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· Public charity

Friends of the Zoo Inc of Kansas City Missouri C/O Linda Falk

The kansas city zoo & aquarium connects all people to each other and the natural world to promote understanding, appreciation, and conservation.

$506k
Granted FY2024still arriving
7
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$22k
Largest
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Animals$678kEnvironment$70k
02FY2024 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 7 grants below total $112,200, the rows itemized in this filing. The $506,223 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $394,023 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $7k
  • $10k–50k6 grants · $105k
$20,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$37M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
MARINE MAMMAL CENTER$22,000
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM$20,000
INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION$20,000
MARINE MEGFAUNA FOUNDATION$20,000
POLAR BEARS INTERNATIONAL$13,100
REWILD$10,000
SAVE GIRAFFES NOW$7,100
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 69% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%CONSERVATION PLANNING SPECIALIST GROUP: $11k → 6%JACK PRIMATE SANCTUARY: $6k → 8%MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $22k → 8%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: $20k → 12%WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY: $9k → 28%REWILD: $10k → 10%SAVE GIRAFFES NOW: $7k → 14%RARE SPECIES CONSERVATORY FOUNDATION: $10k → 11%FRIENDS OF THE ZOO OF KANSAS CITY FOUNDATION: $150k → 15%ST LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATION: $20k → 21%INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION: $20k → 9%PAN AFRICAN SANCTUARY ALLIANCE: $5k → 12%AZA: $15k → 8%MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $13k → 8%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: $15k → 12%REWILD: $10k → 10%MARINE MEGFAUNA FOUNDATION: $20k → 11%ST LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATION: $20k → 21%INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION: $14k → 9%ZOO CONSERVATION OUTREACH GRANT: $10k → 8%MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $12k → 8%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: $15k → 12%MARINE MEGFAUNA FOUNDATION: $20k → 11%ST LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATION: $20k → 21%INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION: $13k → 9%ZOO CONSERVATION OUTREACH GRANT: $7k → 8%MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $12k → 8%ST LOUIS ZOO: $20k → 21%MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $12k → 8%ST LOUIS ZOO: $19k → 21%MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $11k → 8%ST LOUIS ZOO: $17k → 21%MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $10k → 8%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

MT
MN
WI
NY
OR
CA
MO
MD
TX
FL

Grants abroad, by region: $143k on the FY2024 return

Schedule F, as filed: 3 regions. The IRS asks for region and purpose, not the recipient, so no country or grantee can be named here.

Sub-Saharan Africa$64k · 45% · 2 grants
East Asia and the Pacific$49k · 34% · 1 grant
South America$30k · 21% · 2 grants
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving. Grants abroad on Schedule F are filed by region, purpose and amount with no recipient name, so they are shown by region and cannot be placed on the country map or matched to a grantee.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

71%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$528k · 10 repeat orgs$220k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +66% since the first grant, against +57% for those funded once.

10 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
8

Total granted

$528k
$213k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+66%
+57%

Still filing today

90%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $7k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
AnimalsInternationalOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • TM
    THE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER
    7× · 2018–2024 · $92k · revenue +93%
  • IE
    INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATION
    5× · 2017–2021 · $81k · revenue +70%
  • PB
    POLAR BEARS INTERNATIONAL
    6× · 2017–2024 · $65k · revenue +173%

Funded once

  • FO
    FRIENDS OF THE ZOO OF KANSAS CITY FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $150k · revenue +76% · 35% of their budget
  • AA
    AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOLOGICAL PARKS AND AQUARIUMS INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $15k · revenue +83%
  • GC
    GLOBAL CONSERVATION NETWORKgraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $11k · revenue +31%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Zoo Outreach Organisation

Wildlife conservation, research and education.

Environment
2
International Primate Protection League

Protecting the world's remaining primates by monitoring and exposing illegal trade, supporting a worldwide network of overseas sanctuaries and ngo's, publicising the plight of abused primates, and operating a sanctuary for resued gibbons.

