The Exploratorium
- Assets
- $264.8m
- Revenue
- $48.6m
- Investments
- $14.8m
- Employees
- 615
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
- Founding
- 04/1969
- Data as of
- 06/2020
- EIN
- 94-1696494
Organization Overview
The Exploratorium is located in San Francisco, CA. The organization was established in 1969. According to its NTEE Classification (A50) the organization is classified as: Museums, under the broad grouping of Arts, Culture & Humanities and related organizations. As of 06/2021, Exploratorium employed 615 individuals. This organization is an independent organization and not affiliated with a larger national or regional group of organizations. Exploratorium is a 501(c)(3) and as such, is described as a "Charitable or Religous organization or a private foundation" by the IRS.
For the year ending 06/2020, Exploratorium generated $48.6m in total revenue. The organization has seen a slow decline revenue. Over the past 6 years, revenues have fallen by an average of (1.0%) each year. All expenses for the organization totaled $53.0m during the year ending 06/2020. As we would expect to see with falling revenues, expenses have declined by (1.0%) per year over the past 6 years. You can explore the organizations financials more deeply in the financial statements section below.
Form
990
Mission & Program ActivityExcerpts From the 990 Filing
TAX YEAR
2020
Describe the Organization's Mission:
Part 3 - Line 1
THE EXPLORATORIUM IS A PUBLIC LEARNING LABORATORY EXPLORING THE WORLD THROUGH SCIENCE, ART, AND HUMAN PERCEPTION.OUR MISSION IS TO CREATE INQUIRY-BASED EXPERIENCES THAT TRANSFORM LEARNING WORLDWIDE.OUR VISION IS A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE THINK FOR THEMSELVES AND CAN CONFIDENTLY ASK QUESTIONS, QUESTION ANSWERS, AND UNDERSTAND THE WORLD AROUND THEM.WE VALUE LIFELONG LEARNING AND TEACHING, CURIOSITY AND INQUIRY, OUR COMMUNITY, ITERATION AND EVIDENCE, INTEGRITY AND AUTHENTICITY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND INCLUSION AND RESPECT.
Describe the Organization's Program Activity:
Part 3 - Line 4a
MUSEUM AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE:WE'RE AN R&D LABORATORY. THAT EXPERIMENTS WITH CUTTING-EDGE IDEAS. WE CREATE, EXPERIMENT, TEST, AND BUILD NEARLY EVERYTHING AT THE EXPLORATORIUM OURSELVES, ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE MOST INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT IDEAS TO PURSUE, OFTEN PUSHING THE LIMITS OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE. IN THIS SENSE, WE'RE A CLASSIC RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION, CONSTANTLY CREATING NEW ACTIVITIES, WEBSITES, EVENTS, ARTWORKS, EXHIBITS, AND MORE.
GLOBAL COLLABORATIONS:WE LEARN AND SHARE WITH PARTNERS WORLDWIDE. BY DRAWING ON THE EXPLORATORIUM'S BROAD EXPERTISE, GLOBAL COLLABORATIONS IS ABLE TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE SET OF CREATIVE SERVICESFROM MASTER PLANNING TO PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT TO EXHIBIT FABRICATION AND INSTALLATION. WE LIKE TO BE AS FAR UPSTREAM IN OUR CLIENTS' CREATIVE PROCESS AS POSSIBLE, EXPLORING THE RICH QUESTIONS THAT LEAD TO TRULY AUTHENTIC, INNOVATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING.
EDUCATOR ENGAGEMENT:WE'RE AT THE FOREFRONT OF SCIENCE EDUCATION. BY MAKING SCIENCE VISIBLE, TOUCHABLE, AND ACCESSIBLE TO A WIDE VARIETY OF PEOPLEAT THE MUSEUM, ONLINE, AND IN THE CLASSROOMOUR EXPLORE-FOR-YOURSELF WAY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING INFLUENCES SCIENCE EDUCATION WORLDWIDE. OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS PROVIDE EDUCATORS WITH THE SKILLS, TOOLS, AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO APPLY INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THEIR CLASSES. WE ALSO DESIGN PROGRAMS THAT MAKE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE TRADITIONALLY SEPARATE WORLDS OF FORMAL (SCHOOL) AND INFORMAL (MUSEUM) EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING.
