Bay Org
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
BAY ECOTARIUM IS THE LARGEST NON-PROFIT 501(C)(3) WATERSHED CONSERVATION GROUP IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA COMMITTING TO GLOBAL CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND OCEAN CONSERVATION, INSPIRING ACTIONABLE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP LOCALLY, AND PROTECTING AND PRESERVING BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEMS, FROM SIERRA TO THE SEA.
- Income
- $8.0 million
- Spending
- $9.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- -12.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 80%
- Employees
- 80
- Volunteers
- 143
- Highest pay
- $263,363, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 20 out of 100. Higher than 1% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 293% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 15% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 14% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 23 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 20% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave 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
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 December 31, 2024, 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 (4)
- $6.9 million spent. PROGRAM #1: EXHIBITSBAY.ORG, WHICH OPERATES THE AQUARIUM OF THE BAY. IT IS THE ONLY SMITHSONIAN AFFILIATED AQUARIUM IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. IT PROVIDES APPROXIMATELY 500,000 VISITORS EACH YEAR WITH EXPERIENCES THAT EDUCATE AND INSPIRE CONSERVATION OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND ITS WATERSHED. IT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 364 DAYS A YEAR. THE AQUARIUM DISPLAYS ABOUT 24,000 LOCAL MARINE AND TERRESTRIAL ANIMALS IN THEMED GALLERIES THAT FOCUS ON THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND REGIONAL HABITATS. THE AQUARIUM ADDRESSES RELEVANT ISSUES IN MARINE CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE WITH EXHIBITRY IN SEVEN GALLERIES. THE GALLERIES FOCUS ON DISCOVERING THE BAY, HABITATS OF LOCAL FISH, INVERTEBRATES, AND ALGAE, AND INCLUDES INFORMATION ON NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARIES. THE JELLIES GO WITH THE FLOW GALLERY DISPLAYS SIX SPECIES OF JELLYFISH ALONG WITH INFORMATION ON THEIR BIOLOGY, HABITATS, AND CONSERVATION. THE NEARSHORE TUNNEL GALLERY IS A 300-FOOT WALK-THROUGH TUNNEL FEATURING FISH AND INVERTEBRATES FOUND IN THE SHALLOWER WATERS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. THE OCTOPUS AND FRIENDS GALLERY EXHIBITS OCTOPUS, CRABS, ROCKFISH, TURBAN SNAILS, AND OTHER INTERESTING INVERTEBRATES. THE SHARKS OF ALCATRAZ IS A 300-FOOT ACRYLIC TUNNEL DISPLAY FOCUSED ON LOCAL SHARKS, SKATES, RAYS, AND STURGEON. THE BAY LAB GALLERY FEATURES FISH, REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS, AND SMALL MAMMALS. IN THIS GALLERY, ALL OF THE ANIMAL DISPLAYS AND INTERACTIVES ARE DESIGNED TO EDUCATE VISITORS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE DEVASTATING EFFECT IT HAS ON ANIMAL POPULATIONS. THE FINAL DISPLAY THAT VISITORS ENCOUNTER ARE THE RIVER OTTERS. WATERSHED AMBASSADORS GALLERY, LIVE RIVER OTTERS, EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC GRAPHICS, AND STAFF PRESENTATIONS COMPLETE THE GUEST EXPERIENCE.
