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Director/Vice Chairman 28.0 0.0 X X 299622 0 38249 Susan Bell Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Margaret Caldwell Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Samantha Campbell Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Caroline Getty Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Juan Govea 121616 Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 MRC Greenwood Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 William Landreth Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Joan Lane Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Michael Mantell Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Connie Martinez Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Pietro Parravano Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Chris Scholin Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Mark Wan Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Gideon Yu Trustee 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Barbara Wright Secretary 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 Cynthia Vernon Chief Operating Officer 40.0 1.0 X 247435 0 47590 Edward Prohaska 1102 CFO/VP Enterprise Development 40.0 1.0 X 265864 0 39081 Cristina Fekeci Chief Development Officer 40.0 0.0 X 282190 0 47820 Margaret Spring VP Conservation & Science 40.0 0.0 X 192311 0 42393 Marian Martha Hahn Chief Marketing Officer 40.0 0.0 X 201846 0 30711 Teresa Merry Chief 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previously filed Form 990 to more accurately reflect the true appreciation or use of the endowment funds. There has been no change to the beginning or end of year balances. Intended Use of Endowment Funds Schedule D, Part V, Line 4: The earnings of the Aquarium's endowment funds support education and conservation programs and the mission of the Aquarium. FIN 48 (ASC 740) Footnote Schedule D, Part X, Line 2: The following footnote appeared in the consolidated financial statements for both Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation and Monterey Bay Aquarium Support Services ("MBASS"), a related organization: In accordance with the FASB guidance on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes, management regularly evaluates its tax positions and does not believe either Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation or MBASS have any uncertain tax positions that require disclosure or adjustment to the consolidated financial statements. According to the statute of limitations, both the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation and MBASS are no longer subject to income tax examinations for fiscal years prior to December 31, 2012 for California tax purposes and for fiscal years prior to December 31, 2013 for federal tax purposes. true East Asia and the Pacific Program Services Conferences 111712 Middle East and North Africa Program Services Conferences 3015 Central America and the Caribbean Program Services Conferences 5757 Europe (Including Iceland and Greenland) Program Services Conferences 25866 North America Program Services Meetings, Sales & Conf 21334 South America Program Services Conferences 2194 North America Grantmaking 45032 Central America and the Caribbean Investments 20657194 20872104 20872104 South America See Part V 5500 WIRE North America See Part V 11500 WIRE North America See Part V 25532 WIRE 0 3 true false true true false false Procedures for Monitoring Use of Grant Funds Outside the United States Schedule F, Part I, Line 2: The Aquarium requires potential grant recipients to submit formal applications which are reviewed by the program manager and director of finance for consistency with the Aquarium's mission and compliance with the annual budget. Furthermore, the Aquarium requires a written report from the grantee providing detail about how funds were used to accomplish the grant objectives. Reports are reviewed by the program manager as well as the director of finance for compliance with grant conditions. Purposes of Grants Schedule F, Part II, column d Grant of $5,500 - to support fisheries and aquaculture seeking sustainable solutions Grant of $11,500 - to support juvenile white shark research in Sebastian Vizcaino Bay Grant of $25,532 - to support migratory movement, ecology and conservation of rays in Gulf of California X X X X X X X true FELDSTEIN CO LLC THE WRIGLEY BUILDING 400 NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE SUITE 16 CHICAGO IL 60611 CONSULTING false 153600 -153600 SDA TELESERVICES 5757 WEST CENTURY BLVD SUITE 300 LOS ANGELES CA 90045 TELE- MARKETING false 237282 63126 174156 237282 216726 20556 CA true Stanford University PO BOX 44253 SAN FRANCISCO CA 94305 941153656 501(c)(3) 245357 White Shark Research Monterey Bay Aqu Research Institute 7700 Sandholdt Road Moss Landing CA 95039 770150580 501(c)(3) 