SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM

EIN 57-0961897 · Animal-Related (D500)

What they do

Our Mission is to Inspire Conservation of The Natural World By Exhibiting and Caring for Animals, By Excelling In Education and Research, and By Providing An Exceptional Visitor Experience.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $75.30 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 leaders53 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

64.35%of revenue went to mission work75.3% of expenses · Program services

8.05%of revenue went to fundraising9.4% of expenses

$85.48spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

13.08%of revenue went to management and office costs15.3% of expenses

$2.93in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

25.6%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

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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 $389,749 for KEVIN MILLS (PRESIDENT AND 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$20,285,821

Mission workProgram services$13,053,17964.35% of revenue75.3% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$2,653,77913.08% of revenue15.3% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$1,632,8378.05% of revenue9.4% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$2,946,02614.52% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$17,339,79585.48% 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: 75.3% mission · 15.3% management · 9.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 85.48% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 74.8% mission · 15.8% management · 9.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 78.09% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 75.2% mission · 14.8% management · 10.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 50.04% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 74.0% mission · 16.6% management · 9.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 52.06% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 69.5% mission · 23.4% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.24% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 70.2% mission · 22.2% management · 7.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.48% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 70.1% mission · 22.6% management · 7.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.04% of revenue

2016Expense mix: 73.4% mission · 18.9% management · 7.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.33% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$20,285,821

Expenses$17,339,795

Annual surplus $2,946,026 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)$13,053,179 · 75.3% of expenses

Management and office costs$2,653,779 · 15.3% of expenses

Fundraising$1,632,837 · 9.4% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$20,285,821

Expenses$17,339,795

Assets$50,879,862

Income$40,964,271

Contributions$5,186,538

Mission work (program services)$13,053,179

Fundraising$1,632,837

Grants given$24,400

Average grant$8,133

Management and general$2,653,779

Stocks and bonds$7,946,904

Accounting fees$24,857

Investing fees$40,315

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

KEVIN MILLSPRESIDENT AND CEO · 40 hrs/week $389,749Base $368,410 · Other $21,339

COURTENAY B LEWANDOWSKICHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $247,219Base $229,282 · Other $17,937

JOHN L HIGGINSEXECUTIVE VICE PRES & COO · 40 hrs/week $226,597Base $217,089 · Other $9,508

JASON ODDOCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $198,296Base $195,832 · Other $2,464

KEVIN KAMPWERTHVP CREATIVE & EXHIBITS · 40 hrs/week $181,082Base $161,022 · Other $20,060

BRIAN BRASHERCHIEF INFRASTRUCTURE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $177,513Base $153,349 · Other $24,164

SARA MCDONALD PHDVP CONSERVATION · 40 hrs/week $154,564Base $143,889 · Other $10,675

PAUL NUNEZCHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $152,129Base $136,815 · Other $15,314

AMIE YAM-BABINCHAKCHIEF MARKETING OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $143,466Base $117,207 · Other $26,259

BRIAN THILLCHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $131,717Base $105,499 · Other $26,218

JAMIE TORRES DVMVETERINARY CARE · 40 hrs/week $122,836Base $112,214 · Other $10,622

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 (53)

KEVIN MILLSPRESIDENT AND CEO

COURTENAY B LEWANDOWSKICHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

JOHN L HIGGINSEXECUTIVE VICE PRES & COO

JASON ODDOCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

KEVIN KAMPWERTHVP CREATIVE & EXHIBITS

BRIAN BRASHERCHIEF INFRASTRUCTURE OFFICER

SARA MCDONALD PHDVP CONSERVATION

PAUL NUNEZCHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER

AMIE YAM-BABINCHAKCHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

BRIAN THILLCHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER

JAMIE TORRES DVMVETERINARY CARE

WILLIAM M PATTERSON PHDDIRECTOR

MASON HOLLANDDIRECTOR

MELVIN BROWNDIRECTOR

MARCUS JONESDIRECTOR

MICHAEL NAIOTIDIRECTOR

PALMER E KRANTZ IIIDIRECTOR

PAM WILSONDIRECTOR

PEDRO DE ARMOSDIRECTOR

ROBERT C CRAWFORD IIIDIRECTOR

RONGRONG CHEN PHDDIRECTOR

SANDY KHANDIRECTOR

SCOTT SNIDERDIRECTOR

STACIE MARKSBURYDIRECTOR

STEVE DURKEEDIRECTOR

STEVE GRAYDIRECTOR

SUSAN ROHRDIRECTOR

SUZANNE DICKERSONDIRECTOR

TOM WRIGHTVICE TREASURER

VALERIE HOWELLSECRETARY

W ANDREW GOWDER JR TERM ENDEDDIRECTOR

HARRY LESESNEDIRECTOR

ANNE W CLEVELANDDIRECTOR

CARA J RICHARDDIRECTOR

DAN BATTISTADIRECTOR

DANNY KASSISDIRECTOR

DAVID WOODDIRECTOR

DEBRA WHITEDIRECTOR

DOMINIQUE MILTONDIRECTOR

GARY MCLAURINDIRECTOR

GEORGE P WATT JRDIRECTOR

GUY MAURICE MEARES IIIDIRECTOR

LEE HURZELER TERM ENDEDDIRECTOR

J DONALD HIGGINSTREASURER/DIR. EMER.

JAN ROOSENBURGDIRECTOR

JESSICA BREWERVICE CHAIRMAN

JOEL NEALEDIRECTOR

JOHN DANAHYDIRECTOR

JOHN A HILLVICE CHAIRMAN

JONATHAN M ZUCKERCHAIRMAN

JUDGE DANIEL E MARTIN JRDIRECTOR

LARRY COLSHANDIRECTOR

LARS MUNSONDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1993
Location: 100 AQUARIUM WHARF, CHARLESTON, SC 29401-6300
County: Charleston
In care of: % JAMES L FERQUSON
Primary officer: Kevin Mills, President & CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(843) 577-3474

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: GLASER AND COMPANY LLC
NTEE classification: Animal-Related (D500)
Grant-giving organization: Yes