Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Moss Landing, CA
Tax-exempt since May 1988
EIN: 77-0150580

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Type of Nonprofit

Designated as a 501(c)(3) Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition (as long as it doesn't provide athletic facilities or equipment), or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

Donations to this organization are tax deductible.

Revenue

$86.3M (2024)

Expenses

$73.7M (2024)

Total Assets

$277M (2024)

Total Liabilities

$42.2M (2024)

Source: Form 990 tax filings from 2011 to 2024

Tax Filings and Audits by Year

Form 990 is an information return that most organizations claiming federal tax-exempt status must file yearly with the IRS. Nonprofit Explorer has IRS digitized Form 990 data for filings processed in 2012 and later. If this organization filed an amended return, it may not be reflected below. Duplicate download links may indicate a resubmission or amendment to this organization's original return. Form 990 data is from the IRS.

Audits are required to be submitted by nonprofit organizations that spend $750,000 or more in federal grant money in a fiscal year. "Single audits" look at the entire organization's finances and compliance, while other audits are program specific. Nonprofit Explorer has PDFs of audits for some nonprofits for fiscal year 2015 and later. Audit data is from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2024

Revenue

$86,286,917

Expenses

$73,733,381

Net Income

$12,553,536

Net Assets

$234,618,421

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$83,456,519	96.7%
Interest Revenue	$2,578,631	3.0%
Dividends	$0
Sales of Assets	-$40,785
Other Income	$292,552	0.3%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$64,264,335	87.2%
Compensation of Officers*	$812,366	1.1%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$276,769,918
Total Liabilities	$42,151,497
Net Assets	$234,618,421

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$428,362	$82,724
Kaya Johnson (Dir Of Marine Ops)	$348,750	$46,025
Heidi Cullen (Comm. Director)	$348,494	$51,473
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$286,004	$30,730
Norman Steinberg (Hr Director)	$277,366	$58,183
Kelly Benoit Bird (Science Chair)	$274,012	$53,766
Mark Talkovic (Chief Rov Pilot)	$265,153	$54,519
Edward Barnholt (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$8,000	$0
John Zicker (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr George Somero (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr Lisa White (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr Susan Lozier (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dr Susan Roberts (Director)	$8,000	$0
Dona Crawford (Director)	$6,500	$0
Dr Jyotika Virmani (Director)	$3,500	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin Orr (Vice Chairman)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Secretary)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 17, 2025

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

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Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2023

Revenue

$84,478,775

Expenses

$66,546,177

Net Income

$17,932,598

Net Assets

$222,500,433

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$80,754,578	95.6%
Interest Revenue	$3,613,146	4.3%
Dividends	$0
Sales of Assets	-$129,275
Other Income	$199,143	0.2%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$59,561,815	89.5%
Compensation of Officers*	$749,038	1.1%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$260,415,595
Total Liabilities	$37,915,162
Net Assets	$222,500,433

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$411,666	$78,910
Heidi Cullen (Comm. Director)	$337,274	$61,253
Kelly Benoit Bird (Science Chair)	$288,685	$51,379
Norman Steinberg (Hr Director)	$284,730	$55,230
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$271,372	$29,208
John A Hamilton (Engineering Chair)	$267,398	$41,789
Bruce Robison (Scientist)	$265,939	$41,308
Dona Crawford (Director)	$6,000	$0
Edward Barnholt (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Jyotika Virmani (Director)	$6,000	$0
John Zicker (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Lisa White (Director)	$6,000	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin Orr (Vice Chairman)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Secretary)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 14, 2024

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

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This audit found:

Significant deficiency in internal controls

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2022

Revenue

$90,937,091

Expenses

$65,194,739

Net Income

$25,742,352

Net Assets

$207,989,417

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$89,975,157	98.9%
Interest Revenue	$849,888	0.9%
Dividends	$0
Sales of Assets	-$261,712
Other Income	$233,376	0.3%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$55,691,687	85.4%
Compensation of Officers*	$849,376	1.3%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$238,656,469
Total Liabilities	$30,667,052
Net Assets	$207,989,417