83366 R&D of Cephalopods University of California Santa Cruz 1156 HIGH STREET Santa Cruz CA 95064 941539563 115 16000 Field research & tags University of Hawaii Research Office 2240 Campus Rd PO 368 Honolulu HI 96822 996000354 115 12000 RESEARCH PROJECT ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS & AQUARIUMS 8403 COLESVILLE SILVER SPRINGS MD 20910 550526930 501(C)(3) 10000 PLANNING AND CAPACITY MARINE MAMMAL CENTER 200 BUNKER RD SAUSALITO CA 94965 043569744 501(C)(3) 15000 Necropsy/Pathology UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES 405 HILGARD AVE LOS ANGELES CA 90095 946006143 501(C)(3) 16500 SEA OTTER DNA SEQUENCING MONTEREY BAY FISHIERIES TRUST 256 FIGUEROA STREET MONTEREY CA 93940 471978379 501(C)(3) 44500 Fishing conservation CITY OF MONTEREY 735 PACIFIC ST MONTEREY CA 93940 115 153135 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION CONTRIBUTION CALIFORNIA STATE UNIV LONG BEACH RESEARCH FOUNDATION 6300 STATE UNIVERSITY DR SUITE 33 LONG BEACH CA 90815 931150363 115 22000 SHARK PROGRAM & RAPID TRAINING 10 0 Student Scholarships 8 6500 Fellowship 1 25000 Procedures for Monitoring the Use of Grant Funds in the United States Schedule I, Part I, Line 2: The Aquarium requires potential grant recipients to submit formal applications which are reviewed by the program manager and Director of Finance for consistency with the Aquarium's mission and compliance with the annual budget. Furthermore, the Aquarium requires a written report from the grantee providing detail about how funds were used to accomplish the grant objectives. Reports are reviewed by the program manager as well as the Director of Finance for compliance with grant conditions. X X true true X X X X X false false false false false false false false false Julie Packard Exec. Director/Vice Chairman 297248 0 401 0 1973 0 26500 0 11749 0 337871 0 0 0 Cynthia Vernon Chief Operating Officer 245035 0 801 0 1599 0 24175 0 23415 0 295025 0 0 0 Edward Prohaska 1102 CFO/VP Enterprise Development 264883 0 0 0 981 0 26500 0 12581 0 304945 0 0 0 Cristina Fekeci Chief Development Officer 279327 0 801 0 2062 0 26500 0 21320 0 330010 0 0 0 Margaret Spring VP Conservation & Science 190287 0 790 0 1234 0 19725 0 22668 0 234704 0 0 0 Marian Martha Hahn Chief Marketing Officer 200635 0 790 0 421 0 20226 0 10485 0 232557 0 0 0 Teresa Merry Chief Human Resources Officer 173551 0 2369 0 1536 0 18422 0 33743 0 229621 0 0 0 Randall Hamilton VP of Husbandry 168786 0 790 0 952 0 17011 0 17110 0 204649 0 0 0 Justin Skinner VP of Information Technology 221704 0 0 0 170 0 13597 0 18960 0 254431 0 0 0 Don Hughes VP of Exhibitions 207299 0 2392 0 940 0 21481 0 22931 0 255043 0 0 0 Jim Westbrook Director of Finance 170533 0 790 0 632 0 17210 0 11209 0 200374 0 0 0 Jennifer Kemmerly Glob Fisheries/Aquaculture Dir 162774 0 1665 0 295 0 16434 0 11139 0 192307 0 0 0 Alan Phillip Babazadeh Director of Information & Appl 168208 0 790 0 1696 0 17019 0 13495 0 201208 0 0 0 Charles Aslanian VP of Facility Operations 155847 0 790 0 918 0 16608 0 30824 0 204987 0 0 0 Schedule J, Part I, Line 1a Gross-Up Payments and Health Club Dues: As part of the Aquarium's wellness program, all employees (including the listed employees in Part VII, Section A) are eligible to receive a monthly subsidy of $25 for fitness center dues if the employee meets certain wellness program requirements. Since this type of subsidy is considered a taxable fringe benefit, the Aquarium grosses-up these subsidies to cover the employee's taxes. Such payments were treated as taxable income on the employee's Form W-2 and reported as compensation on Schedule J, Part II, Column b(iii). Additionally, certain employees received tax gross-up payments for small appreciation gifts received during the course of the 2016 calendar year. Such payments were treated as taxable income on the employee's Form W-2 and reported as compensation on Schedule J, Part II, Column b(ii). X 64 2215841 Selling Price X 15 20034 Opinion of Experts false true false Schedule M, Part I, Column (b): The organization is reporting the total number of items contributed on Schedule M, Part I, Column (b). Organization's Mission Form 990, Part I, Line 1 and Form 990, Part III, line 1: The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the ocean. Unique among ocean conservation organizations, the Aquarium inspires 2 million visitors each year. We reach far beyond our walls as well, engaging over 3 million followers through social media channels. The powerful impact of an Aquarium visit and the energy and engagement of our online audience contribute to the Aquariums growing stature as a trusted source of science-based conservation solutions. 