THE ACADEMY IS A RENOWNED SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION WITH A MISSION TO REGENERATE THE NATURAL WORLD THROUGH SCIENCE, LEARNING, AND COLLABORATION. BASED IN SAN FRANCISCO'S GOLDEN GATE PARK, IT IS HOME TO A WORLD-CLASS AQUARIUM, PLANETARIUM, RAINFOREST, AND NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AS WELL AS INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, ALL UNDER ONE LIVING ROOF. THROUGH GLOBAL EXPEDITIONS, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, AND STRATEGIC AREAS OF FOCUS ON ISLANDS, CORAL REEFS, AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ACADEMY SCIENTISTS STRIVE TO GATHER NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LIFE'S DIVERSITY AND THE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION AND RAPIDLY APPLY THAT UNDERSTANDING TO OUR EFFORTS TO REGENERATE THE NATURAL WORLD. THROUGH EXHIBITIONS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT ADDRESS THESE SAME TOPICS-DELIVERED TO THE PUBLIC ON-SITE AT THE ACADEMY'S WORLD-CLASS AQUARIUM, PLANETARIUM, RAINFOREST, AND NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, IN THE COMMUNITY, IN BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS AROUND THE WORLD.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$782.1M
+1.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$93K
Grant Count
3
Avg Grant Size
$31K
About California Academy of Sciences
Based on IRS filings
California Academy of Sciences is a nonprofit organization focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in SAN FRANCISCO, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $782.1M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 3 grants totaling $93K. Net investment income was $20.5M.
Focus Areas
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $782,112,156 | $770,612,160 | $761,119,834 |
| Revenue | $89,393,165 | $90,496,532 | $71,497,681 |
| Expenses | $109,455,741 | $114,330,178 | $101,030,361 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $20,451,721 | $11,877,697 | $6,453,746 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 3 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
3 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELIZABETH BLACKBURN PHD | PRESIDENT | 2 | — |
| LISA WHITE PHD | VICE PRESIDENT | 2 | — |
| DAN JANNEY | BOARD CHAIR | 3 | — |
| JOHN GOLDMAN | VICE CHAIR | 3 | — |
| DEREK MITCHELL PHD | SECRETARY | 2 | — |
| SCOTT SAMPSON | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $705,728 |
| MATHEW LAU | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $227,720 |
| ADAM GAZZALEY MD PHD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| AHMED MUHAMMAD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| ALAN JONES | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| AMY CORDALIS | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| BILL YOUNGER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| CARLA PETERMAN PHD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| CHRIS FIELD PHD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| CHRIS SCHELL PHD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| CHRISSY LUO | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| COREY GARZA PHD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| DENNIS TROPER | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| ENKHUSH AMARBAL | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| FELICIA CHIU | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| GARY HALL | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| HYDRA MENDOZA | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| JSANFORD SANDY MILLER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JACK FORESTELL | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| JEFF KOSEFF PHD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| JOHN ADAMS | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| JOHN C DWYER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JOHN WARREN | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| KEVIN HARTZ | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| KIAN BEYZAVI PHD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| LAURA FURSTENTHAL PHD | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MARC EBBIN | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MARIE LIPMAN | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| MELISSA NELSON | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| MICHAEL MILLMAN | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| MIKE SWEENEY | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| NATHAN BROSTROM | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| NICOLE ARDOIN PHD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| NICOLE LACOB | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| PRIYA CLEMENS | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| REBECCA LIN | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| STEVE KAWA | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| TESSA HILL PHD | TRUSTEE | 0.5 | — |
| WILL EVERS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JIM GOHARY | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (THRU 05/25) | 40 | $463,777 |
| MELISSA FELDER | CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER (THRU 05/25) | 40 | $370,545 |
| MICHAEL COSTANZO | GENERAL COUNSEL & CHIEF RISK OFFICER | 40 | $308,210 |
| SHANNON BENNETT | CHIEF OF SCIENCE & DEAN OF RESEARCH | 40 | $297,683 |
| LEAH VAN DER MEI | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (THRU 02/25) | 40 | $263,810 |
| AYAT ELNOORY | CHIEF PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICER | 40 | $317,840 |
| AMBER MACE | MANAGING DIR., CHIEF OF STRATEGY | 40 | $414,031 |
| AMY MILLER | DIR. OF EDU K-12/ONLINE (THRU 6/24) | 40 | $406,104 |
| TIFFANY ZAREM | DIRECTOR OF MARKETING (THRU 06/24) | 40 | $297,727 |
| MEGAN SCHUFREIDER | DIR. OF EDU K-12/ONLINE (THRU 6/24) | 40 | $290,493 |
| BRIAN SIMISON | CURATOR (THRU 06/24) | 40 | $287,476 |
| RICH MOOI | CURATOR (THRU 06/24) | 40 | $286,051 |
| GARY WILLIAMS | CURATOR (THRU 06/24) | 40 | $287,504 |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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