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$423,781	$74,015
Dr Heidi Cullen (Communications Dir)	$329,057	$57,616
Dr Kelly Benoit Bird (Sr. Scientist)	$279,328	$47,334
Norman Steinberg (Director Hr)	$276,854	$52,584
Michael Kelly (Director Marine Op)	$268,826	$51,747
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$265,182	$27,898
Todd Ruston (Is Manager)	$240,757	$48,035
Dona Crawford (Director)	$6,000	$0
Edward William Barnholt (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
John Zicker (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Jyotika Virmani (Director)	$4,500	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin M Orr Jr (Vice Chairman)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Sec)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 15, 2023

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

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Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2021

Revenue

$66,112,975

Expenses

$59,408,223

Net Income

$6,704,752

Net Assets

$180,917,178

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$65,662,036	99.3%
Interest Revenue	$34,165	0.1%
Dividends	$0
Sales of Assets	-$3,194
Other Income	$243,648	0.4%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$49,505,891	83.3%
Compensation of Officers*	$822,224	1.4%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$209,352,150
Total Liabilities	$28,434,972
Net Assets	$180,917,178

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$413,549	$69,134
Dr Heidi Cullen (Communications Dir)	$321,093	$54,024
Norman Steinberg (Director Hr)	$270,298	$48,435
Dr Kelly Benoit Bird (Sr. Scientist)	$268,792	$45,462
Michael Kelly (Director Marine Op)	$262,402	$54,768
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$258,726	$26,815
Dr Bruce Robison (Sr. Scientist)	$257,627	$36,840
Dona Crawford (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Edward William Barnholt (Director)	$4,500	$0
John Zicker (Director)	$4,500	$0
Jyotika Virmani From June '21 (Director)	$3,000	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin M Orr Jr (Vice Chairman)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Sec)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 14, 2022

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

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Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2020

Revenue

$133,775,948

Expenses

$54,217,692

Net Income

$79,558,256

Net Assets

$176,103,016

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$133,086,046	99.5%
Interest Revenue	$255,386	0.2%
Dividends	$0
Sales of Assets	$0
Other Income	$269,776	0.2%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$44,428,307	81.9%
Compensation of Officers*	$791,892	1.5%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$203,324,284
Total Liabilities	$27,221,268
Net Assets	$176,103,016

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$407,115	$62,118
Dr Heidi Cullen (Communications Dir)	$308,635	$48,242
Norman Steinberg (Director Hr)	$260,913	$47,002
Dr James Barry (Sr. Scientist)	$253,896	$27,970
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$251,489	$32,170
Michael Kelly (Director Marine Op)	$250,208	$49,159
Dr Bruce Robison (Sr. Scientist)	$249,948	$38,159
Dona Crawford (Director)	$4,500	$0
Edward William Barnholt (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$4,500	$0
John Zicker (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$3,000	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin M Orr Jr (Vice Chairman)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Sec)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 10, 2021

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

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This audit found:

Significant deficiency in internal controls

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2019

Revenue

$56,454,303

Expenses

$50,930,694

Net Income

$5,523,609

Net Assets

$100,159,760

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$55,475,361	98.3%
Interest Revenue	$496,064	0.9%
Dividends	$0
Sales of Assets	$0
Other Income	$349,796	0.6%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$46,188,838	90.7%
Compensation of Officers*	$793,964	1.6%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$129,151,461
Total Liabilities	$28,991,701
Net Assets	$100,159,760

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$387,114	$63,134
Dr Heidi Cullen (Communications Dir)	$352,668	$49,792
Norman Steinberg (Director Hr)	$256,060	$43,696
Douglas Au (Engineering Direct)	$248,041	$35,942
Michael Kelly (Director Marine Op)	$247,235	$48,538
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$247,195	$50,021
Dr James Barry (Sr. Scientist)	$245,889	$26,286
Dona Crawford (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Edward William Barnholt (Director)	$4,500	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin M Orr Jr (Vice Chariman)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Sec)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 13, 2020

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

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This audit found:

Significant deficiency in internal controls

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2018

Revenue

$53,428,761

Expenses

$52,716,606

Net Income

$712,155

Net Assets

$100,319,151

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$52,643,274	98.5%
Interest Revenue	$409,520	0.8%
Dividends	$0
Sales of Assets	-$61,529
Other Income	$248,293	0.5%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$45,935,535	87.1%
Compensation of Officers*	$764,787	1.5%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$125,927,872
Total Liabilities	$25,608,721
Net Assets	$100,319,151