2016 Highlights: - We opened a special exhibit Viva Baja! Life on the Edge to share with visitors the unique and fragile ecosystems of Baja California. - We welcomed 2.1 million visitors - making 2016 the third consecutive year we have hosted at least 2 million people. - We convened a first-ever international 'Bluefin Futures Symposium' to bring the plight of these fish center stage, and also helped tag a record 3,000 Pacific bluefin tuna off Japan. - Encouraging new research revealed that sea otters we raised and released into Elkhorn Slough have helped restore this vital wetland. - Construction began on our Bechtel Family Center for Ocean Education and Leadership to expand our ocean science programs and reach thousands more students and teachers. - Millions of California voters trusted our support of a statewide law to ban single-use carryout plastic bags-the first in the nation. Program Service Accomplishment Description Form 990, Part III, Line 4a - Marine Life Exhibition and Care: Marine life exhibition and care costs of $35,259,961 include the cost of operating and maintaining the Aquariums living exhibit galleries. Viva Baja! Highlights Conservation Connections with Our Southern Neighbor: Viva Baja! Life on the Edge invited visitors to explore the unique and fragile coastal habitats of Baja California while watching flashy fishes, colorful crustaceans and riveting desert reptiles-the latter a first for us. Our newest special exhibition, which opened March 2016, shows how we all are connected to this special place (only a few hundred miles south of Monterey) whose future hangs in a delicate balance. Our companion auditorium program, 'Journey to Baja', tells the uplifting success story of how acting to protect ocean animals from threats, including climate change, helps build a better future for us all. Our Exhibits and Animals (Real and Imaginary) Inspire Visitors: Our living exhibits transport visitors into a magical underwater world, and have inspired others to take journeys of their own. Theyre the heart of what we do. Our impact begins when people come face to face with ocean wildlife - real and even imagined. Finding Dory: Years before its release, we schooled staff at Pixar Animation Studios in marine animal biology and behavior for Finding Dory, Disney Pixars 2016 summer blockbuster. We were also an inspiration for the design of and operations at the fictional Marine Life Institute, and for the look and function of bird feathers in the accompanying Oscar-winning animated short, Piper. Breeding Breakthroughs: We bred Pacific seahorses for the first time at the Aquarium to ensure a healthy exhibit population for Viva Baja! and we shared our secrets - and seahorse babies - with other aquariums and zoos to protect wild populations. We also became the first aquarium in North America to exhibit and raise striped pyjama squid, and sent our home-grown squidlings to other institutions. Cracking the Comb Jelly Code: For the first time ever, our staff cultured the elusive comb jelly. Figuring out how to raise comb jellies in-house is a big deal in the scientific world. It allows aquariums to exhibit these animals year-round for public education without collecting from the wild - and may also help improve our picture of how life on Earth began. Welcome, Selka: Selka became the newest member of our Sea Otter exhibit. She is a rescued California sea otter that lived in the wild, survived a shark bite, and contributed to important research into understanding her species. Now shes on track to serve as another surrogate mother for stranded wild pups. Happy 10th, Makana!: As the only Laysan albatross at any zoo or aquarium in the United States, Makanas a valued ambassador for her species and for all seabirds and marine life that face deadly threats from ocean plastic pollution. Visitors learn Makanas story - and how they can reduce their reliance on single-use plastic - during her popular daily program. Pokmon Phenomenon: The Aquarium became home to some unusual animals when the viral mobile game 'Pokemon Go' engaged visitors who were glued to their phones more than usual, searching for cute cartoon creatures inside our exhibits - and even in our caf. Blending digital and real worlds together, the game was the first success story for the use of augmented reality technology. Program Service Accomplishment Description Form 990, Part III, Line 4b - Education and Outreach: Education and Outreach costs of $12,467,625 include the cost of education programs for both teachers and students, and Aquarium Adventures programs to deepen guest experiences. We continued to raise funds for our new Bechtel Family Center for Ocean Education and Leadership, which will open its doors in 2019. The Center will let us double the number of visiting schoolchildren who can take part in programs led by Aquarium educators, double the number of science teachers we reach through institutes and workshops designed to build their skills, and double the number of teens in leadership programs. With donor support, we offer all of our education