- $425,692 spent. PROGRAM #2: EDUCATIONBAY.ORG PROVIDES A VARIETY OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS FROM SCHOOL GROUPS, YOUTH GROUPS, FAMILIES, SCOUT TROOPS, AND VISITORS OF ALL AGES. EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE ON THE AQUARIUM OF THE BAY PREMISES, AT SCHOOLS, AT THE SEA LION CENTER LOCATED AT PIER 39, AND AT THE ECOCENTER AT HERON'S HEAD PARK. THROUGH THE MANY K-12 PROGRAMS OFFERED AT THESE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, BAY.ORG OFFERS FREE EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR MORE THAN 20,000 STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND CHAPERONES ANNUALLY. THESE EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED AT SCHOOLS WITHIN THE NINE BAY AREA COUNTIES (SAN FRANCISCO, SAN MATEO, SANTA CLARA, ALAMEDA, CONTRA COSTA, MARIN, SONOMA, NAPA, AND SOLANO). THESE CLASSES AND TOURS ARE INQUIRY-BASED, HANDS-ON, AND IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT ARE AGE-APPROPRIATE AND LINKED WITH NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS) FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE. THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS TAKING PART IN THE BAY.ORG FREE EDUCATION PROGRAMS HAS INCREASED EACH YEAR SINCE 2001. ADDITIONALLY, BAY.ORG OFFERS TEACHER WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS ENCOURAGING TEACHERS TO ENGAGE THEIR STUDENTS FURTHER ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR EDUCATION PROGRAM. BAY.ORG'S EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ALSO OFFERS EVENING AND WEEKEND SLEEPOVER PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH AND SCOUT GROUPS. FOR SCOUT GROUPS, THE SLEEPOVER ACTIVITIES HELP FULFILL BADGE REQUIREMENTS. THE SEA LION CENTER, LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE PIER 39'S K-DOCK AND HOME OF THE WORLD-FAMOUS SEA LIONS, OFFERS FREE INTERPRETIVE AND K-12 CLASSROOM PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITS. THESE PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITS FOCUS ON THE CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS, THEIR HISTORY AT PIER 39, AS WELL AS WHAT EVERYONE CAN DO TO HELP THESE CHARISMATIC MAMMALS SURVIVE IN THEIR THREATENED HABITAT. AS PART OF THE BAY.ORG FREE EDUCATION PROGRAMS DESCRIBED ABOVE AT THE SEA LION CENTER, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS CAN PARTICIPATE IN A VARIETY OF AGE-APPROPRIATE HOUR-LONG CLASSROOM PROGRAMS. ADDITIONALLY, THE CENTER IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC VISIT FOR FREE FROM 10 AM - 5 PM DURING THE SUMMER SEASON, AND 10 AM - 4 PM AT ALL OTHER TIMES OF THE YEAR. VISITORS AT THE SEA LION CENTER CAN VIEW EXHIBITS, TOUCH SEA LION PELTS AND LEARN FROM A NATURALIST WHO PROVIDES PRESENTATIONS HOURLY DURING SUMMER MONTHS. NATURALIST ARE ALSO STATIONED AT K-DOCK WITH AN INTERPRETIVE CART OF ARTIFACTS AND BINOCULARS TO ANSWER GUEST QUESTIONS. BAY.ORG PARTNERED WITH A BAY MODEL VISITOR CENTER, AN EDUCATION CENTER ADMINISTERED BY THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, TO FORM THE BAY MODEL ALLIANCE. THROUGH THIS ALLIANCE, BAY.ORG OFFERS ENHANCED EDUCATION PROGRAMS ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN RIVER DELTA SYSTEM. THE ECOCENTER OF HERON'S HEAD PARK BECAME A NEW DIVISION OF BAY.ORG IN MARCH 2014. THE ECOCENTER IS AN INCREDIBLE SPACE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, PUBLIC OUTREACH, AND CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH THE BEAUTY OF SAN FRANCISCO'S WILD LANDSCAPES. IT REPRESENTS SAN FRANCISCO'S BEST EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO ADVERSE HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT. IT IS A MODEL FOR GREEN BUILDING, SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE CENTER, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING. THE ECOCENTER IS FREE TO VISIT AND OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC 4 DAYS PER WEEK, WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. PROGRAMMING INCLUDES COLLEGE INTERNSHIPS IN COLLABORATION WITH CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO, AS WELL AS WEEKLY SCIENCE SATURDAY PROGRAMS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS. IT ALSO PROVIDES FREE TOURS AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN SCHOOL, YOUTH AND ADULT GROUPS.
- $332,386 spent. PROGRAM #3: FIELD CONSERVATIONTHE SAN FRANCISCO BAY HAS BEEN ALTERED DRASTICALLY FROM THE PRISTINE ESTUARY THAT EXISTED IN THE 1800S. HUNDREDS OF MILES OF EARTHEN DIKES BUILT AROUND THE BAY'S SALT MARSHES SERVED THEIR CONNECTION TO ITS TIDEWATERS. THE DIKED MARSHES WERE DRAINED AND CONVERTED TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS. THEIR SIZE WAS REDUCED BY ONE THIRD. AS A RESULT OF THIS WETLAND DESTRUCTION, THE BAY'S BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTIVITY PLUMMETED. ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS OF BAY.ORG IS TO EXPAND AND ACCELERATE THE EFFORT TO PROTECT AND RESTORE MANY OF THE WETLANDS THAT WERE DRAINED. FURTHER, BAY.ORG EMPLOYS SCIENTIFIC AND POLICY EXPERTISE TO PROMOTE REFORMS IN THE WAY CALIFORNIA MANAGES ITS WATER SUPPLIES AND PROTECTS THE ECOLOGICAL VALUES OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY-DELTA ESTUARY AND ITS WATERSHED. IN ADDITION, TO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND ITS WATERSHED, BAY.ORG IS ENGAGED IN RESTORING THE RELATED COASTAL AND NEAR-SHORE OCEAN AREAS.
- BAY MODEL ALLIANCE
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 2009.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.