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$367,918	$60,056
Dr Heidi Cullen (Communications Dir)	$338,355	$42,898
Norman Steinberg (Director Hr)	$246,116	$41,914
Dr Bruce Robison (Sr. Scientist)	$241,564	$33,002
Douglas Au (Engineering Direct)	$240,509	$34,789
Michael Kelly (Director Marine Op)	$239,073	$47,976
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$238,815	$46,998
Dona Crawford (Director)	$6,000	$0
Edward William Barnholt (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Karl Pister (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$3,000	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin M Orr Jr (Director)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Dean O Morton (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Sec)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 11, 2019

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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990-T

For unrelated business income from activities not substantially related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose

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PDF (2 of 2)

Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

PDF

This audit found:

Significant deficiency in internal controls

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2017

Revenue

$51,555,020

Expenses

$52,168,759

Net Income

-$613,739

Net Assets

$75,904,996

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$51,560,876	> 100%
Interest Revenue	$163,744	0.3%
Dividends	$0
Sales of Assets	-$481,315
Other Income	$127,533	0.2%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$45,356,243	86.9%
Compensation of Officers*	$731,024	1.4%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$125,313,195
Total Liabilities	$49,408,199
Net Assets	$75,904,996

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$352,619	$57,389
Dr Francisco Chavez (Sr. Scientist)	$240,252	$45,957
Norman Steinberg (Director Hr)	$237,755	$39,969
Douglas Au (Engineering Direct)	$236,096	$33,962
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$232,246	$39,270
Dr Bruce Robison (Sr. Scientist)	$231,001	$31,748
Michael Kelly (Director Marine Op)	$229,146	$45,089
Dona Crawford (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Karl Pister (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dean O Morton (Director)	$3,000	$0
Edward William Barnholt (Director)	$1,500	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin M Orr Jr (Director)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Sec)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 12, 2018

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

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Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2016

Revenue

$58,983,393

Expenses

$54,274,316

Net Income

$4,709,077

Net Assets

$80,948,353

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$58,581,332	99.3%
Interest Revenue	$18,224	0.0%
Dividends	$8,398	0.0%
Sales of Assets	$30,900	0.1%
Other Income	$167,139	0.3%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$42,478,594	78.3%
Compensation of Officers*	$753,739	1.4%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$123,664,275
Total Liabilities	$42,715,922
Net Assets	$80,948,353

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Christopher Scholin (President & Ceo)	$315,572	$74,025
Basilio Martinez (Cfo)	$262,130	$42,012
Michael Kelly (Director Marine Op)	$256,130	$45,194
Douglas Au (Engineering Direct)	$223,839	$33,444
Dr Bruce Robison (Sr. Scientist)	$221,279	$49,549
Norman Steinberg (Director Hr)	$218,011	$39,919
Dr Robert Vrijenhoek (Sr. Scientist)	$216,676	$56,948
Edward William Barnholdt (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dean O Morton (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Norman Pace (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Karl Pister (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Francine Berman (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Joel Birnhaum (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$3,000	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara Wright (Director/Sec)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Nov. 17, 2017

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

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Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2015

Revenue

$48,088,482

Expenses

$51,861,219

Net Income

-$3,772,737

Net Assets

$66,387,861

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$47,300,728	98.4%
Interest Revenue	$5,410	0.0%
Dividends	$2,375	0.0%
Sales of Assets	$320,000	0.7%
Other Income	$288,110	0.6%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$42,657,294	82.3%
Compensation of Officers*	$755,183	1.5%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$113,913,907
Total Liabilities	$47,526,046
Net Assets	$66,387,861

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Chris Scholin (President/Ceo)	$307,296	$74,167
C Michael Pinto (Chief Financial Officer)	$294,182	$44,073
Steve Etchemendy (Director Of Marine O)	$242,937	$50,641
Dr Bruce Robison (Sr. Scientist)	$230,486	$50,722
Dr Peter Brewer (Sr. Scientist)	$228,694	$57,195
Dr Robert Vrijenhoek (Sr. Scientist)	$225,086	$59,191
Douglas Au (Engineering Director)	$224,333	$33,549
Basilio Martinez (Chief Financial Officer)	$90,705	$8,042
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dean O Morton (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Norman Pace (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Karl Pister (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Robert C Spindel (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Francine Berman (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$4,500	$0
Edward William Barnholt (Director)	$1,500	$0
Applies To All Directors Officers ((See Statement 15))	$0	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Joseph P Allen (Director)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
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990-PF