programs to students, teens and teachers free of charge, including complimentary admission to the Aquarium. Empowering Future Ocean Stewards through Innovative Science Education: Our commitment to engaging children with science remains as strong today as when we opened our doors in 1984. Since then, we have provided free visits to more than 2.3 million students. In 2016 we welcomed nearly 85,000 students on complimentary field trips; 20 percent from Monterey County and 20 percent from Santa Cruz County. Of those, over 31,000 participated in a staff-led program in either our auditorium or Discovery Labs. Our bilingual education staff served 1,500 preschool students visiting from 43 Head Start centers in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Over 9,200 family members participated in one of six Home School Days offered during the year. Teacher Programs: Through in-person and virtual workshops, conference presentations and other professional development events, we shared ecosystem-based approaches to science education with nearly 2,000 teachers. One such project was bringing secondary school teachers to the site of the former San Clemente Dam on Carmel River, where they explored restored habitats along the riverbanks. Elementary teachers collaborated to design schoolyard habitat projects that they later created with their students. Our staff welcomed 95 Head Start teachers, staff and administrators for professional development sessions as part of our Splash Zone partnership. Teen Programs: A total of 225 teens participated in our programs designed for middle and high school students. Mentored by Teen Conservation Leader alumni, over 100 teen volunteers provided superlative on-site visitor experiences for Aquarium summer guests, and created humorous and hopeful posts about the ocean for Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. In our Young Women in Science program, 63 middle school girls immersed themselves in the life history of sea otters, while 39 alumnae in the Ocean Guardians camp focused on the impacts of plastic waste on marine food webs, and used social media to inspire others to find alternatives to single-use plastic. Through our Watsonville Area Teens Conserving Habitats program, 70 students representing all three high schools in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District collaborated to learn about local ecosystems and the environmental challenges they face - and what teens can do to make a difference. Teaching with Tech: We continued utilizing technology to advance our mission in new ways as we hosted 326 teachers and students in onsite professional development workshops and off-site virtual field trips. A total of 85 preschool to 12th grade teachers attended the 'Connecting Conservation and Technology' one-day workshop, which covered topics such as integrating coding into lessons, helping students create virtual reality tours and programming microcontrollers for use in data collection projects. We also hosted a hands-on, virtual field trip experience that introduced 241 middle and high school students to the habitats of Monterey Bay and the animals that live there. Summits and STEM: Over 300 students and teachers attended our fifth annual Ocean Plastic Pollution Summit, presenting results of their year-long projects. Participants were inspired by two teens from Bali whose 'Bye Plastic Bags' movement succeeded in banning single-use plastic bags from that island province. Their campaign sparked similar initiatives by teens around the world. The fall kickoff event was attended by 91 preschool to 12th grade students and teachers. Keynoter Marcus Eriksen of 5 Gyres set the tone for the inspirational weekend. We also created a uniquely Aquarium STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) challenge at the San Francisco Bay Area Maker Faire. Using a variety of materials and their imaginations, visitors designed a wave machine that would create enough water motion to keep kelp fronds moving. This spin-off design of our own kelp forest piston won the Faire's 'Best in Class' award for educational projects. Program Service Accomplishment Description Form 990, Part III, Line 4c - Conservation and Science: Conservation and Science costs of $9,064,675 represent expenses for marine policy and advocacy efforts, the Seafood Watch program and field research. Our Impact as a Global Conservation Leader: From Monterey Bay to the Sea of Japan, our international research and conservation work remains focused on one urgent goal - ensuring the health of the global ocean. We study and protect marine wildlife from sea otters to white sharks, as well as collaborate on solutions to ocean plastic pollution, and champion sustainable fisheries and aquaculture around the world. Our Conservation Research Helps Sea Otters and Their Habitats: Our work with southern sea otters