California Academy of Sciences
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.
California Academy of Sciences at a glance
In short: California Academy of Sciences gave $93K across 3 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), mostly in New Jersey. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $92,710
- +518.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 3
- Average grant
- $30,903
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $782,112,156
- +1.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (65% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who California Academy of Sciences funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 3 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was William Paterson University of New Jersey ($60K). Together the top 3 received $93K.
Grant Size Distribution
3 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 2 grants of 3 (67%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 3 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $15K (2024) to $93K (2025). In 2025 it made 3 grants totaling $93K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ | Salary, fringe, and other direct costs for senior and undergraduate personnel researching mesh web spiders. | $60,207 |
| Omaha Zoological Society Omaha, NE | Support for African Penguin Program | $25,000 |
| Uc Regents-Uc Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Genomic extraction, sequencing, and library preparation of reptiles and amphibians | $7,503 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $782,112,156 | $89,393,165 | $109,455,741 | $92,710 | 3 | $20,451,721 |
| 2024 | $770,612,160 | $90,496,532 | $114,330,178 | $15,000 | Total only | $11,877,697 |
| 2023 | $761,119,834 | $71,497,681 | $101,030,361 | — | — | $6,453,746 |
| 2022 | $776,432,772 | $88,151,036 | $83,793,845 | — | — | $9,513,096 |
| 2021 | $832,230,890 | $95,197,826 | $68,739,031 | — | — | $42,250,990 |
| 2020 | $804,050,299 | $66,454,649 | $86,327,913 | — | — | $15,984,122 |
| 2019 | $877,897,606 | $74,649,716 | $91,774,768 | — | — | $15,014,625 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
About California Academy of Sciences
Based on IRS filings
California Academy of Sciences is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in San Francisco, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2019 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
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
California Academy of Sciences is led by Scott D. Sampson, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 15 of 57 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Scott D. Sampson
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$166K (2020) → $706K (2025)
Elizabeth Blackburn PhD
President
Trustee → Vice President, 2023
Vice President → President, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dan Janney
Board Chair
Trustee → Chair, 2022
Chair → Board Chair, 2024
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amber Mace
Managing Director & Chief of Strategy
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$414K (2025)
Amy Miller
Director of Edu K- Online
Interim Dean of Education → Director of Edu K- Online, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$197K (2023) → $406K (2025)
Megan Schufreider
Director of Edu K- Online
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$290K (2025)
Tiffany Zarem
Director of Marketing
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$298K (2025)
Kevin Hartz
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura E. Furstenthal
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marie O'Gara Lipman
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Millman
Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tessa Hill PhD
Trustee
Trustee → Vice President, 2020
Vice President → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adam Gazzaley MD PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bill Younger Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Felicia Chiu
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jack Forestell
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Adams
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marc Ebbin
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Lin
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Field PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Corey Garza PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Koseff PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mike Sweeney
Trustee
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Brostrom
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Kawa
Trustee
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carla Peterman PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chrissy Luo
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gary Hall
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John C. Dwyer
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kian Beyzavi PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Ardoin PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Lacob
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alan Jones
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amy Cordalis
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Schell PhD
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dennis Troper
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hydra Mendoza
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Warren
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jsanford Sandy Miller
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melissa Nelson
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ahmed Muhammad
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Enkhush Amarbal
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Priya Clemens
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Will Evers
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melissa Felder
Chief Experience Officer
Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer → Chief Experience Officer, 2023
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$309K (2019) → $371K (2025)
Michael Costanzo
General Counsel & Chief Risk Officer
General Counsel & Director of Security → General Counsel & Chief of Staff, 2022
General Counsel & Chief of Staff → General Counsel & Chief Risk Officer, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$225K (2019) → $308K (2025)
Shannon Bennett
Chief of Science & Dean of Research
Chief of Science, Dean of Research & Collection → Chief of Science & Dean of Rsrch, 2023
Chief of Science & Dean of Rsrch → Chief of Science & Dean of Research, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$278K (2019) → $298K (2025)
Mathew Lau
Chief Financial Officer
Interim Chief Financial Officer → Chief Financial Officer, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$165K (2022) → $228K (2025)
Ayat Elnoory