Filed on Aug. 11, 2016

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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PDF XML

Audit

Audit for an entity that spends $750,000+ in federal grant money in a fiscal year

PDF

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2014

Revenue

$47,024,046

Expenses

$50,335,890

Net Income

-$3,311,844

Net Assets

$73,512,538

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$46,638,653	99.2%
Interest Revenue	$1,959	0.0%
Dividends	$1,379	0.0%
Sales of Assets	$1,000	0.0%
Other Income	$222,413	0.5%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$41,351,302	82.2%
Compensation of Officers*	$550,280	1.1%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$115,397,221
Total Liabilities	$41,884,683
Net Assets	$73,512,538

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Chris Scholin (President/Ceo)	$278,768	$68,424
C Michael Pinto (Chief Financial Officer)	$225,012	$42,050
Dr Robert Vrijenhoek (Sr. Scientist)	$216,424	$55,567
Dr Peter Brewer (Sr. Scientist)	$215,369	$53,519
Dr Bruce Robison (Sr. Scientist)	$214,839	$47,624
Dr James Bellingham (Chief Technologist)	$212,319	$44,878
Douglas Au (Engineering Director)	$208,288	$30,666
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Karl Pister (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Norman Pace (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$3,000	$0
Dean O Morton (Director)	$3,000	$0
Dr Robert C Spindel (Director)	$3,000	$0
Dr Francine Berman (Director)	$1,500	$0
Dr Susan Hackwood (Director)	$1,500	$0
Applies To All Directors Officers ((See Statement 15))	$0	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin Orr Jr (Vice Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Joseph P Allen (Director)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Christopher Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara P Wright (Director & Secretary)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on July 27, 2015

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

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Schedules ▼

PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2013

Revenue

$46,174,000

Expenses

$51,391,107

Net Income

-$5,217,107

Net Assets

$85,995,533

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$45,622,666	98.8%
Interest Revenue	$3,228	0.0%
Dividends	$6,883	0.0%
Sales of Assets	$87,303	0.2%
Other Income	$164,226	0.4%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$41,072,072	79.9%
Compensation of Officers*	$534,209	1.0%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$116,657,370
Total Liabilities	$30,661,837
Net Assets	$85,995,533

Compensation

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation	Other
Dr Chris Scholin (President/Ceo)	$268,210	$66,519
Kanna Rajan (Sr. Principal Resear)	$256,095	$35,358
Dr Robert Vrijenhoek (Sr. Scientist)	$215,096	$54,471
C Michael Pinto (Chief Financial Officer)	$214,999	$49,659
Dr Peter Brewer (Sr. Scientist)	$210,306	$52,001
Dr Bruce Robison (Sr. Scientist)	$209,555	$46,378
Dr James Bellingham (Chief Technologist)	$208,341	$43,213
Dr Curtis Collins (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr G Ross Heath (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dean O Morton (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Karl Pister (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Robert C Spindel (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr George N Somero (Director)	$6,000	$0
Dr Joel Birnbaum (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Norman Pace (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Joseph P Allen (Director)	$4,500	$0
Dr Eric Hartwig (Director)	$1,500	$0
Applies To All Directors Officers ((See Statement 15))	$0	$0
Julie Packard (Chairman)	$0	$0
Dr Franklin Orr Jr (Vice Chairman)	$0	$0
Nancy Burnett (Director)	$0	$0
Barbara P Wright (Director & Secretary)	$0	$0
Bruce C Gilman (Director)	$0	$0

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990-PF

Filed on Aug. 11, 2014

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing

Schedules ▼

PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2012

Revenue

$46,917,837

Expenses

$52,499,812

Net Income

-$5,581,975

Net Assets

$90,304,525

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$45,523,145	97.0%
Interest Revenue	$5,581	0.0%
Dividends	$6,894	0.0%
Sales of Assets	$169,585	0.4%
Other Income	$985,503	2.1%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$34,972,728	66.6%
Compensation of Officers*	$525,450	1.0%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$117,338,627
Total Liabilities	$27,034,102
Net Assets	$90,304,525

990-PF

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

PDF

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2011

Revenue

$47,177,303

Expenses

$53,228,612

Net Income

-$6,051,309

Net Assets

$94,243,343

Notable Sources of Revenue		Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received	$46,593,871	98.8%
Interest Revenue	$17,988	0.0%
Dividends	$15,180	0.0%
Sales of Assets	$0
Other Income	$85,424	0.2%

Notable Expenses		Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements	$39,479,316	74.2%
Compensation of Officers*	$506,061	1.0%
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.

