Columbus Zoological Park Association is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Powell, Ohio, registered in 1952, with $87,290,299 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 84% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$87.3M
▼ 2.9% vs prior year
Animals median: $151K
Expenses (FY2023)
$75.8M
Net assets
$279.8M
Employees
348
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Columbus Zoological Park Association: 84% to programs · $4 to raise $100 earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Columbus Zoological Park Association: 44 mo reserves · +13% margin earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Columbus Zoological Park Association: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Columbus Zoological Park Association: 4 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Empowering people. saving wildlife.
Revenue grew from $65.8M (FY2013) to $87.3M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
13.1%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$303.3M
Total liabilities
$23.5M
Net assets
$279.8M
Salaries & benefits
$39.1M
52% of expenses
Board members
25
25 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $87,290,299▼2.9% | $75,836,262▼2.1% | $279,821,563▲5.4% | $303,327,005▲6.0% | 990 |
| 2022 | $89,903,001▼13.0% | $77,482,942▲13.4% | $265,560,297▲3.7% | $286,289,577▲3.9% | 990 |
| 2021 | $103,280,742▲52.9% | $68,322,018▲10.0% | $256,198,671▲17.7% | $275,455,556▲17.9% | 990 |
| 2020 | $67,568,755▼19.6% | $62,133,883▼16.8% | $217,727,050▲3.4% | $233,605,810▼0.4% | 990 |
| 2019 | $84,038,749▼6.0% | $74,644,212▲5.6% | $210,667,704▲4.4% | $234,427,801▲8.1% | 990 |
| 2018 | $89,362,864▲13.3% | $70,700,488▼0.6% | $201,857,098▲9.1% | $216,812,943▲7.3% | 990 |
| 2017 | $78,872,817▲7.6% | $71,124,051▲0.5% | $185,000,725▲6.0% | $202,144,510▲3.9% | 990 |
| 2016 | $73,295,117▲5.5% | $70,748,391▲8.0% | $174,450,017▲2.2% | $194,470,261▲1.1% | 990 |
| 2015 | $69,458,415▲1.0% | $65,482,835▲3.0% | $170,620,343▲2.0% | $192,301,309▼0.2% | 990 |
| 2014 | $68,790,640▲4.5% | $63,566,822▲10.9% | $167,243,589▲3.7% | $192,633,669▼0.1% | 990 |
| 2013 | $65,811,774 | $57,331,746▲5.4% | $161,288,668▲8.3% | $192,823,839▲9.3% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $54,385,108▲5.0% | $148,914,221▲5.6% | $176,447,189▲3.0% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $51,775,078▲10.1% | $141,006,864▲1.9% | $171,350,438▼0.3% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $47,030,075 | $138,368,550 | $171,904,871 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Thomas Schmid — $668,910 (0.88% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Schmid | Chief Executive Officer | 55 | $668,910 |
| Jennifer Ryan | Svp of Operations and Sustainability | 55 | $255,911 |
| Angel Mumma | Svp of Finance | 55 | $253,101 |
| Carman Wirtz | Svp of Human Resources | 55 | $247,388 |
| Jan Ramer | Svp of Animal Care and Conservation | 55 | $237,979 |
| Jennifer Bonifas | Controller/director of Finance | 55 | $218,592 |
| Randall Junge | Vp of Animal Health | 55 | $217,240 |
| Mayme Norman | Vp of Philanthropy | 55 | $189,884 |
| Douglas Warmolts | Vp On Animal Care | 55 | $179,558 |
| Tyler Menke | Vp of Facilities and Planning | 55 | $164,532 |
| Adriana Hastings | Treasurer- Bd of Dir and Appt Bd | 5 | — |
| Brad Dehays | Trustee - Appointed Board | 1 | — |
| Brent Jackson | Trustee - Board of Directors | 1 | — |
| Brian Moore | Trustee - Board of Directors | 1 | — |
| Brian O'mara | Trustee - Board of Directors | 1 | — |
| Daniel P Gusty | Vice Chairperson - Bd of Dir and Appt Bd | 5 | — |
| Ej Wunsch | Trustee - Board of Directors | 1 | — |
| Gary Marcinick | Trustee - Board of Directors | 1 | — |
| Jennifer Massanova | Trustee - Board of Directors | 1 | — |
| John H Mcconnell II | Secretary- Bd of Dir and Appt Bd | 5 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP | Legal Services | $381,385 |
| Jungle Jack Productions | Licensing Services | $150,000 |
| Tolliver & Curl Paving | Paving Services | $135,870 |
| Shumaker Advisors | Lobbying Services | $110,500 |
| Columbus Architectural Studio | Architectural Services | $101,508 |
242 grants to Columbus Zoological Park Association totaling $18.1M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Foundation | Conservation | 2024 | $628,618 |
| The Us Charitable Gift Trust | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2024 | $40,000 |
| Ayco Charitable Foundation | Community & human services | 2024 | $25,000 |
| Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund | General support | 2024 | $15,000 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | Animal protection and welfare | 2024 | $14,000 |
| Houston Zoo Inc | Mission conservation workshop | 2024 | $7,000 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $6,711 |
| Columbus Foundation | Conservation | 2023 | $3,503,946 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2023 | $117,400 |
| Donor Advised Charitable Giving | Environmental and animals | 2023 | $60,751 |
| Ayco Charitable Foundation | Community & human services | 2023 | $37,500 |
| Johnson Charitable Gift Fund | Various programs | 2023 | $13,500 |
| Battelle Memorial Institute | Corporate match | 2023 | $11,933 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2023 | $6,405 |
| Columbus Foundation | Conservation | 2022 | $1,253,949 |
24 grants totaling $3.4M in FY2023 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by Columbus Zoological Park Association →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| International Center For the Preservation of Wild Animals Inc | Animal conservation | $1,650,500 |
| Rewild | Animal conservation | $1,009,600 |
| Mgvp Inc | Animal conservation | $298,983 |
| Turtle Survival Alliance | Animal conservation | $78,600 |
| Research Foundation of the City University of New York | Animal conservation | $73,760 |
| International Elephant Foundation | Animal conservation | $25,001 |
| The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International | Animal conservation | $25,000 |
| Northwestern University | Animal conservation | $20,640 |
| Cheetah Conservation Fund | Animal conservation | $20,000 |
| Save the Manatee Club Inc | Animal conservation | $20,000 |
| Wildlife Conservation Society | Animal conservation | $15,000 |
| Friends of Bonobos | Animal conservation | $11,440 |
| New Nature Foundation | Animal conservation | $10,000 |
| Friends of Bonobos | Animal conservation | $10,000 |
| Giraffe Conservation Foundation USA | Animal conservation | $10,000 |
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Data for Columbus Zoological Park Association (EIN 31-4390844) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.