validates why a healthy population of these iconic marine mammals is critical to maintaining thriving coastal habitats. For more than 30 years, we have worked to understand how sea otters affect coastal ecosystems. Weve long understood their vital role in restoring and maintaining kelp forests; now, our researchers have documented a similar effect in coastal wetlands - especially Elkhorn Slough. Our surrogate-raised pups - and their offspring - make up the majority of sea otters in Elkhorn Slough, where this keystone species has helped restore this productive coastal wetland. Were now exploring the potential benefits of introducing surrogate-reared otters into other portions of their historical range. Toward that goal, in 2016 we completed a three-year study of sea otters in Elkhorn Slough. We and our partners are analyzing the more than 41,000 data points we collected on such behaviors as diving, foraging and feeding. Over 10 scientific papers will result from this collaboration, affirming the vital role played by sea otter recovery and range expansion in supporting a resilient California coast. We can also use the data to support policies that protect and restore coastal habitats on which sea otters depend for their recovery. We regularly collaborate with other biologists to study population dynamics not only of the southern sea otters that live off California, but also the northern sea otters off Alaska and Canada. This helps us to better understand these ecosystem engineers, and how the two populations are connected. Were also collaborating with UCLA scientists to sequence the first-ever sea otter genome, using a blood sample from one of our resident exhibit sea otters. This first genome will provide a template for the sequencing of an additional 60 genomes from across the sea otter range, and represents a huge technical and computational effort. Understanding the genetic diversity of the southern sea otter population will inform recovery plans for this threatened species. The birth of a wild sea otter pup in March in the Great Tide Pool gave us an unprecedented opportunity to share our conservation mission in real time. While hundreds of people witnessed the birth live at the Aquarium, thousands around the world watched the first-ever live stream of a sea otter birth on Periscope. Over 14 million people eventually saw archived footage of the momentous event as social media fans and international news outlets shared the good news. Ocean Plastic Pollution: We played a leading role in the successful Proposition 67 campaign to uphold Californias statewide ban on single-use plastic grocery bags. Hundreds of thousands of people embraced the messages of support we shared through social media and other channels, helping to pass this important legislation. Julie Packard was one of three authors for the 'Yes on Proposition 67' ballot argument in the official Voter Information Guide, and was honored by Governor Jerry Brown for her leadership in this campaign and her longstanding commitment to protect the ocean. We deployed volunteers on college campuses, created a new web page about ocean plastic pollution, produced a podcast series that explored the issues and solutions, and created engaging online videos to support the 'Yes on 67' campaign. We also hosted the inaugural Aquarium Plastic Pollution Symposium, where over 100 colleagues from aquariums across the United States and Canada discussed how to work together in a conservation partnership over the next two years to reduce plastic pollution in our ocean, rivers and lakes. Climate Change: Our new director of science was a voice for the ocean at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP22) in Morocco, where he underscored how carbon emissions are affecting ocean health - and human survival. In California, which continues to lead the way nationally in enacting laws to address climate change and mitigate its impacts, we supported key legislation that addresses greenhouse gas emissions. We worked locally with public officials to develop mitigation plans for sea level rise and other unavoidable impacts. We are telling the climate change story to our visitors and online audiences, including through our new 'Journey to Baja' auditorium program and a new web page that raises awareness of this critical issue for ocean health. We have coordinated a network of climate change interpreters who work at aquariums, zoos and science centers nationwide to further raise awareness about practical actions people can take, individually and collectively, to make a difference for the ocean and for us all. White Sharks: Our research team continues to employ advanced technologies to track and analyze the movement and behavior of white sharks along the coasts of California and Baja, Mexico. Working with engineers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, we developed a