Assets/Debt
Total Assets	$118,305,941
Total Liabilities	$24,062,598
Net Assets	$94,243,343

Nonprofit Explorer includes summary data for nonprofit tax returns and full Form 990 documents, in both PDF and digital formats.

The summary data contains information processed by the IRS during the 2012-2019 calendar years; this generally consists of filings for the 2011-2018 fiscal years, but may include older records. This data release includes only a subset of what can be found in the full Form 990s.

In addition to the raw summary data, we link to PDFs and digital copies of full Form 990 documents wherever possible. This consists of separate releases by the IRS of Form 990 documents processed by the agency, which we update regularly.

We also link to copies of audits nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year since 2016. These audits are copied from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

Which Organizations Are Here?

Every organization that has been recognized as tax exempt by the IRS has to file Form 990 every year, unless they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets, in which case they have to file form 990-EZ. Organizations making less than $50,000 don’t have to file either form but do have to let the IRS they’re still in business via a Form 990N "e-Postcard."

Nonprofit Explorer has organizations claiming tax exemption in each of the 27 subsections of the 501(c) section of the tax code, and which have filed a Form 990, Form 990EZ or Form 990PF. Taxable trusts and private foundations that are required to file a form 990PF are also included. Small organizations filing a Form 990N "e-Postcard" are not included in this data.

Types of Nonprofits

There are 27 nonprofit designations based on the numbered subsections of section 501(c) of the tax code. See the list »

Get the Data

For those interested in acquiring the original data from the source, here’s where our data comes from:

Raw filing data. Includes EINs and summary financials as structured data.
Exempt Organization profiles. Includes organization names, addresses, etc. You can merge this with the raw filing data using EIN numbers.
Form 990 documents. Prior to 2017, these documents were obtained and processed by Public.Resource.org and ProPublica. Bulk PDF downloads since 2017 are available from the IRS.
Form 990 documents as XML files. Includes complete filing data (financial details, names of officers, tax schedules, etc.) in machine-readable format. Only available for electronically filed documents. Electronic data released prior to October 2021 is also available through Amazon Web Services.
Audits. PDFs of single or program-specific audits for nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year. Available for fiscal year 2015 and later.

API

The data powering this website is available programmatically, via an API. Read the API documentation »

See an issue with the data?

Nonprofit Explorer

Browse millions of annual returns filed by tax-exempt organizations with ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer. See details like executive compensation, revenue, expenses and more. Search for an organization or a person, or search the full text of filings.

By Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu and Brandon Roberts.

Design by Jeff Frankl. Additional development by Ken Schwencke, Mike Tigas, and Sisi Wei.

E-file viewer adapted from IRS e-File Viewer by Ben Getson. Code for scraping audit documents adapated from Govwiki.

Updated January 26, 2026

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Organization summary

Type of Nonprofit

Summary charts: organization finances over time

Revenue $86.3M (2024)

Expenses $73.7M (2024)

Total Assets $277M (2024)

Total Liabilities $42.2M (2024)

Tax Filings and Audits by Year

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2024

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2023

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2022

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2021

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2020

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2019

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2018

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

990-T

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2017

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2016

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Fiscal Year Ending Dec. 2015

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF

Compensation

Document Links

990-PF

Audit

Revenue

$86.3M (2024)

Expenses

$73.7M (2024)

Total Assets

$277M (2024)

Total Liabilities

$42.2M (2024)

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2024

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2023

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2022

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2021

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2020

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2019

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2018

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2017

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2016

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2015

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2014

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2013

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2012

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2011

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2010

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2009

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2008

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2007

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2006

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2005

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2004

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2003

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2002

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2001