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Board, Officers & Key Employees
| Name (title) | Role | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
Chris Flink Director | Trustee | 2 | $0 |
Robert Semper Chief Science Officer | Officer | 38 | $258,806 |
Laura Zander Chief Financial Officer | Officer | 38 | $239,358 |
Phoebe White Chief Operating Officer | Officer | 38 | $220,540 |
Silva Raker Sr. Bus. Dir. Of Global Collaborations | Officer | 38 | $216,341 |
Blair Winn Sr. Dir. Of Inst. Advancement | 38 | $216,006 |
Outside Vendors & Contractors
| Vendor Name (Service) | Service Year | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
San Francisco Chronicle Advertising | 6/29/21 | $329,981 |
Onerhythm Llc Direct Mail And Printing | 6/29/21 | $200,690 |
Securitas Security Svcs Security | 6/29/21 | $624,148 |
Polatnick Properties Inc Property Manager Consultant | 6/29/21 | $173,563 |
Nor-cal Moving Services Storage And Shipping | 6/29/21 | $193,581 |
Financial Statements
| Statement of Revenue | |
|---|---|
| Total Revenue from Contributions, Gifts, Grants & Similar | $28,114,682 |
| Investment income | $771,970 |
| Tax Exempt Bond Proceeds | $0 |
| Royalties | $0 |
| Net Rental Income | $1,307,525 |
| Net Gain/Loss on Asset Sales | -$401,026 |
| Net Income from Fundraising Events | $17,291 |
| Net Income from Gaming Activities | $0 |
| Net Income from Sales of Inventory | $680,185 |
| Miscellaneous Revenue | $0 |
| Total Revenue | $48,557,720 |
| Statement of Expenses | |
|---|---|
| Grants and other assistance to domestic individuals. | $4,900 |
| Grants and other assistance to Foreign Orgs/Individuals | $0 |
| Benefits paid to or for members | $0 |
| Compensation of current officers, directors, key employees. | $2,375,775 |
| Compensation to disqualified persons | $0 |
| Other salaries and wages | $24,430,327 |
| Pension plan accruals and contributions | $1,089,198 |
| Other employee benefits | $3,505,265 |
| Payroll taxes | $2,093,115 |
| Fees for services: Management | $0 |
| Fees for services: Legal | $0 |
| Fees for services: Accounting | $0 |
| Fees for services: Lobbying | $0 |
| Fees for services: Fundraising | $0 |
| Fees for services: Investment Management | $0 |
| Fees for services: Other | $5,808,495 |
| Advertising and promotion | $1,563,217 |
| Office expenses | $330,463 |
| Information technology | $0 |
| Royalties | $0 |
| Occupancy | $3,508,076 |
| Travel | $693,037 |
| Payments of travel or entertainment expenses for any federal, state, or local public officials | $0 |
| Conferences, conventions, and meetings | $103,005 |
| Interest | $0 |
| Payments to affiliates | $0 |
| Depreciation, depletion, and amortization | $6,359,273 |
| Insurance | $0 |
| All other expenses | $0 |
| Total functional expenses | $52,960,158 |
| Balance Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Cash—non-interest-bearing | $1,420,067 |
| Savings and temporary cash investments | $289,338 |
| Pledges and grants receivable | $16,731,623 |
| Accounts receivable, net | $1,280,690 |
| Loans from Officers, Directors, or Controlling Persons | $0 |
| Loans from Disqualified Persons | $0 |
| Notes and loans receivable | $0 |
| Inventories for sale or use | $1,032,428 |
| Prepaid expenses and deferred charges | $3,844,987 |
| Investments—publicly traded securities | $48,341,038 |
| Investments—other securities | $14,755,124 |
| Investments—program-related | $0 |
| Intangible assets | $0 |
| Other assets | $0 |
| Total assets | $264,783,310 |
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $5,000,616 |
| Grants payable | $0 |
| Deferred revenue | $4,345,216 |
| Tax-exempt bond liabilities | $46,591,184 |
| Escrow or custodial account liability | $0 |
| Loans and other payables to any current Officer, Director, or Controlling Person | $0 |
| Secured mortgages and notes payable | $0 |
| Unsecured mortgages and notes payable | $0 |
| Other liabilities | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $55,937,016 |
| Net assets without donor restrictions | $0 |
| Net assets with donor restrictions | $0 |
| Capital stock or trust principal, or current funds | $0 |
| Paid-in or capital surplus, or land, building, or equipment fund | $0 |
| Total liabilities and net assets/fund balances | $208,846,294 |
Grants Recieved
Over the last fiscal year, we have identified 4 grants that The Exploratorium has recieved totaling $52,149.
| Awarding Organization | Amount |
|---|---|
Bill And Susan Oberndorf Foundation San Francisco, CA PURPOSE: GENERAL CHARITY | $50,000 |
Tom & Myrna Frankel Foundation San Francisco, CA PURPOSE: UNRESTRICTED | $1,000 |
Harvey And Leslie Wagner Foundation Incline Village, NV PURPOSE: GENERAL BUDGET | $1,000 |
The Verla K Regnery Foundation Mill Valley, CA PURPOSE: SCIENCE EDUCATION | $149 |
Endowment Analysis
| Beg. Balance | $65,796,163 |
| Earnings | $20,680,511 |
| Other Expense | $3,622,000 |
| Ending Balance | $82,854,674 |
Peer Organizations
| Organization Name | Assets | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
National Hot Rod Association San Dimas, CA | $60,527,116 | $84,074,162 |
The Exploratorium San Francisco, CA | $264,783,310 | $48,557,720 |
Oakland Museum Of California Oakland, CA | $69,568,610 | $21,712,450 |
Uss Midway Museum San Diego, CA | $89,557,357 | $9,957,373 |
Lucas Museum Of Narrative Art Los Angeles, CA | $1,047,180,873 | $200,315,657 |
Musical Instrument Museum Phoenix, AZ | $166,967,307 | $47,583,205 |
Operation Underground Railroad Inc Anaheim, CA | $68,076,312 | $47,549,013 |
Discovery Science Center Of Orange County Santa Ana, CA | $60,809,996 | $26,194,294 |
Grammy Museum Foundation Inc Los Angeles, CA | $19,726,049 | $9,757,476 |
Japanese American National Museum Los Angeles, CA | $64,155,556 | $8,326,332 |
Mingei International Inc San Diego, CA | $66,923,986 | $7,226,145 |
Heard Museum Phoenix, AZ | $36,442,009 | $14,120,125 |