Nonprofit · EIN 58-6028607
FERNBANK INC
Also known as FERNBANK MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Tax-exempt · ATLANTA, GA 30307
Financials
| Year ended | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Net income | Total assets | Liabilities | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | 990 | $18,610,497 | $15,216,098 | $3,394,399 | $46,819,968 | $2,160,863 | $44,659,105 |
| December 31, 2023 | 990 | $13,439,740 | $14,811,207 | -$1,371,467 | $44,053,651 | $2,346,966 | $41,706,685 |
Financial details: 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024
Revenue
- Contributions, gifts and grants
- $9,866,796
- Membership dues
- $1,731,949
- Program service revenue
- $4,735,317
- Investment income
- $1,495,257
- Net gain from sales of assets
- $845,620
- Net income from fundraising events
- -$102,114
- Net income from sales of inventory
- $2,545,885
- Other revenue
- $2,513,127
Expenses
- Grants and similar amounts paid
- $124,480
- Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
- $966,706
- Other salaries and wages
- $4,027,710
- Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
- $5,826,565
- Professional fundraising fees
- $157,270
- Accounting fees
- $59,500
- Occupancy
- $1,193,984
- Depreciation
- $3,630,745
- Program services (functional)
- $10,561,144
- Management and general (functional)
- $3,685,871
- Fundraising (functional)
- $969,083
Balance sheet and other
- Total assets, start of year
- $44,053,651
- Total assets, end of year
- $46,819,968
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $2,160,863
- Net assets, end of year
- $44,659,105
- Land, buildings and equipment
- $19,436,912
- Publicly traded securities
- $7,459,184
- Net assets without donor restrictions
- $25,902,245
- Net assets with donor restrictions
- $18,756,858
- Gross unrelated business income
- $1,065,118
- Gross receipts
- $22,463,526
- Employees
- 186
- Volunteers
- 394
- Year formed
- 1939
- State of legal domicile
- GA
From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.
Officers, directors and key employees
As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024, highest compensation first.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Grant-Warner | President & CEO Officer | 50 | $383,370 | $18,378 |
| Catherine Nowell | EVP & CFO Officer | 50 | $226,574 | $22,065 |
| Dana Harvey | VP & CTO Officer | 50 | $137,885 | $22,576 |
| Leslie Marlowe | VP & Chief Advancement Officer Officer | 50 | $137,096 | $15,183 |
| Bobbi Hohmann | VP of Programming & Collection Highest-paid employee | 50 | $108,602 | $15,909 |
| Brandi Berry | VP of Marketing Highest-paid employee | 50 | $109,564 | $14,776 |
| Jennifer Yard | VP Sales & Events Highest-paid employee | 50 | $111,625 | $12,419 |
| Justin Antoine | VP of Finance & Security Highest-paid employee | 50 | $107,491 | $13,430 |
| Mark S Berry | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Philipp Biechteler | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Laura J Brown | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Liz Broadway Brown | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Farah Cook | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Chris Courts | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Kate Denny | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
30 more people on this return
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audra Dial | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Ryan S Dunlap | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Jennifer Ellis | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Teresa M Finley | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Neale Fisher | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Louis Gump | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Amisha Kotte | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Ellen Langford Hayes | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Laurie Hood | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Dana Hudson | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Crawford Jones | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Andrea M Kauffman | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| John Nastopoulos | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Cherie O'Reilly | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Rakhee Parikh | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Ashley Peterson | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Sean Richards | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Aaron Ribner | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Jerome Roberts | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Natasha Swann | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Erin T Weis | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| C Christian Wooten | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| S Zachry Young | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Kerry Hogan | BOARD MEMBER Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Walker Inman | BOARD MEMBER Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Michelle Jackson | BOARD MEMBER Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Chantel Lanier | BOARD MEMBER Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Kevin Peak | BOARD MEMBER Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Cederic Young | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Andrew Gore | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2023: 43 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Grant-Warner | President & CEO Officer | 50 | $378,750 | $13,402 |
| Catherine Nowell | EVP & CFO Officer | 50 | $222,210 | $21,480 |
