Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
WE INSPIRE PEOPLE TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THE NATURAL WORLD BY FOSTERING LOVE, APPRECIATION, AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE SONORAN DESERT.
- Income
- $23.8 million
- Spending
- $15.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 26.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 50%
- Employees
- 217
- Volunteers
- 433
- Highest pay
- $221,721, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 86% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 26.7 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 36% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 47% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 12% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 16 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $9.6 million spent. THE ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM IS A WORLD-RENOWNED BIOPARK COMPRISED OF MULTIPLE COMPONENTS, INCLUDING REGIONAL ZOO, BOTANICAL GARDEN, AQUARIUM, RESEARCH ORGANIZATION, ART INSTITUTE, AND NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM. THE MUSEUM SITS ON 98 ACRES OF LEASED PROPERTY, 21 OF WHICH ARE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, WITH 2 MILES OF WALKING PATHS WHERE GUESTS VIEW EXHIBITS THAT REALISTICALLY RE-CREATE THE FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE VIBRANT SONORAN DESERT REGION. VISITORS MAY ENCOUNTER MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED ANIMAL SPECIES, CURATED GARDENS WITH OVER ONE THOUSAND VARIETIES OF PLANTS, TWO ART GALLERIES, AND A SIMULATED CAVE WITH A MINERAL GALLERY. THE MUSEUM IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC VISITATION EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. SINCE ITS OPENING IN 1952, OVER 24 MILLION PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD HAVE VISITED THE MUSEUM. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, ATTENDANCE AT THE MUSEUM WAS 393,926 VISITORS AND THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 15,000 MEMBER HOUSEHOLDS. EXHIBITS AND GARDENS: THE MUSEUM'S LARGEST AND MOST IMPACTFUL PROGRAM IS ITS EXHIBITS AND GARDENS. THE MUSEUM MAINTAINS 21 INTERPRETED ACRES WITH TWO MILES OF WALKING PATHS THROUGH VARIOUS DESERT HABITATS, OVER TWO HUNDRED ANIMAL SPECIES, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PLANT SPECIMENS FROM MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND TAXA, ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL MINERAL COLLECTIONS, AND TWO ART GALLERIES. EXIT SURVEYS REVEAL THE IMPACT OF A DESERT MUSEUM VISIT: VISITORS TELL US THAT THEY LEARN ABOUT NEW SUBJECTS AND ISSUES, THEY FEEL CLOSER TO NATURE, AND THEY HAVE A DEEPER APPRECIATION FOR THE SONORAN DESERT AFTER THEIR VISIT.
- $2.0 million spent. CONSERVATION, EDUCATION AND SCIENCE PROGRAMSSINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1952, THE ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM HAS PUT CONSERVATION EDUCATION AND SCIENCE AT THE CORE OF ITS MISSION. FROM HELPING TO ESTABLISH PROTECTED ISLANDS AND COASTAL WETLANDS IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA, TO BREEDING AND REINTRODUCTION PROGRAMS FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES SUCH AS THE MEXICAN GRAY WOLF, THICK-BILLED PARROT, AND NUMEROUS FISH, AMPHIBIANS, AND REPTILES, TO DOCUMENTING THE BIODIVERSITY THAT HELPED ESTABLISH THE IRONWOOD FOREST NATIONAL MONUMENT, THE MUSEUM'S CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN WIDELY RECOGNIZED FOR MANY DECADES. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE ARE THE MUSEUM'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS WHICH TOUCH NEARLY 200,000 PEOPLE EACH YEAR, INCLUDING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. THESE PROGRAMS HELP TO FOSTER LOVE, APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF OUR DESERT HOME.