prototype 'shark cam' that we will deploy to capture underwater video footage of these mysterious animals when they travel far offshore from California. We also collaborated with colleagues in Baja to assess genetic variation in juvenile white sharks using teeth from 'shark mummies,' identified a new nursery area on Bajas Pacific coast, and documented high bycatch of newborns in gillnets there. Pacific Bluefin Tuna: We partnered with Stanford University to convene the first-ever international 'Bluefin Futures Symposium,' connecting the worlds leading bluefin tuna scientists and managers with expert stakeholders from academia, industry and nonprofits to chart a course for recovery of these remarkable and threatened fish. In collaboration with scientists and commercial fishermen in Japan, we tagged over 3,000 Pacific bluefin tuna in the Sea of Japan to track their migrations across the Pacific and generate new data on their spawning cycles - key to understanding what protenctions are needed to assist in their recovery. Seafood Watch Steps Up its International Role: Since 1999, our sustainable seafood initiative Seafood Watch has empowered consumers and businesses to support ocean-friendly fisheries and aquaculture through their purchasing decisions. Now, Seafood Watch is assuming an international leadership role in the movement. More than 68,000 business locations worldwide use Seafood Watch guidelines to inform their purchasing decisions, either as a direct Aquarium partner or through one of our many conservation partners. This includes large retailers like Target, which is now 97 percent of the way toward its goal of having all of its fresh and frozen seafood both sustainable and traceable. In 2016, longtime partner Aramark committed to serving sustainably sourced skipjack and albacore tuna in the U.S. The company also has sustainable seafood programs underway in Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. We also now count among our official partners the food delivery services Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. Seafood Watch partnered with the U.S. Agency for International Development to improve traceability of seafood imports entering the North American market. We also joined international seafood rating organizations to create the Global Seafood Ratings Alliance to coordinate rating programs in the U.S. and around the world as a way to accelerate the movement toward seafood sustainability. The Seafood Watch team further advanced the sustainability movement internationally by bringing together colleagues from Canada, South Africa, Japan, Brazil, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom who develop sustainable seafood standards in their countries. At a meeting in Monterey, they agreed to collaborate in new ways that will expand the reach and effectiveness of all of our programs. Seafood Watch is actively working to improve aquaculture practices in Southeast Asia - the source of most shrimp imported to the U.S. We created a special protocol to give shrimp farmers in this region a flexible way to meet our standards and secure access to a U.S. market that increasingly demands sustainably produced seafood. We also helped to establish a new collaborative group through which producers from Southeast Asia can improve the sustainability of the regions shrimp aquaculture and fisheries. Well continue to work with this group, and with business and government partners, to upgrade environmental sustainability and labor practices in the region. Ultimately, we want to make it easier for U.S. consumers to find sustainable seafood choices at their local stores. Our work in Asia earned us a partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (USAID Oceans). Together, we will work to improve the traceability of seafood products entering the North American market from the Asia-Pacific region, the worlds largest seafood exporter and home to rich marine ecosystems. The end goal: make the region a global model for sustainability and good labor practices. We made significant progress on our Human Rights Risk Tool, which we plan to launch in 2017. The tool will help businesses identify where there may be human rights issues in their seafood supply chain and take steps to mitigate them. Our positive impact was affirmed in October when the State Department chose Seafood Watch as the only sustainable seafood NGO invited to present at its international 'Our Ocean' conference, hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry. Leaders from around the world - government, industry and nonprofit leaders, and emerging young voices - attended this significant ocean conservation event. chose Seafood Watch as the only sustainable seafood NGO invited to present at its international 'Our Ocean' conference, hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry. Leaders from around the world - government, industry and nonprofit leaders, and emerging young voices - attended this significant ocean conservation event.event. Program Service Accomplishment Description Form 990, Part III, Line 4d - Other program services: Other program services of $17,291,316 represent the costs of activities to provide a high-quality experience for the 2.1 million people who visited the Aquarium in 2016 - the third consecutive year we have hosted at least 2 million people. Included in this category are costs for marketing, guest services and membership services, as well as costs associated with foodservices and retail. Marketing includes costs associated with the creation, production and placement of advertising to build awareness about the opportunity to connect with marine life and ocean conservation through an Aquarium visit. An allocation of marketing costs is included in management and general expenses to represent the costs associated with soliciting admission revenue. Our digital, search-based advertising campaign continued to attract more visitors to the Aquarium and the destination. In 2016 this campaign drew 402,000 more visitors (an increase of 30,000 over 2015). Most of our Hispanic attendance is from California, with the majority of visitors arriving from the San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and local tri-county area (Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties), markets in which we advertise directly in Spanish language media. Hispanic visitors represented 27 percent of total paid Aquarium visitors in 2016. Our active and responsive presence on social media platforms allows visitors to remain connected with us, and us with them, once they leave the Aquarium. We ended 2016 with over 3 million people around the world following and engaging with us on social media. In 2016 the Aquarium admitted more than 93,000 people in our community free of charge, including audiences visiting through our 'Free to Learn,' 'Shelf to Shore,'Student Ocean Stewards' affordable access programs, and our annual 'Community Open House.' Membership households totaled 79,000. In addition to the essential processing and customer service functions, membership services hosts several member events each year including a Halloween dance party and holiday wine tasting event. Aquarium members also receive targeted monthly e-newsletters and Shorelines, the Aquariums member magazine, which in 2016 we also introduced as a new, interactive online format and encouraged members to adopt the paperless version. Other Membership services include efforts to serve, retain and communicate with members about our conservation mission. The Aquariums overall outreach wouldnt have the impact it does without the dedication of our many volunteers, who do more than make the Aquarium better they make our work possible. For each staff member, we have two volunteers sharing their energy and enthusiasm for the ocean. In 2016, over 1,400 individuals volunteered over 169,000 hours of service in over 80 different work areas, notably in education and animal care. Our volunteer community hails from all over central and northern California - over 100 cities in all - and volunteers range in age from teenagers to folks in their 90s. Family or Business Relationships Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 2: TRUSTEES JULIE PACKARD AND CHRIS SCHOLIN AND OFFICER BARBARA WRIGHT ARE DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF THE MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM RESEARCH INSTITUTE ('MBARI'). JULIE PACKARD AND MEG CALDWELL ARE TRUSTEES; JULIE PACKARD IS A TRUSTEE AND MEG CALDWELL IS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION. MICHAEL MANTELL AND MARK WAN ARE TRUSTEES; MICHAEL MANTELL IS AN OFFICER AND MARK WAN IS A TRUSTEE OF RESOURCES LEGACY FUND. Form 990 Review Process Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 11A: The Form 990 is prepared by Grant Thornton LLP based on audited financial statements and with the assistance of the Aquarium's finance and accounting staff. The final draft of the Form 990 is reviewed by the CFO and the Executive Director. Upon acceptance of the draft by the CFO and Executive Director, the draft Form 990 is shared with the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees. The Audit Committee is asked to review the draft and provide any questions or commentary by a specified date. After finalizing the draft per the Audit Committee, CFO, and Executive Director review, the full Board receives a copy of the final version of the Form 990 prior to filing. Monitoring and Enforcement of Comflict of Interest Policy Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c: The Aquarium regularly and consistently monitors and enforces compliance with its conflict of interest policies. Trustees and officers Conflict of Interest Policy -- The Executive