Texas State Aquarium Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237044950
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Corpus Christi, TX, USA
Phone
3618811200
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Zoo, Zoological Society

Reported finances

Revenue
$19,116,039
Expenses
$18,809,415
Assets
$93,696,733
Liabilities
$4,754,765

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

42 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JESSE T GILBERT (PRESIDENT/CE)

Highest reported compensation

  • JESSE T GILBERT (PRESIDENT/CE): $403,862 total reported compensation
  • JULIO FLORES (SENIOR VP/CF): $306,325 total reported compensation
  • JUSTIN SEFCIK (CHIEF OPER O): $244,398 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Texas state aquarium's mission is engaging people with animals, inspiring appreciation for our seas, and supporting wildlife conservation. Its vision is to be a global leader in fostering support for the conservation of the gulf of mexico and the caribbean sea. To accomplish this goal, the aquarium has developed more than 25 permanent and special exhibits to interpret the animals and sensitive ecosystems of these regions, educating an average of more than 500,000 visitors annually in the wonders of the marine world. The Texas state aquarium also promotes and actively engages in environmental conservation through its support of the Texas state aquarium institute for wildlife conservation.

What it reported doing in 2024

It all began in 1969 with the dream of what corpus christi could be. Visionary community leaders had a bold, yet simple purpose with the Texas state aquarium - create educationally enriching and entertaining exhibits and programs to connect people with nature, and inspire them to care for, and ultimately help conserve, the gulf of mexico and the caribbean sea. Today, after being open to the public for more than 30 years and having educated and entertained more than 16 million visitors, the Texas state aquarium is the leading attraction in south Texas, an economic driver of the coasted bend tourism economy, and a worldwide environmental education center. The aquarium has always aimed to educate guests on the importance of conserving our habitats and wildlife - and we lead by example. The aquarium has worked diligently to organize and carry out beach clean-up events in partnership with the Texas general land office. In addition to coordinating these efforts, aquarium staff conduct educational programs that highlight the effects garbage has on regional wildlife. As a member of the aquarium conservation partnership, the Texas state aquarium prides itself on its efforts to eliminate single-use plastics from our operations, including offering canned water, paper straws, and recycled material serving containers to our restaurant patrons. Our pepsi shoreline grill was the first restaurant in Texas to be recognized by the surfrider foundation as an ocean friendly restaurant. In 2024, there was a joint effort with nova southeastern university (nsu) in Florida and Texas a&m university- corpus christi (tamu-cc) to transfer about 300 corals from nsu's coral nursery to the Texas state aquarium. The transfer will facilitate research into staghorn corals and help protect the staghorn coral populations from climate change. It is through these and many more programs that the Texas state aquarium helps preserve our region's rich environmental heritage and empowers millions of visitors to take action to help preserve and protect our natural environment.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 88% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 73.5%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.6%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.98; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.1%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73% of revenue deployed · 73.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 32 of 32 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $13.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $404K · 42 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.3M reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 15 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 26/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 41/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.