| Dana Harvey | VP & CTO Officer | 50 | $142,024 | $19,845 |
| Leslie Marlowe | VP & Chief Advancement Officer Officer | 50 | $131,544 | $12,809 |
| Bobbi Hohmann | VP of Programming & Collection Highest-paid employee | 50 | $110,210 | $15,173 |
| Jennifer Yard | VP Sales & Events Highest-paid employee | 50 | $110,723 | $11,455 |
| Brandi Berry | VP of Marketing Highest-paid employee | 50 | $108,264 | $12,937 |
| Justin Antoine | VP of Finance & Security Highest-paid employee | 50 | $107,670 | $12,617 |
| Mark S Berry | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Philipp Biechteler | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Laura J Brown | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Liz Broadway Brown | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Farah Cook | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Chris Courts | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Sherri Crawford | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Kate Denny | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Audra Dial | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Ryan S Dunlap | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Jennifer Ellis | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Jason B Ferguson | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Teresa M Finley | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Neale Fisher | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Louis Gump | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Wab P Kadaba | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Amisha Kotte | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Ellen Langford Hayes | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Laurie Hood | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Dana Hudson | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Crawford Jones | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Anisa Telwar Kaicker | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Andrea M Kauffman | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| John Nastopoulos | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Cherie O'Reilly | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Rakhee Parikh | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Ashley Peterson | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Sean Richards | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Aaron Ribner | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Jerome Roberts | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Caryl Smith | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Natasha Swann | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Erin T Weis | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| C Christian Wooten | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| S Zachry Young | Board Member Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
Address and contacts
- Address (IRS master file)
- 767 CLIFTON RD NE, ATLANTA, GA 30307-1221
- In care of
- % CATHERINE A NOWELL
- Principal officer (990 for 2024)
- Catherine A Nowell, 767 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 303071221
- Signed the 990
- Catherine Nowell, EVP & CFO
- Phone
- (404) 929-6344
- Website
- www.fernbankmuseum.org
- Return prepared by
- SMITH & HOWARD ADVISORY LLC
Mission
FERNBANK MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY INSPIRES A LIFELONG LEARNING OF NATURAL HISTORY THROUGH IMMERSIVE PROGRAMMING AND UNMATCHED EXPERIENCES TO ENCOURAGE A GREATER APPRECIATION OF OUR PLANET AND ITS INHABITANTS. FERNBANK IS DEDICATED TO STIMULATING AN INTEREST IN SCIENCE, THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN CULTURE; RECONNECTING PEOPLE TO NATURE; AND RESTORING A SENSE OF WONDER IN THE NATURAL WORLD. FERNBANK VIEWS NATURAL HISTORY AS A STARTLINGLY CONTEMPORARY SUBJECT MATTER, ENCOMPASSING TWO OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ISSUES OF OUR TIME--THE DIVERSITY OF OUR ENVIRONMENT AND THE DIVERSITY OF HUMAN CULTURE. FERNBANK PRESENTS THE CONCEPTS OF PHYSICAL, EARTH, LIFE AND SOCIAL SCIENCES IN AN INTERACTIVE AND ENGAGING ENVIRONMENT THROUGH A VARIETY OF PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS, SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS, GIANT SCREEN FILMS AND SIGNATURE PROGRAMS. AS AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION, FERNBANK SUPPORTS A VISITOR'S INTRINSIC DESIRE TO LEARN. OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD A MORE-INFORMED CITIZENRY, SCIENTIFICALLY AND CULTURALLY, THAT PLA
Program accomplishments
- Exhibits and large-screen films: Fernbank Museum offers a variety of interdisciplinary exhibits and documentary films that expose visitors to science, nature and human culture. Fernbank presented blockbuster special exhibits including: Armored Animals, A Mirror Maze: Numbers in Nature, and; and popular seasonal exhibits including Forest Forms and Winter Wonderland: Celebrations & Traditions from Around the World and Spiders: From Fear to Fascination. Fernbank's Giant Screen Theater continued to provide state-of-the-art 4K digital projection. Films shown included Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia, The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness, Cities of the Future, Flight of the Butterflies, Fungi, Into America's Wild, Jane Goodall: Reasons of Hope, Superhuman Body: World of Medical Marvels, and T. Rex. Exhibits and films are key attendance drivers, create brand awareness, and strengthen both the mission and business model. Last year, they helped attract 419,000 visitors to Fernbank, a 3% increase over prior year and demonstrating a continued demand for the Fernbank experience.Expenses $8,896,171 · grants $124,480 · revenue $5,959,782
