California › Arts, entertainment and recreation › 250 to 499 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
The Exploratorium Defined Contribution Retirement
Sponsored by The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
In the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, The Exploratorium Defined Contribution Retirement covered 251 participants and held $4.2M in net assets. The plan is a money purchase plan sponsored by The Exploratorium of San Francisco, California.
Net assets came to $16,827 per participant, well below the $48,746 median for defined contribution plans with 250 to 499 participants and well below the $37,341 median for defined contribution plans in arts, entertainment and recreation. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
The filing reports no service provider compensation on Schedule C. That is common where fees are paid by the employer or taken from investment returns, neither of which appears there. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $0.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $6.8M in 2009 to $4.2M in 2024 (down 38%), and participants from 357 to 251 (down 30%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DC plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $16,827 | $48,746 | $37,341 | $53,102 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | — | $2,017 | $1,567 | $2,175 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | — | $141 | $89.78 | $123 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | — | 0.30% | 0.27% | 0.26% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | — | $133 | $83.28 | $116 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants: 250 to 499 participants (17,456 plans), arts, entertainment and recreation (1,025) and all US plans (63,460). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 251 | $4.2M | $16,829 | — | — | $0 |
| 2023 | 261 | $4.2M | $16,042 | — | — | $0 |
| 2022 | 268 | $3.8M | $14,007 | — | — | $29K |
| 2021 | 137 | $9.7M | $70,708 | — | — | $15K |
| 2020 | 142 | $9.2M | $64,979 | $0 | $0 | $38K |
| 2019 | 149 | $8.4M | $56,376 | $0 | $0 | $37K |
| 2018 | 153 | $7.6M | $49,621 | $0 | $0 | $35K |
| 2017 | 455 | $8.1M | $17,855 | $0 | $0 | $31K |
| 2016 | 164 | $7.6M | $46,354 | $0 | $0 | $30K |
| 2015 | 182 | $7.9M | $43,181 | $0 | $0 | $28K |
| 2014 | 191 | $8.2M | $42,916 | $0 | $0 | $28K |
| 2013 | 299 | $8.5M | $28,572 | $0 | $0 | $1,000 |
| 2012 | 273 | $7.4M | $27,066 | $0 | $0 | $1,000 |
| 2011 | 286 | $6.8M | $23,843 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 |
| 2010 | 389 | $7.1M | $18,344 | — | — | $2,000 |
| 2009 | 357 | $6.8M | $19,067 | $443K | — | $6,000 |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$4,187,438
- Employer contributions—
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$0
- Total income, including investment results$426,715
- Benefits paid$386,858
- Administrative expenses$0
- Total expenses$386,858
- Net income$39,857
- Net transfers−$3,794
- Net assets, end of year$4,223,501
Participants
- Active participants106
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits0
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits143
- Participants with account balances182
- Total participants, end of year251
Fees and service providers
No service provider organisations are listed on Schedule C for this plan year.
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$2.5M · 58.2%
- Insurance company general account$1.8M · 41.8%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmArmanino LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $500,000
- Blackout period during the yearNo
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
2CMoney purchase (other than target benefit) plan2FERISA section 404(c) plan2GTotal participant-directed account plan3DPre-approved pension plan2TTotal or partial participant-directed account plan with a default investment account
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 712100: Museums, Historical Sites, & Similar Institutions.
Other plans of The Exploratorium
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| The Exploratorium Retirement Plan | 578 | $48.6M |
Similar plans in California
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamarisk Country Club, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Tamarisk Country Club, Inc. | 251 | $5.8M | $23,249 |
| The Hideaway Club 401(k) Plan | The Hideaway Club Staffing, LLC | 249 | $2.4M | $9,730 |
| ALL3MEDIA USA, Inc. 401(k) Plan | ALL3MEDIA USA, Inc. | 252 | $16.8M | $66,609 |
| Moca 401(k) Plan | The Museum of Contemporary Art | 248 | $5.6M | $22,657 |
| Brentwood Country Club 401 (K) Profit Sharing Plan | Brentwood Country Club | 258 | $9.9M | $38,235 |
| K&M Casinos Inc. 401(k) Plan | K&M Casinos Inc. | 246 | $2.9M | $11,749 |
Defined contribution plans in arts, entertainment and recreation closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is The Exploratorium Defined Contribution Retirement?
251 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 106 were active employees, with net assets of $4,223,501. Among defined contribution plans that places it in the 250 to 499 participants band, which held 17,456 plans in plan year 2024.
What does The Exploratorium contribute per participant?
This filing has no Schedule H financial statement, so employer contributions are not reported here.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports no provider compensation for the year. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $0. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is The Exploratorium. The financial statements were audited by Armanino LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 15 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 94-1696494, plan 001, received 15 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.