Massachusetts · Nonprofit
NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION
NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION (Massachusetts) receives grants from 207 organizations whose IRS filings report $46,219,512 to it, the largest being FIDELITY FOUNDATION ($8,490,000). 144 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $55M
- Funders on record
- 207
- Grants received
- $46M
- Net assets
- $96M
What New England Aquarium Corporation does
Mission
The new england aquarium is a catalyst for global change through public engagement and education, commitment to marine animal conservation, innovative scientific research, and effective advocacy for a vital and vibrant ocean.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Exhibition: the aquarium is a massachusetts chapter 180 non-profit corporation formed for the purpose of operating a public aquarium in boston, massachusetts. The mission of the aquarium is to be a catalyst for global change through public engagement, commitment to marine animal conservation, leadership in education, innovative scientific research and advocacy for vital and vibrant oceans. In addition to its exhibits, the aquarium operates the simons theatre, catered events, education programs and sponsored programming in marine research, conservation, and education. The aquarium relies on revenue from admissions, retail sales, and events; private gifts; grants ; and federal and state funding for the majority of its operations. These revenues and support are primarily derived from visitors and donors from the greater boston area, the new england region, and tourists to the city. 2023 notable highlights:after a rigorous application process and inspection, the association of zoos and aquariums (aza) renewed accreditation for the new england aquarium early this year. Aza is an organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal…
$28,531,328 spent$29,661,081 earned by the program69% of program spendingIn 2023, the anderson cabot center for ocean life at the new englandaquarium (anderson cabot center; "aquarium") continued on our legacy of conducting applied ocean science research, ocean policy and technical advising/market-based solutions to deliver on our mission and promote a vibrant and vital ocean for future generations.select 2023 notable highlights:the blueswell program, an ocean innovation start-up incubator managed by the anderson cabot center's balance blue lab, completed its third cohort of ocean tech start-ups, and initiated its fourth, during 2023. The aquarium's role in this program is to guide blue tech start-ups in adopting ocean-friendly practices and metrics, aid in the diligence process, and serve as the fiscal administrator for the program.the balance blue lab launched the upswell program, a new effort to educate impact- and angel- investors about scientific, environmental, and market aspects of a responsible blue economy. This program publishes a series of whitepapers, webinars, and hosts events to give detailed assessments of ocean-tech and market trends and is funded with the support of a federal grant from the economic development adminstration.the marine…
$6,615,960 spentof which $238,189 as grants$6,880,299 earned by the program16% of program spendingEducation and rescue:the new england aquarium has two distinctive programs with sea turtles: we run one of the largest sea turtle rescue operations in the entire united states and we are part of a first-responder network for leatherback sea turtles that get entangled in fishing lines. Both of these programs help maintain sea turtle populations and produce research. The aquarium's sea turtle hospital in quincy, mass., treated 394 rescued sea turtles recovered from beaches along cape cod bay during the 2023 cold stun stranding season. In addition to administering to critically endangered kemp's ridley turtles (total of 332), our sea turtle hospital treated loggerhead (42) and green (20) turtles suffering from life-threatening medical conditions, including pneumonia and dehydration. The hospital continues to operate under new population management strategies and temperature-controlled conditions as these continue to show as good if not better results than pre-pandemic survival rates. These allow for the team to efficiently stabilize turtles before transporting them to secondary facilities where they could be released back into warmer waters. We maintained 53 turtles for full…
$2,067,488 spent$2,026,309 earned by the program5% of program spendingWe continued to work with our partners at boston harbor city cruises ("bhcc") to offer the new england aquarium whale watch, operated by bhcc. This combined effort generated increased whale watch attendance and significantly expanded the reach of our whale conservation programming and our educational programming, overall.total other costs represent the remaining program service expenses per part ix that were not attributable to exhibition, research, or education. Total other revenue represents programatic corporate sponsorships and other miscellaneous income per part viii that were not attributable to exhibition, research, or education.
$4,134,975 spent$1,125,450 earned by the program10% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2023 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $41,349,751.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2021 to 2022, from $98M to $115M (+18%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 34% · 2022 3% · 2023 5% · 2024 2%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
19% of NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (67% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 4 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Spruill Veronique N
President/chief executive officer
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
The chief executive listed changed between the FY2020 and FY2021 filings.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 52 funders to 108 funders, grant income rose $919k → $9.1M.
29 of 207 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 37% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 207 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 18% of grant income, and it takes 6 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 6 funders to its left
40% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 19% · 2018 20% · 2019 35% · 2020 14% · 2021 21% · 2022 25% · 2023 43% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
58% of NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 70% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
66% of NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION's grant income comes from Massachusetts funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $17M arriving through sponsors registered in 17 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION's funding base is broadening — from 52 funders to 108 as grant income climbed.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 235 animals nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2024
Government funding NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $34.8M on record — $20.2M federal, $14.6M state.
- Department of Commerce$17.7M
- Institute of Museum and Library Services$1.1M
- Department of the Interior$502k
- National Science Foundation$499k
- Department of Defense$404k
- Environmental Protection Agency$91k
- (PP) STATE AID/POL SUB$14.5M
- (NN) INFRASTRUCTURE:$5k
- (EE) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES$610
- (FF) FACILITY OPERATIONAL EXPENSES$345
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Massachusetts
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
77% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
86%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 32 states
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- New England Aquarium Marine Life Center Inc · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION?
- NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION (Massachusetts) receives grants from 207 organizations whose IRS filings report $46,219,512 to it, the largest being FIDELITY FOUNDATION ($8,490,000). 144 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION have?
- IRS filings report 207 organizations giving $46,219,512 in grants to NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION, 144 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION?
- FIDELITY FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $8,490,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CORPORATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Massachusetts. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds New England Aquarium →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 207 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing