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Lincoln Park Zoological Society at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Lincoln Park Zoological Society

Lincoln park zoo is dedicated to connecting people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience in the heart of chicago and by advancing the highest quality of animal care, horticulture, education, science and conservation.

$500k
Granted FY2025still arriving
15
Grants FY2025still arriving
11
States reached
$49k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
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 2025.

Animals$834kArts & Culture$260kEnvironment$251kCommunity Improvement$74kEmployment$73kYouth Development$29kHuman Services$15k
02FY2025 · 15 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 15 grants below total $361,098, the rows itemized in this filing. The $500,386 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $139,288 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 · FY2025

  • Under $10k1 grant · $9k
  • $10k–50k14 grants · $352k
$24,925
Median grant
11
States reached
$254M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WCS - CONGO BZV$48,774
MAD DOG INITIATIVE$37,830
LATINOS PROGRESANDO$33,827
OPEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS$30,959
ORGANIZATION FOR TROPICAL STUDIES INC$30,775
RARE SPECIES CONSERVATORY FOUNDATION INC$27,000
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT$25,924
BOSTON UNIVERSITY$24,925
FUNDACION JOSE A BALESEIRO INC$17,930
NGOGO CHIMPANZEE PROJECT$16,650
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY$16,210
CHIMFUNSHI USA$14,000
TONKOLILI CHIMPANZEE PROJECT INC$13,803
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY$13,357
ENLACE CHICAGO$9,134
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:

Its human-services grants (FY23–23, $15k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%BETHEL NEW LIFE INC: $15k → 14%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

WA
IL
NY
MA
OR
CT
CA
UT
MO
MD
AZ
AR
NC
LA
FL

Grants abroad, by region: $139k on the FY2025 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$65k · 47% · 3 grants

Stated purpose: GRANT FUNDS ARE PROVIDED TO SUPPORT COSTS RELATED TO MUTUALLY-AGREED PROJECT ACTIVITIES, AS DETAILED BELOW: · GRANT FUNDS ARE PROVIDED TO SUPPORT COSTS RELATED TO MUTUALLY-AGREED PROJECT ACTIVITIES, AS DETAILED BELOW:1. RESTORING THE ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY FOR LIONS BETWEEN NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA AND THE SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK BY PROMOTING A CORRIDOR OF TOLERANCE TO SUSTAIN THE METAPOPULATION OF LIONS IN THE GREATER SERENGETI ECOSYSTEM.2. SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY LION CUSTODIANS ("ILCHOKUTI") IN THEIR CONFLICT MITIGATION AND LION MONITORING WORK IN THE NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA. 3. SUPPORTING THE LONG-TERM LION MONITORING IN NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA THROUGH DIRECT OBSERVATION, GPS COLLARS, TOURIST PHOTOS, RANGER SIGHTINGS, AND ILCHOKUTI DATA.4. SUPPORTING CORE OPERATING COSTS, SUCH AS GRANTEE PERSONNEL AND OFFICE ADMINISTRATION. · GRANT FUNDS ARE PROVIDED TO SUPPORT COSTS RELATED TO MUTUALLY-AGREED PROJECT ACTIVITIES, AS DETAILED BELOW:1. SUPPORTING EXISTING AND NEW LAND PROTECTION EFFORTS THROUGH CERTIFICATES OF CUSTOMARY RIGHTS OF OCCUPANCY (CCROS) IN THE LAKE NATRON AND SIMANJIRO WILDLIFE CORRIDORS (SPECIFICALLY IN LANDANAI, SUKURO, ELWAI, MAKUYNI, AND ENGARUKA VILLAGES).2. SUPPORTING CORE OPERATING COSTS, SUCH AS GRANTEE PERSONNEL AND OFFICE ADMINISTRATION.3. SUPPORTING ANNUAL SALARY COSTS FOR TWO VILLAGE GAME SCOUTS IN SUKURO AND TERRAT VILLAGES.

North America (Canada and Mexico)$41k · 29% · 1 grant

Stated purpose: GRANT FUNDS ARE PROVIDED TO SUPPORT COSTS RELATED TO MUTUALLY-AGREED PROJECT ACTIVITIES, AS DETAILED BELOW:

South America$33k · 24% · 1 grant

Stated purpose: GRANT FUNDS ARE PROVIDED TO SUPPORT COSTS RELATED TO MUTUALLY-AGREED PROJECT ACTIVITIES, AS DETAILED BELOW:

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.

79%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.2M · 12 repeat orgs$324k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +24% since the first grant, against +13% for those funded once.

12 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

12
5

Total granted

$1.2M
$181k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+24%
+13%

Still filing today

75%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 60% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $143k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’21’22’23’24’25
AnimalsArts & CultureEducationCommunity ImprovementEmploymentPhilanthropyOther
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

  • WC
    Wildlife Conservation Society
    5× · 2021–2025 · $547k · revenue +43%
  • OC
    Open Center for the Arts
    4× · 2022–2025 · $167k · revenue +118%
  • RS
    Rare Species Conservatory Foundation
    3× · 2023–2025 · $91k · revenue +345%

Funded once

  • AA
    AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOLOGICAL PARKS AND AQUARIUMS INCgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $100k · revenue +83%
  • F
    FOREFRONTgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $29k · revenue +81%
  • WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2024 · $19k · revenue +13%
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
Lincoln Park Zoological Society

Lincoln park zoo is dedicated to connecting people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience in the heart of chicago and by advancing the highest quality of animal care, horticulture, education, science and…

Animals
2
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
3
Conservation International Foundation

Ci works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.

