Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jun 1989.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
71 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
23 people listed on the 990; $1.9M paid to officers and key staff.
Walter K Sanford’s $314K as President, CEO is at the 61st percentile of top reported officer pay among 225 $10–100M animals nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter K Sanford | $314,233 | $303,434 | $330,184 | $362,153 | $243,313 |
| Gordon Stalans | $262,847 | $237,064 | — | $221,802 | $164,647 |
| Jackson Andrews | — | — | — | $229,551 | $174,914 |
| Jackson C Andrews | — | — | $221,525 | — | — |
| Gordon a Stalans | — | — | $216,395 | — | — |
| Cindy Todd | — | — | — | — | $183,622 |
| Julie Piper | $183,461 | $159,686 | — | $156,850 | $120,833 |
| Anna George | $172,220 | $158,987 | $163,171 | $163,000 | $112,857 |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Connects people with nature and empowers them to protect water and wildlife.
Questions for Tennessee Aquarium
Your first name shows with your question. Tennessee Aquarium answers here, for everyone.
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The Tennessee Aquarium, a highly visited attraction, consistently rates very high in guest satisfaction. After more than 30 years, the Aquarium continues to be a major catalyst for economic development, providing strong fiscal and economic impacts on the region. In 2024, the Aquarium welcomed nearly 752,000 visitors.
The Tennessee Aquarium is a leader in environmental and conservation education and has received overwhelming acclaim for its education programs. Frequently honored for its conservation education and research work, the Aquarium has also received awards for its customer service and guest experience, including Conservation Education of the…
The rivers of the southeastern United States harbor some of the highest freshwater diversity on the planet. The Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute furthers the mission of the Tennessee Aquarium by conducting scientific studies, restoring and protecting our regions natural ecosystems, and educating the public to take conservation…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $3.4M | $4.9M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $35.0M | $37.2M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $45.7M | $48.0M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $86.1M | $92.5M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $17.3M | $19.0M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $68.8M | $73.5M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $0 | |||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $0 | |||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $0 | |||
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $0 | |||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $1.4M | $205K | $1.0M | $184K |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $0 | |||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $10.5M | $8.2M | $1.8M | $437K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $675K | $456K | $180K | $39K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $1.3M | $478K | $784K | $21K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $860K | $615K | $201K | $44K |
| Management feesLn 11a | $0 | |||
| Legal feesLn 11b | $3K | $3K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $25K | $25K | ||
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $5K | $5K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $159K | $159K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $1.9M | $995K | $925K | $10K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $1.9M | $1.9M | $2K | $4K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $80K | $19K | $61K | $891 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $1.6M | $154K | $1.5M | |
| RoyaltiesLn 15 | $503K | $503K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $2.4M | $2.0M | $443K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $178K | $130K | $41K | $7K |
| Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18 | $0 | |||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $154K | $112K | $31K | $11K |
| InterestLn 20 | $236K | $229K | $7K | |
| Payments to affiliatesLn 21 | $0 | |||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $4.0M | $3.8M | $258K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $314K | $314K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $1.9M | $1.8M | $84K | $5K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $499K | $212K | $240K | $47K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $30.7M | $21.8M | $8.1M | $816K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest Viewing | $34.2M | $30.7M | $3.5M | $73.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $31.5M | $28.4M | $3.1M | $68.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $28.4M | $25.6M | $2.7M | $63.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $36.7M | $22.3M | $14.5M | $63.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $19.8M | $23.1M | −$3.3M | $48.1M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $34,216,548 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 12 of 12 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $34,216,548 across 12 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $30,741,934 across 30 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $92,462,278 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $73,488,491 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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