiredInd

Schedule A IRS990ScheduleA

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Publicly Supported Org509a2Yes (X)PubliclySupportedOrg509a2Ind

Gifts Grants Contris Rcvd509 GiftsGrantsContrisRcvd509Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$6,763,615CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$10,753,909CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$14,957,600CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$6,094,960CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$4,944,993CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$43,515,077TotalAmt

Gross Receipts Admissions GrossReceiptsAdmissionsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$4,727,800CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$9,677,110CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$11,778,743CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$12,810,904CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$13,276,079CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$52,270,636TotalAmt

Total509 Total509Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$11,491,415CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$20,431,019CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$26,736,343CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$18,905,864CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$18,221,072CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$95,785,713TotalAmt

Amounts Rcvd Dsqlfy Person AmountsRcvdDsqlfyPersonGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$1,569,875CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$1,105,658CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$310,350CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$582,691CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$1,448,845CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$5,017,419TotalAmt

Substantial Contributors Amt SubstantialContributorsAmtGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$0TotalAmt

Subst And Dsqlfy Prsns Tot SubstAndDsqlfyPrsnsTotGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$1,569,875CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$1,105,658CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$310,350CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$582,691CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$1,448,845CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$5,017,419TotalAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Public Support Total509$90,768,294PublicSupportTotal509Amt

Gross Investment Income509 GrossInvestmentIncome509Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$101,925CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$233,089CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$560,552CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$1,269,707CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$840,283CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$3,005,556TotalAmt

Investment Income And UBTI InvestmentIncomeAndUBTIGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$101,925CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$233,089CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$560,552CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$1,269,707CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$840,283CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$3,005,556TotalAmt

Other Income509 OtherIncome509Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$742,014CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$805,270CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$1,162,401CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$1,067,247CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$1,127,536CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$4,904,468TotalAmt

Total Support Calendar Year TotalSupportCalendarYearGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus4 Years$12,335,354CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$21,469,378CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$28,459,296CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$21,242,818CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$20,188,891CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$103,695,737TotalAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Public Support CY5090.87530PublicSupportCY509Pct
Public Support PY5090.87680PublicSupportPY509Pct
Investment Income CY0.02900InvestmentIncomeCYPct
Investment Income PY0.03000InvestmentIncomePYPct
Thirty Thr Pct Suprt Tests CY509Yes (X)ThirtyThrPctSuprtTestsCY509Ind

Form990 Schedule A Part VI Form990ScheduleAPartVIGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Form And Line ReferenceSchedule A, Part III, Line 12, Explanation of Other Income:FormAndLineReferenceDesc
ExplanationMiscellaneous - 2020 Amount: $ 464,145. 2021 Amount: $ 36,519. 2022 Amount: $ 215,863. 2023 Amount: $ 50,657. 2024 Amount: $ 151,117. Concessions - 2020 Amount: $ 277,869. 2021 Amount: $ 768,751. 2022 Amount: $ 946,538. 2023 Amount: $ 1,016,590. 2024 Amount: $ 976,419.ExplanationTxt

Schedule B IRS990ScheduleB

Contributor Information ContributorInformationGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
ContributorRESTRICTEDContributorNum

Contributor Business Name ContributorBusinessName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name Line1RESTRICTEDBusinessNameLine1

Contributor US Address ContributorUSAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line1RESTRICTEDAddressLine1
Address Line2RESTRICTEDAddressLine2
CityRESTRICTEDCity
StateRESTRICTEDState
ZIP CodeRESTRICTEDZIPCode
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total ContributionsRESTRICTEDTotalContributionsAmt

Schedule C IRS990ScheduleC

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
VolunteersYes (1)VolunteersInd
Paid Staff Or Management0PaidStaffOrManagementInd
Media Advertisements0MediaAdvertisementsInd
Mailings Members0MailingsMembersInd
Publications Or Broadcast0PublicationsOrBroadcastInd
Grants Other Organizations0GrantsOtherOrganizationsInd
Direct Contact LegislatorsYes (1)DirectContactLegislatorsInd
Direct Contact Legislators$90,000DirectContactLegislatorsAmt
Rallies Demonstrations0RalliesDemonstrationsInd
Other Activities0OtherActivitiesInd
Total Lobbying Expenditures$90,000TotalLobbyingExpendituresAmt
Not Described Section501c30NotDescribedSection501c3Ind

Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Form And Line ReferencePart II-B, Line 1:FormAndLineReferenceDesc
ExplanationThe Southern Group represents the South Carolina Aquarium in legislative matters, advocating for policies that enhance our ability to protect water, wildlife and wild places. They engage with local and federal government officials to advance Aquarium initiatives and bolster our education, conservation and animal care efforts.ExplanationTxt

Schedule D IRS990ScheduleD

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Collection Used Pub ExhibitionYes (X)CollectionUsedPubExhibitionInd
Coll Used Scholarly RsrchYes (X)CollUsedScholarlyRsrchInd
Collection Used PreservationYes (X)CollectionUsedPreservationInd
Coll Used Loan Or Exch ProgYes (X)CollUsedLoanOrExchProgInd
Solicited Assets Sale0SolicitedAssetsSaleInd

CY Endwmt Fund CYEndwmtFundGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Beginning Year Balance$463,133BeginningYearBalanceAmt
Contributions$227,912ContributionsAmt
End Year Balance$691,045EndYearBalanceAmt

CY Minus1 Yr Endwmt Fund CYMinus1YrEndwmtFundGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Beginning Year Balance$463,133BeginningYearBalanceAmt
End Year Balance$463,133EndYearBalanceAmt

CY Minus2 Yr Endwmt Fund CYMinus2YrEndwmtFundGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Beginning Year Balance$463,133BeginningYearBalanceAmt
End Year Balance$463,133EndYearBalanceAmt

CY Minus3 Yr Endwmt Fund CYMinus3YrEndwmtFundGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Beginning Year Balance$463,133BeginningYearBalanceAmt
End Year Balance$463,133EndYearBalanceAmt

CY Minus4 Yr Endwmt Fund CYMinus4YrEndwmtFundGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Beginning Year Balance$463,133BeginningYearBalanceAmt
End Year Balance$463,133EndYearBalanceAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Board Designated Balance EOY0.67020BoardDesignatedBalanceEOYPct
Prmnnt Endowment Balance EOY0.32980PrmnntEndowmentBalanceEOYPct
Endowments Held Unrelated Org0EndowmentsHeldUnrelatedOrgInd
Endowments Held Related Org0EndowmentsHeldRelatedOrgInd

Leasehold Improvements LeaseholdImprovementsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Other Cost Or Other Basis$30,627,219OtherCostOrOtherBasisAmt
Depreciation$12,963,878DepreciationAmt
Book Value$17,663,341BookValueAmt

Equipment EquipmentGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Other Cost Or Other Basis$4,385,575OtherCostOrOtherBasisAmt
Depreciation$2,921,842DepreciationAmt
Book Value$1,463,733BookValueAmt

Other Land Buildings OtherLandBuildingsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Other Cost Or Other Basis$9,614,725OtherCostOrOtherBasisAmt
Depreciation$92,410DepreciationAmt
Book Value$9,522,315BookValueAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Book Value Land Buildings$28,649,389TotalBookValueLandBuildingsAmt
Total Rev Etc Audited Fincl Stmt$20,397,700TotalRevEtcAuditedFinclStmtAmt
Net Unrealized Gains Invst$148,259NetUnrealizedGainsInvstAmt
Donated Services And Use Fclts$3,935DonatedServicesAndUseFcltsAmt
Revenue Not Reported$152,194RevenueNotReportedAmt
Revenue Subtotal$20,245,506RevenueSubtotalAmt
Investment Expenses Not Incld$40,315InvestmentExpensesNotIncldAmt
Revenue Not Reported Fincl Stmt$40,315RevenueNotReportedFinclStmtAmt
Total Revenue Per Form990$20,285,821TotalRevenuePerForm990Amt
Tot Expns Etc Audited Fincl Stmt$17,303,415TotExpnsEtcAuditedFinclStmtAmt
Donated Services Use Fclts$3,935DonatedServicesUseFcltsAmt
Expenses Not Reported$3,935ExpensesNotReportedAmt
Expenses Subtotal$17,299,480ExpensesSubtotalAmt
Investment Expenses Not Incld2$40,315InvestmentExpensesNotIncld2Amt
Expenses Not Rpt Fincl Stmt$40,315ExpensesNotRptFinclStmtAmt
Total Expenses Per Form990$17,339,795TotalExpensesPerForm990Amt

Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail (3 entries)

Form And Line ReferenceFormAndLineReferenceDescExplanationExplanationTxt
Part III, Line 1a:The costs of purchasing or collecting live animals and plants are expensed as incurred. Donated specimens are not valued and, therefore, are not reflected in the financial statements. There were no proceeds received related to the sale of non-capitalized collection items during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Part III, Line 4:Connect with native wildlife at South Carolina Aquarium! With over 5,000 animals from the mountains to the sea of our beautiful state, you can enjoy all our vast ecosystems and learn about so many different species when you visit. Mountain Forest After venturing past our bald eagle, Liberty, look low and you'll see fish in a stream. Look up to gaze at waterfalls spilling over a rocky gorge. Somewhere in the middle, you can find our river otters, Charlie and Beau, swimming, snacking or snoozing. Piedmont Step into the Piedmont region (piedmont is French for foothills) where you'll find yourself eye-to-eye with bass and discover crappies and suckers swimming in exhibits that showcase their natural habitats The Trading Post Visit The Trading Post to trade in your nature finds and earn points. Our education interpreters will answer questions about your finds, and you'll accumulate points to trade for other cool natural artifacts! Coastal Plain You'll experience what it's like to be in a swamp at twilight. See if you can spot cypress trees downed by Hurricane Hugo, longnose gar, rattlesnakes or a gopher tortoise. Kids Coast Learn nature-based concepts through play and guided discovery. Operate hands-on schematics focusing on water filtration for Aquarium animals, participate in collaborative activities with your peers and learn about the Aquarium workers who keep our water clean. Saltmarsh Aviary Step outside and into the Saltmarsh Aviary. Overlooking the Charleston Harbor, this exhibit houses roseate spoonbills, gulls and our 6,000-gallon tank, home to diamondback terrapins, burrfish and more. Boneyard Beach and Touch Tank Experience Make your way along the waterline, then glance below the surface for crystal-clear views of sea stars, stingrays, sharks and more. This immersive, multi-sensory touch tank experience provides the opportunity to follow an Aquarium educator's lead and gently touch the wildlife within! Coast You'll be amazed by the variety of marine life living right off the coast of Charleston. See if you can spot the camouflaging southern flounder or common octopus, and be sure to check out the unique batfish! Ocean Explore North America's deepest tank! It's impossible to miss our twostory, 385,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank. You'll practically rub noses with sharks and can wave a flipper hello to our 220-pound loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta. Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery Both a hospital and a guest experience, Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery makes the real-life rehabilitation of sick and injured sea turtles visible to every guest. Experience each patient's remarkable journey from rescue to rehabilitation and release. Virtual Reality Experience - Undersea Explorer Take a seat on Undersea Explorer and experience the ocean in amazing virtual reality. Through dynamic 360-degree live-action films synced with motion-platform seating, this immersive expedition will have you swimming the depths with spectacular sharks or riding the waves with wondrous whales! Carolina Seas Located just inside the entrance, gaze into the 15,000-gallon Carolina Seas tank that houses our collection of colorful fish found around reef habitats off the coast. The Shallows Stop by The Shallows to observe and pet our cownose stingrays! Or give the rays a fishy treat between 10:15 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day, while supplies last. To try it yourself, purchase a stingray feeding voucher for $5 at the admission gate or information desk during your next visit. Backyard Habitat Visit our "backyard and take home ideas for your own yard. Featuring native plants and animal shelters, this educational garden presents ideas that you can replicate in your backyard to attract native birds, butterflies and beneficial insects.
Part V, Line 4:The board designated and donor designated endowment of the South Carolina Aquarium has been established to provide support to the programs and general operations of the organization.