Chief People & Culture Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$162K (2024) → $318K (2025)
Jim Gohary
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$464K (2025)
Leah Van Der Mei
Chief Operating Officer
COO & Head of Government Affairs → Chief Operating Officer, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$235K (2024) → $264K (2025)
Brian Simison
Curator
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$287K (2025)
Gary Williams
Curator
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$288K (2025)
Rich Mooi
Curator
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$286K (2025)
Derek Mitchell PhD
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Goldman
Vice Chair
Trustee → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2022
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa White PhD
Vice President
Trustee → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (67)
- Former: Charles Marshall PhD (2019–2024) — President
- Former: Gary T. Steele (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Luiz Rocha (2019–2024) — Curator & Ichthyology
- Former: Ryan Wyatt (2019–2024) — Senior Director & Morrison Planetarium
- Former: Kirsten Rhodes (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Mary Nemerov (2021–2024) — Chief Philanthropy Officer
- Former: Andy Schwab (2022–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Bart Shepherd (2022–2024) — Senior Director & Steinhart Aquarium
- Former: Brian Fisher (2022–2024) — Curator & Entomology
- Former: Cathy Estelle (2023–2024) — Drctr of Sales & Business Prtnrshps
- Former: Andrew J. Schwab (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Jeffrey Koseff (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Mike McGee (2019–2023) — Former Chief Financial Officer
- Former: Nick Giovanni (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Raul Del Barco (2019–2023) — Former Chief Human Rsrcs Officer
- Former: Ron Zeff (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Zack Lara (2019–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Ike Kwon (2022–2023) — COO & Head of Gov Affrs
- Former: Larry Miao (2022–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Christopher Schell (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Donna Dibartolomeo (2023) — Senior Director of Exhibits
- Former: Adam Savage (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Dan Carroll (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: David M. Kennedy (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Elizabeth Babcock (2019–2022) — Chief Public Engagement Officer
- Former: Marta Salas-Porras (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Peter Fenton (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Virginia Goss Tusher (2019–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Jay Kahn (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Naureen Hassan (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Joe O'Donnell (2022) — Trustee
- Former: Mike Millman (2022) — Trustee
- Former: Nick Simon (2022) — Trustee
- Former: Christopher Field (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Elizabeth R. Patterson (2019–2021) — Chair
- Former: Gretchen C. Daily (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Harold A. Mooney (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Huifen Chan (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Isaac Kwon (2019–2021) — COO & Head of Government
- Former: Lawrence Miao (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Matthew Barger (2019–2021) — Vice Chair
- Former: Rebecca Schuett (2019–2021) — Director of Philanthropy
- Former: Salman Khan (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Troy Daniels (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: William F. Duhamel (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Nicholas Simon (2020–2021) — Trustee
- Former: William Shepherd III (2020–2021) — Senior Director of Steinhart Aquarium
- Former: Debra Trock (2021) — Director of Science Collections
- Former: Joseph O'Donnell (2021) — Trustee
- Former: William H. Younger Jr. (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Zachary Lara (2021) — Trustee
- Former: Geisha Williams (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Jonathan Foley (2019–2020) — Fmr Executive Director & Senior Scholar
- Former: Margaret Lowman (2019–2020) — Senior Curator & Lindsay Chair of Botany
- Former: Scott Moran (2019–2020) — Senior Director & Exhibits
- Former: Janet Lamkin (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Claire Ngo (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Gary Pinkus (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Janet Harris (2019) — Chief Philantropy Officer
- Former: Jerome C. Vascellaro (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Oliver Jenkyn (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Pamela Matson (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Richard Yorke (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Roger Kuo (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Steven McCormick (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Summer Tompkins Walker (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Teresa Briggs (2019) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $706K, to Scott Sampson (Executive Director). 15 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about California Academy of Sciences
How much does California Academy of Sciences give each year?
California Academy of Sciences gave $93K across 3 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it reported $15K in grants paid.
What is California Academy of Sciences's typical grant size?
California Academy of Sciences's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $30,903, across 3 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does California Academy of Sciences give grants?
California Academy of Sciences gives mostly in New Jersey: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were Nebraska (27%) and California (8%).
Does California Academy of Sciences give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 3 grants with a stated purpose on California Academy of Sciences's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
How large is California Academy of Sciences?
California Academy of Sciences reported $782.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $89.4M.
What is California Academy of Sciences?
California Academy of Sciences is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in San Francisco, CA. It holds $782.1M in total assets as of 2025.
What is California Academy of Sciences's EIN?
California Academy of Sciences's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-1156258. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in California Academy of Sciences's focus areas in our free grants database
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California Academy of Sciences down — hundreds of funders to go?