Mississippi Aquarium

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
814974774
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Gulfport, MS, USA
Phone
2282054031
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Zoo, Zoological Society

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,657,771
Expenses
$8,957,698
Assets
$4,444,355
Liabilities
$6,030,491

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KURT ALLEN (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • KURT ALLEN (PRESIDENT/CEO): $225,000 total reported compensation
  • TRACI HAVELIN (CFO): $133,000 total reported compensation
  • JEFF GIBULA (SR VP OF PROPERTY OPERATIO): $110,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To do any and all things in connection with the operation and management of an aquarium and providing, maintaining, and encouraging the use of quality public facilities and works which will offer scientific research, educational, and recreational opportunities for the benefit of the public and maintaining and caring for a varied and extensive inventory of aquatic life in a humane, healthy, and sanitary environment for a high quality of life for such aquatic life.

What it reported doing in 2025

Facility operations - to provide a window to the waters of Mississippi, the gulf coast and beyond, while fostering a sense of appreciation by encouraging guests to explore majestic environments and play an active role in research and conservation efforts.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 77
  • Sustainability: 13
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.2%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 82.2%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.41 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -17%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.5; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.36; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 19.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.4% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.2% of revenue deployed · 82.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 4 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $7.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $225K · 12 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 48/100.