Schedule G IRS990ScheduleG

Fundraising Event Information FundraisingEventInformationGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Event1Convervation GalaEvent1Nm
Gross Receipts Event1$239,746GrossReceiptsEvent1Amt
Charitable Contri Event1$202,165CharitableContriEvent1Amt
Gross Revenue Event1$37,581GrossRevenueEvent1Amt
Cash Prizes Event1$0CashPrizesEvent1Amt
Non Cash Prizes Event1$0NonCashPrizesEvent1Amt
Rent Facility Costs Event1$80,802RentFacilityCostsEvent1Amt
Food And Beverage Event1$51,343FoodAndBeverageEvent1Amt
Entertainment Event1$16,688EntertainmentEvent1Amt
Other Direct Expenses Event1$57,908OtherDirectExpensesEvent1Amt
Event2Sealife by Starlight EventEvent2Nm
Gross Receipts Event2$63,195GrossReceiptsEvent2Amt
Charitable Contri Event2$14,690CharitableContriEvent2Amt
Gross Revenue Event2$48,505GrossRevenueEvent2Amt
Cash Prizes Event2$0CashPrizesEvent2Amt
Non Cash Prizes Event2$0NonCashPrizesEvent2Amt
Rent Facility Costs Event2$5,594RentFacilityCostsEvent2Amt
Food And Beverage Event2$13,046FoodAndBeverageEvent2Amt
Entertainment Event2$3,215EntertainmentEvent2Amt
Other Direct Expenses Event2$3,888OtherDirectExpensesEvent2Amt
Other Events Total1OtherEventsTotalCnt
Gross Receipts Other Events$48,755GrossReceiptsOtherEventsAmt
Charitable Contri Other Events$28,625CharitableContriOtherEventsAmt
Gross Revenue Other Events$20,130GrossRevenueOtherEventsAmt
Cash Prizes Other Events$0CashPrizesOtherEventsAmt
Non Cash Prizes Other Events$0NonCashPrizesOtherEventsAmt
Rent Fclty Costs Other Events$2,760RentFcltyCostsOtherEventsAmt
Food And Beverage Other Events$10,067FoodAndBeverageOtherEventsAmt
Entertainment Other Events$1,000EntertainmentOtherEventsAmt
Oth Direct Expnss Other Events$4,620OthDirectExpnssOtherEventsAmt
Gross Receipts Total$351,696GrossReceiptsTotalAmt
Charitable Contributions Tot$245,480CharitableContributionsTotAmt
Gross Revenue Total Events$106,216GrossRevenueTotalEventsAmt
Rent Fclty Costs Total Events$89,156RentFcltyCostsTotalEventsAmt
Food And Beverage Total Events$74,456FoodAndBeverageTotalEventsAmt
Entertainment Total Events$20,903EntertainmentTotalEventsAmt
Oth Direct Expnss Total Events$66,416OthDirectExpnssTotalEventsAmt
Direct Expense Summary Events$250,931DirectExpenseSummaryEventsAmt
Net Income Summary-$144,715NetIncomeSummaryAmt

Schedule I IRS990ScheduleI

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Grant Records MaintainedYes (1)GrantRecordsMaintainedInd

Recipient Table RecipientTable

Recipient Business Name RecipientBusinessName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name Line1Addelston Hebrew AcademyBusinessNameLine1Txt

US Address USAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line11675 Raoul Wallenberg BlvdAddressLine1Txt
CityCharlestonCityNm
State AbbreviationSCStateAbbreviationCd
ZIP29407ZIPCd
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Recipient EIN570409223RecipientEIN
IRC Section501(C)(3)IRCSectionDesc
Cash Grant$7,200CashGrantAmt
Non Cash Assistance$0NonCashAssistanceAmt
Purpose Of GrantGeneral SupportPurposeOfGrantTxt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total501c3 Org1Total501c3OrgCnt

Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Form And Line ReferencePart I, Line 2:FormAndLineReferenceDesc
ExplanationThe Aquarium makes grants in accordance with specific initiatives in lines with the Aquarium's mission. Such grants are provided with instructions as to use and post grant reporting as appropriate.ExplanationTxt