- $635,103 spent. ART INSTITUTETHE MISSION OF THE ASDM ART INSTITUTE IS "CONSERVATION THROUGH ART EDUCATION." WE SEEK TO ENGAGE PEOPLE IN NATURE-FOCUSED ART CLASSES AND INSPIRE NEW CONSERVATION ADVOCATES. TO THIS END, WE OFFER ART CLASSES, ART EXHIBITS, AND STEWARDSHIP OF THE MUSEUM'S ART COLLECTION. ART CLASSES:ART PROFESSIONALS TEACH ALL ART CLASSES, AND CLASS CONTENT EMPHASIZES OUR LIVING COLLECTIONS AND SONORAN DESERT SETTING. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE ART INSTITUTE SERVED 1,261 STUDENTS ON-SITE. 27 INSTRUCTORS TAUGHT 174 DIFFERENT ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES. FOUR STUDENTS GRADUATED FROM THE NATURE ART CERTIFICATE PROGRAM AND 112 BRAND NEW STUDENTS ENTERED THE PROGRAM. ON OUR WEBSITE, WE OFFER 10 FREE VIDEOS, VIEWED BY OVER 1,200 PEOPLE. WE ALSO PROVIDE A VIDEO CLASS SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE; IT CURRENTLY HAS 114 SUBSCRIBERS AND 258 VIDEOS.TOTAL AUDIENCE SERVED IN 2025: 2,575PERMANENT COLLECTION:VANISHING CIRCLES IS A PERMANENT ART COLLECTION COMPRISING 92 ORIGINAL PAINTINGS DEPICTING DISAPPEARING WILDLIFE, PLANTS, AND HABITATS OF THE SONORAN DESERT. IN ADDITION, THE MUSEUM HAS A SMALL PERMANENT COLLECTION OF 49 ART PIECES NAMED THE BALDWIN COLLECTION. WE ALSO HAVE A COLLECTION OF 73 WORKS BY SHERIDAN OMAN, 108 BY MANABU SAITO, AND 68 BY RHONDA SPENCER. IN 2020, WE ACQUIRED A COLLECTION OF 23 ORIGINAL SCRATCHBOARD PIECES BY PRISCILLA BALDWIN DEPICTING ANIMALS FROM THE MUSEUM. THIS COLLECTION IS NOW ON PERMANENT DISPLAY IN THE BALDWIN BUILDING. IN 2024 WE PURCHASED A SCULPTURE FOR THE GROUNDS CALLED "MORE BEES PLEASE" IT SERVES TO CALL AWARENESS TO OUR POLLINATOR GARDENS. IN 2025 THREE MORE PIECES BY PRISCILLA BALDWIN WERE DONATED TO THE COLLECTION.TOTAL PIECES IN THE ART COLLECTION IN 2025: 435GALLERY EXHIBITS:WE HOST 8 TO 12 UNIQUE ART EXHIBITS ANNUALLY IN THE IRONWOOD GALLERY AND BALDWIN EDUCATION GALLERY. THESE ART EXHIBITS SERVE THE MISSION OF THE DESERT MUSEUM BY REVEALING THE BEAUTY OF THE SONORAN HABITAT AND WILDLIFE TO OUR VISITORS THROUGH VISUAL ARTS. IN 2025, WE HAD 51,435 VISITORS IN OUR IRONWOOD GALLERIES AND 4,545 IN OUR BALDWIN GALLERIES. IN TOTAL, WE PRODUCED AND OPENED ELEVEN UNIQUE ART EXHIBITS. THESE LIVE SHOWS ARE AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY ON OUR WEBSITE, MAKING THEM ACCESSIBLE TO AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE.THIRTY-SIX VOLUNTEERS STAFF OUR GALLERIES. THEIR JOB IS TO FACILITATE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN GUESTS AND EXHIBITS; THEY HELP VISITORS DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN ART, SCIENCE, AND CONSERVATION.IN 2025, WE HOSTED A MUSEUM WIDE STEEL SCULPTURE EXHIBITION. THE ARTIST LOANED US THE FOUR INTERACTIVE STEEL SCULPTURES AT NO COST TO THE MUSEUM.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1954.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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