- Fernbank is committed to offering the highest-quality educational programming that complements a visit, supports in-school learning and reaches new audiences. Programs are designed for a variety of guests at all stages of life, including adults, families, and school children. Fernbank presented a broad array of family enrichment programs, including the popular Family Discovery Days; seasonal camps; and STEAM-Powered Communities, an educational initiative that includes a robust portfolio of school programs including K-12 Exploratory Science Classes, CORE (Connecting, Observing, Researching Ecosystems) ecology programs, Science Explorers at Agape, and Fernbank on the GO! community outreach. In addition, Fernbank presented evening programs including Fernbank After Dark, a monthly adult science night; Fernbank, But Later to provide after hour access for all ages; and WildWoods: AGLOW, a multi-sensory nighttime experience. All exhibits, films and school programs exceed Georgia Standards of Excellence, enhance classroom learning and bring science to life through dynamic and stimulating experiences.Expenses $1,043,056
- Strategic Initiatives: Guided by a 5-year strategic plan, Fernbank is advancing new education and strategic initiatives that showcase the latest global science and our dynamic planet. The strategic plan embraced a new mission to ignite a passion for science, nature and human culture through exploration and discovery; introduced these core values-Science and the natural world inspire us; Curiosity drives us; Inclusivity strengthens us; Community empowers us; Resourcefulness advances us; and Integrity grounds us; and, established these stated goals and strategies-Be known as the place for science, nature and culture; Modernize our experiences to serve the needs and expectations of our community; Expand and diversify our reach to reflect the vibrancy and multi-cultural heritage of our shared community; and Strengthen our financial base so Fernbank thrives for future generations. In fulfillment of the strategic plan goals, Fernbank launched THRIVE: The Nature of Change, a $25 Million capital campaign to build a new anchor exhibit, 'Changing Earth,' new immersive galleries; and a second passenger elevator. Fernbank raised nearly $28 million toward the campaign goal and has moved to the project implementation phase. Successful completion will improve the guest experience, attract new audiences, and reinforce our commitment to people of all abilities, identities, and backgrounds.Expenses $621,917 · revenue $256,302
What it must file and when
IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.
| Tax year | Year ended | Due | IRS public records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | December 31, 2025 | May 15, 2026 | Not on file |
| 2024 | December 31, 2024 | May 15, 2025 | 990 on file |
| 2023 | December 31, 2023 | May 15, 2024 | 990 on file |
IRS record
- EIN
- 58-6028607
- Tax-exempt status
- 501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
- Foundation status
- Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))
- Donations deductible (Pub 78)
- Public charity, 50% deduction limit
- Exempt since
- 1942
- Accounting year ends
- December
- Files
- Form 990 or 990-EZ
- Category (NTEE)
- Arts, culture and humanities (A56)
- Assets (IRS master file)
- $46,819,968
- Income (IRS master file)
- $22,463,526
Filing history
| Form | Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | December 2024 | $18,610,497 | $15,216,098 | $46,819,968 | IRS |
| 990-T | December 2024 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2023 | $13,439,740 | $14,811,207 | $44,053,651 | XML |
| 990-T | December 2023 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2022 | $13,747,944 | $12,363,893 | $44,468,490 | IRS |
| 990-T | December 2022 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990-T | December 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990-T | December 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2019 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2018 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2017 | – | – | – | IRS |
990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 58-6028607).
Questions about FERNBANK INC
- What is the EIN of FERNBANK INC?
- The employer identification number (EIN) of FERNBANK INC is 58-6028607.
- Is FERNBANK INC tax-exempt?
- Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1942.
- Are donations to FERNBANK INC tax-deductible?
- Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
- Which annual return does FERNBANK INC file?
- Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.
- When is the next return of FERNBANK INC due?
- The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending December 31, 2025) is due May 15, 2026. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
- When did FERNBANK INC last file with the IRS?
- The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2024.
- Who is the principal officer of FERNBANK INC?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 names Catherine A Nowell.
- Who are the officers and directors of FERNBANK INC?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 lists 45 people; 8 received compensation from the organization, the highest $383,370 (Jennifer Grant-Warner, President & CEO).
- How much revenue does FERNBANK INC have?
- On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2024 it reported revenue of $18,610,497, expenses of $15,216,098 and total assets of $46,819,968 at year end.
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