Illinois · Public charity
Chicago Zoological Society
To inspire conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature.
- $252k
- Granted FY2026(still arriving)
- 4
- Itemized grants FY2026
- 2
- Organizations funded FY2025
- 50%
- First-time grantees FY2025
- Itemized, FY2026
- $113k
- The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
- Median grant, FY2026
- $46,583
- Largest grant, FY2026
- $53,000
- Organizations funded a year
- 1 to 10
- FY2018 to FY2025
- States reached, FY2026
- 4
- Total assets, FY2026
- $330M
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2025, 50% of the organizations Chicago Zoological Society funded were first-time grantees, receiving 28% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2025, 72% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $7k went to new ones.
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
How this is measured
The numbers by year
| Fiscal year | Organizations funded | To those organizations | First-time grantees |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026still arriving | 4 | $113k | 50% |
| FY2025 | 2 | $24k | 50% |
| FY2024 | 3 | $28k | 100% |
| FY2023 | 2 | $185k | 50% |
| FY2022 | 2 | $360k | 100% |
| FY2020 | 1 | $25k | 0% |
| FY2019 | 5 | $106k | 0% |
| FY2018 | 10 | $195k | 50% |
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.
Where its grants go
Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.
Which US states its grants reach
Top grantees
Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2026, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vote Yes for Clean Air Clean Water | $525,000 | 2 | 14% |
| Rewild | $130,000 | 4 | 0% |
| Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation Ohio | $85,500 | 3 | 26% |
| The Vital Ground Foundation Inc | $85,000 | 3 | 1% |
| Global Conservation Network | $62,000 | 3 | 3% |
| The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | $46,583 | 1 | n/a |
| American Humane Association | $45,000 | 2 | 0% |
| Synchronicity Earth USA Inc | $35,000 | 2 | 9% |
| International Elephant Foundation | $30,000 | 3 | 1% |
| American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums Inc | $25,000 | 1 | 0% |
Show all 21 grantees
Where it is load-bearing
Chicago Zoological Society supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 1 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 17 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.
Tap a dot to name the grantee.
How this is measured
Co-funders
Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.
Open a dossier: Columbus Zoological Park Association · Zoological Society of San Diego · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation
How this is measured
About Chicago Zoological Society
- How much does Chicago Zoological Society give?
- Chicago Zoological Society reported 4 itemized grants totaling $112,733, out of $251,674 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2026 IRS filing. It funded between 1 and 10 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2025.
- What does Chicago Zoological Society fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2026, its largest causes are Environment (54%), Animals (45%), Community Improvement (1%).
- Who are Chicago Zoological Society's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2026: Vote Yes for Clean Air Clean Water ($525k), Rewild ($130k), Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation Ohio ($86k).
- Does Chicago Zoological Society fund new organizations?
- In FY2025, 50% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Which funders back the same organizations as Chicago Zoological Society?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include Columbus Zoological Park Association, Zoological Society of San Diego, National Philanthropic Trust.
- Where is Chicago Zoological Society based?
- Chicago Zoological Society is based in IL.
Play a game based on Chicago Zoological Society’s filings →