SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM

Financials

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 June 30, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

113 HARBOR WAY STE 190, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93109-2344

Principal officer (990 for 2024)

DEAN NOBLE, 113 HARBOR WAY 190, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93109

Signed the 990

DEAN NOBLE, CURRENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Phone

(805) 456-8742

Website

SBMM.ORG

Return prepared by

HUTCHINSON & BLOODGOOD LLP

California records

California keeps its own records of charities and corporations. Search them by EIN 77-0392953 or by the name SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM.

Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers

Registration status and filed reports (CT-TR-1, RRF-1)

Secretary of State, bizfile Online

Corporation status, entity number, agent for service

Franchise Tax Board

Entity status letter (state tax exemption, good standing)

Mission

CREATING EXCELLENT EXHIBITS AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT CELEBRATE THE SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL AND ILLUMINATE OUR RICH CONNECTIONS WITH THE SEA.

Program accomplishments

• CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY TO MARITIME HERITAGE: EXHIBITSTHE SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM'S PURPOSE IS TO PRESERVE AND PRESENT TO THE PUBLIC THE MARITIME HERITAGE OF CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST, WHILE PROVIDING AN ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM TO STUDY AND RECORD HUMAN INTERACTION WITH THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT. THE MUSEUM'S MISSION STATEMENT IS CREATING QUALITY EXHIBITS AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT CELEBRATE THE SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL AND ILLUMINATE OUR RICH CONNECTIONS WITH THE SEA. THE MUSEUM'S EXHIBITS, BOTH PERMANENT AND ROTATING, HIGHLIGHT THE LOCAL MARITIME HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA CENTRAL COAST AND GIVE VISITORS AND LOCALS A SENSE OF SANTA BARBARA'S 13,000-YEAR MARITIME HISTORY. EXHIBITS HONOR PEOPLE SUCH AS COMMERCIAL DIVERS, COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN, AND LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS WHO, THROUGH EVERYDAY ACTIONS, ENRICH OUR LIVES TODAY. THE SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM (SBMM) RECEIVES OVER 40,000 VISITORS ANNUALLY AND FOCUSES ON INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS AND HANDS-ON EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING. IN 2020 SBMM RECEIVED A 10-YEAR ACCREDITATION FROM THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS (AAM), PLACING IT INTO THE TOP ECHELON OF MUSEUMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OF THE MORE THAN 35,000 MUSEUMS IN THE UNITED STATES, FEWER THAN 1,250 ARE CURRENTLY ACCREDITED BY AAM. IN FISCAL YEAR 2025 THE MUSEUM ALSO COMPLETED THE FOURTH YEAR OF ITS 5-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH PROVIDES STAFF AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS THE TOOLS TO NAVIGATE THE FUTURE COURSE OF THE MUSEUM. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025 SBMM DISPLAYED "ANCHORED IN THE COMMUNITY," "COASTAL MOMENTS," FEATURING TEN LOCAL PLEIN AIRE ARTISTS, "ABOVE YOUR DREAMS," FEATURING PAINTINGS BY KEVIN SHORT, "MAJESTIC CALIFORNIA PIERS," FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN MERKEL AND BILL DEWEY, AND "THE SWIFTEST RECOVERY: ISLAND FOX CHRONICLES," FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHUCK GRAHAM. THE MUSEUM ALSO UPGRADED ITS "PERISCOPE" EXHIBIT. THE MUSEUM ALSO SERVED AS THE FISCAL AGENT FOR THE DEEPWATER DIVING MONUMENT,WHICH WAS UNVEILED ON APRIL 5, 2025, AND RECENTLY WON A SANTA BARBARA BEAUTIFUL AWARD.
  Expenses $1,345,627 · revenue $117,653
• EDUCATIONTHE MUSEUM'S EDUCATION PROGRAMMING CONTINUES TO EXPAND, NOW PROVIDING PROGRAMS FOR ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ACROSS SANTA BARBARA COUNTY AND BEYOND. IN THE PAST FEW YEARS PROGRAMMING HAS EXPANDED TO LOMPOC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN CARPINTERIA, IN ADDITION TO HAVING SCHOOLS FROM BAKERSFIELD AND VENTURA COUNTY VISIT. IN FY2025 SBMM SERVED 4,813 STUDENTS THROUGH 146 PROGRAMS AND 2,434 ADULTS THROUGH 50 PROGRAMS. SBMM SERVES AS THE FISCAL AGENT FOR THE SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL WHALE HERITAGE AREA (SBCWHA), WHICH BECAME THE NINTH SUCH DESIGNATED AREA AND ONLY THE SECOND IN THE UNITED STATES. THE MUSEUM'S WHALES ARE SUPERHEROES! PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES BOTH INSTRUCTION AND AN ART ACTIVITY TO SHOW HOW WHALES HELP WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, HELPS FULFILL THE SBCWHA'S EDUCATION ROLE. THE MUSEUM'S NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED MARITIME ON THE MOVE (MOTM) PROGRAM HAS WON NUMEROUS AWARDS, INCLUDING: BEING NAMED A FINALIST IN THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS 2021 EDCOM AWARD FOR INNOVATION AND EDUCATION AWARD PANDEMIC EDITION, BEING AWARDED THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS CALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY SECRETARYS PUBLIC EDUCATION AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY, BEING ASKED BY THE COUNCIL OF AMERICAN MARITIME MUSEUMS TO PRESENT ABOUT THE PROGRAM AT THEIR 2021 NATIONAL CONFERENCE, AND RECEIVED THE EPIC AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION. THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN SBMM EDUCATION PROGRAMS ATTEND UNDER-RESOURCED PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY THAT QUALIFY FOR TITLE I FUNDING AND SERVE LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. ADULTS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS INCLUDE A MONTHLY LECTURE SERIES, MUSEUM TOURS, AND A DOCENT PROGRAM. THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF SBMM BOARD MEMBER ROGER CHRISMAN AND HIS WIFE SARAH, THE MUSEUM NOW HAS ACCESS TO THE TALL SHIP MYSTIC WHALER, ALLOWING YOUNG STUDENTS TO EXPERIENCE OPEN-OCEAN SAILING BASED ON THE 1830'S EXPERIENCE OF RICHARD HENRY DANA, JR. STUDENTS GAIN A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF THE 19TH CENTURY LIVES OF THOSE THAT BROUGHT CARGO AROUND THE WORLD AND HAD THE SAME RESPONSIBILITIES THAT PERSIST INTO THE 21ST CENTURY. THEY EXERCISED THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF MATH, PHYSICS, HISTORY, AND ENGINEERING TO PRACTICE TRADITIONAL SKILLS SUCH AS NAVIGATION AND MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE. IN SEPTEMBER 2024 SBMM CONTINUED TO EXPAND ITS GIRLS IN OCEAN SCIENCE PROGRAM FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL FEMALES. BOTH GROUPS GOT TO GO OUT ON THE OCEAN, WORKING WITH FEMALE NATURALISTS AND SCIENTISTS, INCLUDING THOSE FROM UCSB'S JENN CASELLE LAB, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON MARINE CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH. THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PERFORMED HANDS ON EXPERIMENTS ABOARD THE NOAA RESEARCH VESSEL SHEARWATER WITH THEIR CREW. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO INSPIRE THESE YOUNG LADIES TO GO TO COLLEGE AND PURSUE STUDIES AND CAREERS IN VARIOUS OCEAN RELATED FIELDS. WHALES ARE SUPERHEROES! COMPLEMENTED SBMMS PERMANENT EXHIBIT OF THE SAME NAME. SBMM SENDS STAFF AND NATURALISTS TO CLASSROOMS COUNTYWIDE TO SHOW HOW WHALES HELP WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, AND INCLUDES AN ART COMPONENT TAUGHT BY SONDRA WEISS. STUDENTS LEARN TO APPRECIATE THE ROLE WHALES PLAY IN PROVIDING OXYGEN TO OUR PLANET, HELPING OUR OCEANS PROVIDE MORE OF THE AIR WE BREATHE EACH DAY THAN TREES DO.
  Expenses $351,646 · revenue $30,746

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 June, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

77-0392953

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

1995

Accounting year ends

June

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Arts, culture and humanities (A540)

Assets (IRS master file)

$5,793,195

Income (IRS master file)

$4,265,441

Filing history

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 77-0392953).

Questions about SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM

What is the EIN of SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM?

The employer identification number (EIN) of SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM is 77-0392953.

Is SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1995.

Are donations to SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM 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 SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM due?

The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending June 30, 2026) is due November 16, 2026. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended June 2025.

Who is the principal officer of SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM?

The 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 names DEAN NOBLE.

Who are the officers and directors of SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM?

The 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 lists 22 people; 2 received compensation from the organization, the highest $154,806 (GREG GORGA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR).

How much revenue does SANTA BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUM have?

On its 990 for the year ended June 30, 2025 it reported revenue of $2,969,219, expenses of $2,391,259 and total assets of $5,793,195 at year end.

Other nonprofits in SANTA BARBARA

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• SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INC
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• SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
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• SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
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• MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST
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• SANTA BARBARA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION
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• LOBERO THEATRE FOUNDATION
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All nonprofits in SANTA BARBARA · California · Arts, culture and humanities