Animals
3
Conservation Society of California

Through management of oakland zoo, the conservation society of california deepens connection with animals, saves wildlife, and inspires champions for the natural world.

Animals
4
Rainforest Trust

Rainforest trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

International
5
Wild Earth Allies Inc

Our mission is to protect vital areas of our planet for wildlife and people through local conservation action. Our vision is a world where wildlife and people flourish in healthy ecosystems that sustain us all.

Environment
6
Wildlife Sos

Protecting india's precious wildlife from poaching, habitat loss, and human exploitation since 1995.

Animals
7
Worlds Aquarium

Marine Conservation

—
8
Oak Creek Zoological Conservatory
Animals
9
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Inc

The Fossey Fund is dedicated to the conservation and study of gorillas in Africa through a successful, people-centered approach: 1) Providing daily protection to gorillas, 2) Scientific research providing critical data on gorillas and…

—
10
Asia Wild

Asia Wild is committed to rescuing and protecting the welfare of animals worldwide. They support small, locally-focused organizations that tirelessly combat numerous issues that threaten wildlife survival, including poaching, abuse,…

Animals
11
World Wildlife Fund Inc

Wwf's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. (continued on schedule o)

Environment
12
Endangered Species International

Endangered Species International is strongly committed to reversing the trend of human-induced species extinction, saving endangered animals, and preserving wild places.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums Inc; the most unlike its peers is International Crane Foundation Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

18 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 18 of the 19 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
18/18
Grantees still filing
14/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

FRIENDS OF THE ZOO OF KANSAS CITY FOUNDATION: $150,000 · AnimalsFRIENDS OF THE ZOO OF KANSAS CITY FOUNDATIONTHE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $92,073 · AnimalsTHE MARINE MAMMAL CENTERINTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATION: $81,116 · AnimalsINTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATIONPOLAR BEARS INTERNATIONAL: $65,122 · AnimalsPOLAR BEARS INTERNATIONALTHE SAINT LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATION: $60,678 · AnimalsTHE SAINT LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATIONMONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION: $50,000 · AnimalsMONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATIONINTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION INC: $46,800 · AnimalsINTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION INC+9 more: $89,880 · Animals+9 moreST LOUIS ZOOLOGICAL PARK: $56,327 · OtherST LOUIS Z…ZOO CONSERVATION OUTREACH GROUP INC: $16,000 · OtherZOO CONSER…MARINE MEGAFAUNA FOUNDATION: $40,000 · International
Animals$635,669Other$72,327International$40,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetFRIENDS OF THE ZOO OF KANSAS CITY FOUNDATION: $150,000 over 1y, 35% of budgetTHE MARINE MAMMAL CENTER: $92,073 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetINTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATION: $81,116 over 5y, 2.5% of budgetPOLAR BEARS INTERNATIONAL: $65,122 over 6y, 0.5% of budgetTHE SAINT LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATION: $60,678 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetINTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION INC: $46,800 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMARINE MEGAFAUNA FOUNDATION: $40,000 over 2y, 2.5% of budgetREWILD: $20,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetZOO CONSERVATION OUTREACH GROUP INC: $16,000 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOLOGICAL PARKS AND AQUARIUMS INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGLOBAL CONSERVATION NETWORK: $10,500 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetWildlife Conservation Society: $8,780 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO: $7,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAVE GIRAFFES NOW: $7,100 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetPAN AFRICAN SANCTUARY ALLIANCE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

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.

Jacksonville Zoological Society IncFL20× affinity7 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Jacksonville Zoological Society Inc · Dallas Zoo Management Inc · Houston Zoo Inc · Detroit Zoological Society · Columbus Zoological Park Association · Zoological Society of San Diego · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Friends of the Zoo Inc of Kansas City Missouri C/O Linda Falk funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Friends of the Zoo Inc of Kansas City Missouri C/O Linda Falk. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 68%
  • Pan African Sanctuary Alliance Inc: 68% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get no government money at all
2report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
1rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 19 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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