SHEDD AQUARIUM SOCIETY Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

SHEDD AQUARIUM SOCIETY

EIN 36-2167918 · Animal-Related (D500)

What they do

Shedd Aquariums Mission is to Spark Compassion, Curiosity and Conservation for The Aquatic Animal World. This is Driven By The Organizations Vision of A World Thriving With Aquatic Life Sustained By People Who Love, Understand and Protect It.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $76.70 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders61 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

54.75%of revenue went to mission work76.7% of expenses · Program services

4.35%of revenue went to fundraising6.1% of expenses

$71.38spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

12.28%of revenue went to management and office costs17.2% of expenses

$10.72in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

29.7%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $966,423 for BRIDGET COUGHLIN PHD (PRESIDENT/CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$101,974,802

Mission workProgram services$55,836,04054.75% of revenue76.7% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$12,521,03212.28% of revenue17.2% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$4,437,4724.35% of revenue6.1% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$29,180,25828.62% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$72,794,54471.38% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 76.7% mission · 17.2% management · 6.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 71.38% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 77.8% mission · 16.4% management · 5.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 72.06% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 76.7% mission · 16.4% management · 6.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 60.71% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 77.5% mission · 16.3% management · 6.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 30.56% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 77.5% mission · 15.8% management · 6.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 112.65% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 80.0% mission · 13.5% management · 6.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 83.00% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 81.6% mission · 12.8% management · 5.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.29% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 79.4% mission · 14.7% management · 5.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.32% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$101,974,802

Expenses$72,794,544

Annual surplus $29,180,258 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$55,836,040 · 76.7% of expenses

Management and office costs$12,521,032 · 17.2% of expenses

Fundraising$4,437,472 · 6.1% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$101,974,802

Expenses$72,794,544

Assets$780,057,975

Income$217,971,676

Contributions$30,332,596

Mission work (program services)$55,836,040

Fundraising$4,437,472

Grants given$1,401,879

Average grant$41,232

Management and general$12,521,032

Stocks and bonds$394,929,491

Accounting fees$116,261

Investing fees$1,036,839

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

BRIDGET COUGHLIN PHDPRESIDENT/CEO · 45 hrs/week $966,423Base $874,176 · Other $92,247

MEGHAN CURRANCHIEF MARKETING AND EXPERIENCE OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $426,386Base $375,846 · Other $50,540

GARY GORDONCHIEF FINANCIAL & ADMIN OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $423,126Base $383,749 · Other $39,377

LORAINE SMEDLEYCHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $320,139Base $289,536 · Other $30,603

ROBERT WENGELSVP, FACILITIES AND SECURITY · 45 hrs/week $292,393Base $256,013 · Other $36,380

NANCY ANSCHELSVP, HUMAN RESOURCES · 45 hrs/week $290,053Base $260,715 · Other $29,338

PEGGY E SLOANCHIEF ANIMAL CONSERVATION OFFICER · 45 hrs/week $288,021Base $260,968 · Other $27,053

DANIELLE M DUMERERVP, TECHNOLOGY · 45 hrs/week $264,042Base $222,976 · Other $41,066

CATHERINE J CASEYVP & GENERAL COUNSEL · 45 hrs/week $246,615Base $224,369 · Other $22,246

SARAH HEZELVP, DESIGN AND EXHIBITS · 45 hrs/week $244,630Base $215,705 · Other $28,925

CHARLES KNAPPVP, CONSERVATION RESEARCH · 45 hrs/week $220,599Base $186,094 · Other $34,505

LISA JUNKIN LOPEZVP, LEARNING AND COMMUNITY · 45 hrs/week $216,987Base $180,037 · Other $36,950

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (61)

BRIDGET COUGHLIN PHDPRESIDENT/CEO

MEGHAN CURRANCHIEF MARKETING AND EXPERIENCE OFFICER

GARY GORDONCHIEF FINANCIAL & ADMIN OFFICER

LORAINE SMEDLEYCHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

ROBERT WENGELSVP, FACILITIES AND SECURITY

NANCY ANSCHELSVP, HUMAN RESOURCES

PEGGY E SLOANCHIEF ANIMAL CONSERVATION OFFICER

DANIELLE M DUMERERVP, TECHNOLOGY

CATHERINE J CASEYVP & GENERAL COUNSEL

SARAH HEZELVP, DESIGN AND EXHIBITS

CHARLES KNAPPVP, CONSERVATION RESEARCH

LISA JUNKIN LOPEZVP, LEARNING AND COMMUNITY

PATRICIA FRASERVP, GUEST RELATIONS

CHRISTINE WHITESVP, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS & MARKETING

MARY S SMITHTRUSTEE

RAHUL GOYALTRUSTEE - PART-YEAR

NEIL BOOKTRUSTEE

NANCY S SEARLETRUSTEE

TYRONE C FAHNERTRUSTEE - PART-YEAR

RICHARD J TOBINTRUSTEE

MARY L BURKETRUSTEE

MARK STAINTONTRUSTEE

WILLIAM J CHASETRUSTEE

REV MICHAEL NABORS DMINTRUSTEE

RICHARD E ERWINTRUSTEE

THOMAS N KINGTRUSTEE

TRACY SOUDERTRUSTEE

ROBERT LYONSTRUSTEE

KATIE LAWLERTRUSTEE

ROBERT H JORDAN PHDTRUSTEE

SARAH N GARVEYTRUSTEE

SHANNEL CLUBBTRUSTEE

STEVE WELLERTRUSTEE

SUZANNE YOONTRUSTEE

TRACIE HAASTRUSTEE

ELLEN L OCONNORTRUSTEE

ANDERS GUSTAFSSONTRUSTEE

ANDREW NOCELLATRUSTEE

ANNA M LIVINGSTONTRUSTEE

BRENT GLEDHILLTRUSTEE

BRIAN A KENNEYTRUSTEE

CARA PANTRUSTEE

CHARLES SMITHTRUSTEE

DAVID FOULKESTRUSTEE

DAVID J KOOCHAIRMAN OF BOARD

DAVID L EPSTEINTRUSTEE

DOMINIC CURCIOTRUSTEE

ELIZABETH HARTIGAN CONNELLYTRUSTEE

KIMBERLY SIMIOSTRUSTEE

GINEVRA REED RALPHTRUSTEE

H JOHN GILBERTSON JRTRUSTEE - PART-YEAR

JANE L WARNERTRUSTEE

JEFFREY WRIGHTTRUSTEE

JERRY KRULEWITCHTRUSTEE

JOHN HESSELMANNTRUSTEE

JOHN HOLMESTRUSTEE

JOHN D FUMAGALLITRUSTEE

JOSEPH S BRAIKTRUSTEE

JOYCE ST CLAIRTRUSTEE

ALEX SINGLATRUSTEE

KENNETH KUHRTTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1932
Location: 1200 SOUTH DUSABLE LAKE SHORE DRIVE, CHICAGO, IL 60605
County: Cook
In care of: Gary Gordon
Primary officer: Gary Gordon, CHIEF FINANCIAL & ADMIN OFFICER

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(312) 692-3114

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: PLANTE & MORAN PLLC
NTEE classification: Animal-Related (D500)
Grant-giving organization: Yes