The Exploratorium
Pier 17 Suite 100, San Francisco, CA · IRS data through FY2025
Revenue, expenses and net assets
Revenue Expenses Net assets
| Tax year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $63,991,919 | $67,798,808 | $244,728,586 |
| FY2024 | $66,629,029 | $65,980,256 | $242,973,088 |
| FY2023 | $61,024,177 | $64,760,247 | $235,865,424 |
| FY2022 | $79,571,391 | $59,221,371 | $237,661,269 |
| FY2021 | $47,989,738 | $46,912,545 | $226,204,540 |
| FY2020 | $48,557,720 | $52,960,158 | $208,846,294 |
| FY2019 | $96,372,343 | $53,538,400 | $213,260,286 |
| FY2018 | $51,507,512 | $52,933,431 | $172,437,392 |
| FY2017 | $74,087,793 | $52,213,213 | $172,236,851 |
| FY2016 | $51,678,709 | $56,187,552 | $147,984,637 |
| FY2015 | $58,583,761 | $60,312,129 | $154,955,153 |
| FY2014 | $62,277,879 | $58,155,662 | $158,021,214 |
| FY2013 | $65,143,143 | $51,719,186 | $152,049,050 |
| FY2012 | $37,853,291 | $39,559,813 | $138,183,810 |
Form 990 filings
The returns filed by The Exploratorium (EIN 94-1696494), including Form 990 PDFs and e-file data by year, are available in ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. The figures on this page come from IRS data files built from those returns.
Where the revenue came from
| Source | Amount | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions & grants | $27,618,230 | 43% |
| Program service revenue | $29,866,618 | 47% |
| Other revenue | $6,507,071 | 10% |
Where the money was spent
| Category | Amount | % of expenses |
|---|---|---|
| Program services | $51,907,282 | 77% |
| Management & general | $12,372,029 | 18% |
| Fundraising | $3,519,497 | 5% |
What the numbers show
- Program service revenue made up 47% of total revenue in FY2025.
- Program services accounted for 77% of functional expenses, management & general 18%, and fundraising 5%.
- 77% of functional expenses went to program services in FY2025. That is higher than 48.2% of 112 Arts, Culture & Humanities organizations in CA.
- Net assets covered about 43.3 months of expenses at the end of the reporting year. That puts it in the 77th percentile among 4598 Arts, Culture & Humanities organizations in CA.
- Total revenue was higher than 99.6% of 4702 Arts, Culture & Humanities organizations in CA.
- Total revenue rose from $37,853,291 in FY2012 to $63,991,919 in FY2025. Revenue increased in 5 and decreased in 8 of 13 year-over-year comparisons.
- Expenses exceeded revenue in 7 of 14 reported years (FY2012, FY2015, FY2016, FY2018, FY2020, FY2023, FY2025).
- The highest revenue on record here is $96,372,343 in FY2019.
- Net assets grew from $138,183,810 to $244,728,586 between FY2012 and FY2025.
- Contributions and grants made up 72% of revenue in FY2012 and 43% in FY2025.
- Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity).
Figures compared against other organizations of the same NTEE program area in the same state. See the methodology page for how these are calculated and the guide to reading nonprofit financials for their limits.
About this organization
THE EXPLORATORIUM IS A PUBLIC LEARNING LABORATORY EXPLORING THE WORLD THROUGH SCIENCE, ART, AND HUMAN PERCEPTION.OUR MISSION IS TO CREATE INQUIRY-BASED EXPERIENCES THAT TRANSFORM LEARNING WORLDWIDE.
IRS status
| Ruling year | 1969 |
| Subsection | 501(c)(3) |
| Classification | Public charity |
| Program area (NTEE) | A500 — Arts, Culture & Humanities (in CA) |
| Donations | Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity). |
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Source: Internal Revenue Service — Exempt Organizations Business Master File (downloaded November 4, 2026), Statistics of Income extracts, Form 990 e-file data, Publication 78 and the Automatic Revocation list. Figures are as reported by the organization; IRS processing may adjust them. This is not a charity rating and not tax advice. Confirm deductibility in IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
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