Schedule J IRS990ScheduleJ

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Compensation CommitteeYes (X)CompensationCommitteeInd
Form990 Of Other OrganizationsYes (X)Form990OfOtherOrganizationsInd
Board Or Committee ApprovalYes (X)BoardOrCommitteeApprovalInd
Severance Payment0SeverancePaymentInd
Supplemental Nonqual Rtr Plan0SupplementalNonqualRtrPlanInd
Equity Based Comp Arrngm0EquityBasedCompArrngmInd
Comp Based On Revenue Of Flng Org0CompBasedOnRevenueOfFlngOrgInd
Comp Bsd On Rev Related Orgs0CompBsdOnRevRelatedOrgsInd
Comp Bsd Net Earns Flng Org0CompBsdNetEarnsFlngOrgInd
Comp Bsd Net Earns Rltd Orgs0CompBsdNetEarnsRltdOrgsInd
Any Non Fixed Payments0AnyNonFixedPaymentsInd
Initial Contract Exception0InitialContractExceptionInd

Rltd Org Officer Trst Key Empl RltdOrgOfficerTrstKeyEmplGrp (8 entries)

TitleTitleTxtBase Compensation Filing OrgBaseCompensationFilingOrgAmtCompensation Based On Rltd OrgsCompensationBasedOnRltdOrgsAmtBonus Filing OrganizationBonusFilingOrganizationAmountBonus Related OrganizationsBonusRelatedOrganizationsAmtOther Compensation Filing OrgOtherCompensationFilingOrgAmtOther Compensation Rltd OrgsOtherCompensationRltdOrgsAmtDeferred Compensation Flng OrgDeferredCompensationFlngOrgAmtDeferred Comp Rltd OrgsDeferredCompRltdOrgsAmtNontaxable Benefits Filing OrgNontaxableBenefitsFilingOrgAmtNontaxable Benefits Rltd OrgsNontaxableBenefitsRltdOrgsAmtTotal Compensation Filing OrgTotalCompensationFilingOrgAmtTotal Compensation Rltd OrgsTotalCompensationRltdOrgsAmtComp Report Prior990 Filing OrgCompReportPrior990FilingOrgAmtComp Report Prior990 Rltd OrgsCompReportPrior990RltdOrgsAmt
Kevin Mills
President and CEO$368,410$0$0$0$0$0$0$10,362$0$10,977$368,410$21,339$0$0
Courtenay B Lewandowski
Chief Advancement Officer$229,282$0$0$0$0$0$0$6,962$0$10,975$229,282$17,937$0$0
John L Higgins
Executive Vice Pres & COO$217,089$0$0$0$0$0$0$7,187$0$2,321$217,089$9,508$0$0
Jason Oddo
Chief Financial Officer$195,832$0$0$0$0$0$0$0$0$2,464$195,832$2,464$0$0
Kevin Kampwerth
VP Creative & Exhibits$161,022$0$0$0$0$0$0$6,065$0$13,995$161,022$20,060$0$0
Brian Brasher
Chief Infrastructure Officer$153,349$0$0$0$0$0$0$11,248$0$12,916$153,349$24,164$0$0
Sara McDonald PHD
VP Conservation$143,889$0$0$0$0$0$0$4,518$0$6,157$143,889$10,675$0$0
Paul Nunez
Chief People Officer$136,815$0$0$0$0$0$0$4,723$0$10,591$136,815$15,314$0$0

Schedule K IRS990ScheduleK

Tax Exempt Bonds Issues TaxExemptBondsIssuesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Bond ReferenceABondReferenceCd

Issuer Name IssuerName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name Line1SC Jobs-Economic Development AuthorityBusinessNameLine1Txt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Bond Issuer EIN570960018BondIssuerEIN
CUSIPNoneAvailCUSIPNum
Bond Issued2014-10-01BondIssuedDt
Issue Price$2,700,000IssuePriceAmt
PurposeEnvironmental upgrades to infrastructurePurposeDesc
Defeased0DefeasedInd
On Behalf Of Issuer0OnBehalfOfIssuerInd
Pool Financing0PoolFinancingInd

Tax Exempt Bonds Proceeds TaxExemptBondsProceedsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Bond ReferenceABondReferenceCd
Total Proceeds$2,700,000TotalProceedsAmt
Capital Expenditures$2,700,000CapitalExpendituresAmt
Refunding Tax Exempt Bonds0RefundingTaxExemptBondsInd
Refunding Taxable Bonds0RefundingTaxableBondsInd
Final Allocation MadeYes (1)FinalAllocationMadeInd
Adequate Books And Rec MaintYes (1)AdequateBooksAndRecMaintInd

Tax Exempt Bonds Arbitrage TaxExemptBondsArbitrageGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Bond ReferenceABondReferenceCd
Form8038 T Filed0Form8038TFiledInd
Rebate Not Due Yet0RebateNotDueYetInd
Exception To RebateYes (1)ExceptionToRebateInd
No Rebate DueYes (1)NoRebateDueInd
Variable Rate IssueYes (1)VariableRateIssueInd
Hedge Identified In Bks And Rec0HedgeIdentifiedInBksAndRecInd
Gross Proceeds Invested In GIC0GrossProceedsInvestedInGICInd
Gross Proceeds Invested0GrossProceedsInvestedInd
Written Proc To Monitor Reqs0WrittenProcToMonitorReqsInd

Schedule L IRS990ScheduleL

Bus Tr Involve Interested Prsn BusTrInvolveInterestedPrsnGrp (2 entries)

Relationship DescriptionRelationshipDescriptionTxtTransactionTransactionAmtTransactionTransactionDescSharing Of RevenuesSharingOfRevenuesInd
NIL Funding Corporation
Board Member is and Owner of Corporation$450,000Issuer of Tax Exempt Bonds0
NIL Funding Corporation
Board Member is and Owner of Corporation$18,056Interest on Tax Exempt Bonds0

Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Form And Line ReferenceSchedule L, Part IV, Lines 1 and 2FormAndLineReferenceDesc
Explanationhe South Carolina Aquarium issued $2.7 million in tax-exempt revenue bonds from the South Carolina Jobs-Economic Development Authority (JEDA) to finance upgrades and replacement of certain equipment and fixtures. JEDA serves as a conduit issuer of these tax-exempt bonds that were placed with a corporate lender that is an affiliate of a privately held company owned by a member of the board. As required, this liability is recorded as "taxexempt bond liabilities" on Part X Balance Sheet line 20.ExplanationTxt

Schedule M IRS990ScheduleM

Securities Publicly Traded SecuritiesPubliclyTradedGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Non Cash CheckboxYes (X)NonCashCheckboxInd
Contribution9ContributionCnt
Noncash Contributions Rpt F990$1,366,776NoncashContributionsRptF990Amt
Method Of Determining RevenuesFair Market ValueMethodOfDeterminingRevenuesTxt

Food Inventory FoodInventoryGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Non Cash CheckboxYes (X)NonCashCheckboxInd
Contribution34ContributionCnt
Noncash Contributions Rpt F990$6,106NoncashContributionsRptF990Amt
Method Of Determining RevenuesFair Market ValueMethodOfDeterminingRevenuesTxt

Drugs And Medical Supplies DrugsAndMedicalSuppliesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Non Cash CheckboxYes (X)NonCashCheckboxInd
Contribution17ContributionCnt
Noncash Contributions Rpt F990$3,408NoncashContributionsRptF990Amt
Method Of Determining RevenuesFair Market ValueMethodOfDeterminingRevenuesTxt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Any Property That Must Be Held0AnyPropertyThatMustBeHeldInd
Review Process Unusual NC GiftsYes (1)ReviewProcessUnusualNCGiftsInd
Third Parties Used0ThirdPartiesUsedInd

Schedule O IRS990ScheduleO

Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail (5 entries)

Form And Line ReferenceFormAndLineReferenceDescExplanationExplanationTxt
Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11bThe draft Form 990 is emailed to all Board of Directors members after management has completed their review. The Board is provided a reasonable time to review and comment on the Form 990. Upon completion of this comment period, management issues the Form 990 with the Internal Revenue Service.
Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12cAs part of new Board Member orientation, the Aquarium briefs the memberregarding its conflict-of-interest policy. The organization istransparent in its transactions and seeks to avoid such transactions ifpossible with officers, directors, key employees and related familymembers. The Board Chair discusses the policy annually with all members.
Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15Compensation for the CEO is reviewed and set by the Executive Committee andapproved by the Human Capital Committee of the Board of Directors and theBoard of Directors.Compensation for Officers and other Key Employees is approved by the HumanCapital Committee of the Board of Directors, which includes the Chairmanand Vice Chair of the Board.
Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 18The Form 1023 is available upon request.
Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19Governing documents, policies, and financial statements are available upon request.