Director's office assures that all disclosures forms (and mitigation plans, if applicable) have been received by January 31 of each year from all trustees and officers, prepares a summary of disclosures, and forwards the completed forms and the summary to the Aquarium's Conflicts Review Panel, consisting of the Executive Director, Legal Counsel, Chief Human Resources Officer, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Controller and Director of Finance. Trustees and officers also acknowledge receipt and understanding of the Aquariums COI Policy in conjunction with providing the annual disclosures. Following review by the Panel, the Panels findings and the disclosures are provided to the Board's Audit Committee, which reviews the disclosures and makes a report to the Board at its March Board meeting. Both the Panel and the Audit Committee annually evaluate the effectiveness of the process. The CFO and Controller assure appropriate reporting to the external auditors and tax filings preparer. Trustees and officers have a continuing duty to make additional disclosures throughout the year if warranted. Employees Code of Ethical Conduct Policy -- The Chief Human Resources Officer forwards the Code, which includes a section on conflicts of interest, to all managers in early January each year, and assures that each manager responds that they have read it and are in compliance by January 31. Managers are also required to disclose any interests which could give rise to conflict, and to assure that any staff in their areas with interests which could give rise to conflict has done the same. Disclosures (and mitigation plans, if applicable) are reviewed by the Executive Director, Chief Human Resources Officer and CFO by March. This team also evaluates the effectiveness of the process. The CFO assures appropriate reporting to the external auditors and tax filings preparer. Employees have a continuing duty to make additional disclosures throughout the year if warranted. Process for Determining Compensation Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Lines 15: The Board of Trustees maintains a performance evaluation process for the Chief Executive Officer, referred to as the Executive Director, who is a member of the Board. The Boards Executive Compensation Committee, comprised of independent directors, reviews the CEO's performance with input from the other Board members, and recommends the compensation of the CEO to the Board. The Committee obtains and reviews market survey data from several independent organizations (in 2017 this was five national and regional firms, including one custom survey) containing data for comparable positions at comparable organizations. The Committee provides the performance review and comparable salary information to the Board and recommends the CEO's compensation. Based upon the performance review and comparable salary information, the independent members of the Board determine that the compensation is fair, just and reasonable and then approves total compensation for the CEO. The Board delegates to the Executive Compensation Committee the performance review and compensation approval of the Chief Financial Officer, who is not a member of the Board, and any other Officers or senior staff who are highly compensated. Based upon the performance review and comparable salary information, the Committee determines that the compensation is fair, just and reasonable and approves total compensation for the CFO and all other key employees. In each case, the review and approval is contemporaneously documented in the minutes of the Committee and the Board, respectively. Documents Made Available to the Public Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19: The Aquarium makes its audited financial statements and Form 990 for the most recent three years available to the public by posting on its website. The conflicts of interest policy and governing documents are provided upon request within two business days. Other Changes in Net Assets Form 990, Part XI, Line 9: Unrealized Loss on Interest in Charitable Remainder Trusts: ($396,569) Schedule A Part II and Schedule B Due to the volume of donors that meet the contribution reporting requirements for Schedule B, the organization has elected to complete Schedule A Part II Public Support Test to utilize the Schedule B Special Rule which raises the threshold to 2% of total contributions. FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:OUTSIDE SERVICES TOTAL FEES:9024978 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:OTHER FEES TOTAL FEES:959446 Monterey Bay Aquarium Support Services 99 Pacific Street Monterey CA 93940 770569564 Property Mgmt CA 501(c)(3) 11-I MBAF true false false true false false false false false false false false false false true true false false false false MONTEREY BAY ACQUARIUM SUPPORT SERVICES C 676642 FMV