Environment
4
Marine Biological Laboratory

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is a world-renowned center for biological discovery and training that is notably affiliated with more than 60 Nobel Prize winners. Research is conducted by full-time faculty as well as hundreds of the…

Science & Tech
5
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
6
Nature and Culture International

Nature and culture international conserves biologically diverse landscapes in latin america, in concert with local cultures, for the well-being of the planet.

Environment
7
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Inc

We harness the power of plants for humankind and share the joy and beauty of tropical gardening with everyone. fairchild tropical botanic garden is a museum of tropical plants within a world famous, 83-acre designed landscape. it was…

Environment
8
University of Miami

See Form 990, Part I, Line 1, Description of Organization Mission.

Education
9
Akashinga Inc

Deliver ecological stability and long-term protection of large-scale wilderness by supporting and empowering local communities.

Animals
10
Denver Zoological Foundation

Inspiring communities to save wildlife for future generations.

Animals
11
Dazzle Africa

Dazzle africa's mission is to partner with local organizations to provide programs in conservation, education and community development. the organization aims to ensure that future generations are self-sufficient and iconic african…

Animals
12
Lowry Park Zoological Society of Tampa Inc

The mission of the Lowry Park Zoological Society of Tampa a/k/a ZooTampa at Lowry Park, is to rescue, rehabilitate and care for animals.(Expanded mission on Schedule O)ZooTampa creates exceptional personalized experiences that connect…

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Organization for Tropical Studies Inc; the most unlike its peers is Wildlife Conservation Society. 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, 2017–2025.

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 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 18 of the 24 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
17/18
Grantees still filing
10/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Wildlife Conservation Society: $546,662 · AnimalsWildlife Conservation SocietyAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOLOGICAL PARKS AND AQUARIUMS INC: $100,000 · AnimalsAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOLOGICAL PARKS AND AQUARIUMS IN…Rare Species Conservatory Foundation: $91,000 · AnimalsRare Species Conservatory Foundation+2 more: $39,589 · AnimalsMad Dog Initiative: $68,409 · OtherMad Dog InitiativeCENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $33,739 · OtherCENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIV…NGOGO CHIMPANZEE PROJECT INC: $30,706 · OtherNGOGO CHIMPANZEE PROJEC…UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT: $25,924 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF CONNECTIC…TONKOLILI CHIMPANZEE PROJECT INC: $25,586 · OtherTONKOLILI CHIMPANZEE PR…TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $24,925 · OtherTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIV…BUILD INC: $17,500 · OtherBUILD INCUTAH STATE UNIVERSITY: $16,210 · OtherREGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY: $13,357 · OtherFOREFRONT: $29,118 · OtherFOREFRONTBETHEL NEW LIFE INC: $15,000 · OtherBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CHICAGO: $11,565 · OtherOpen Center for the Arts: $166,899 · Arts & CultureOpen Center for t…Latinos Progresando: $64,066 · Arts & CultureLatinos Progresan…Enlace Chicago: $73,547 · Community ImprovementNORTH LAWNDALE EMPLOYMENT NETWORK: $72,738 · EmploymentWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $19,270 · EducationFUNDACION JOSE A BALSEIRO INC: $17,930 · EducationORGANIZATION FOR TROPICAL STUDIES INC: $30,775 · International
Animals$777,251Other$312,039Arts & Culture$230,965Community Improvement$73,547Employment$72,738Education$37,200International$30,775

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 budgetWildlife Conservation Society: $546,662 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetOpen Center for the Arts: $166,899 over 4y, 20% of budgetAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOLOGICAL PARKS AND AQUARIUMS INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetRare Species Conservatory Foundation: $91,000 over 3y, 6.1% of budgetEnlace Chicago: $73,547 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetNORTH LAWNDALE EMPLOYMENT NETWORK: $72,738 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetMad Dog Initiative: $68,409 over 2y, 21% of budgetLatinos Progresando: $64,066 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetORGANIZATION FOR TROPICAL STUDIES INC: $30,775 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetFOREFRONT: $29,118 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCHIMP HAVEN INC: $25,589 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY: $24,925 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: $19,270 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBUILD INC: $17,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CHICAGO: $11,565 over 2y, 0.0% 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.

United Way of Metropo…Polk Bros Foundation …The Chicago Community…John D and Catherine …Local Initiatives Sup…National Philanthropi…Network for GoodFidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
United Way of Metropolitan Chicago IncIL15.4× affinity5 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · Polk Bros Foundation Inc · The Chicago Community Trust · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Local Initiatives Support Corporation · National Philanthropic Trust · Network for Good · 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 Lincoln Park Zoological Society funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Lincoln Park Zoological Society. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%2%6%14%25%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 12%
  • Trustees of Boston University: 12% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely 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 24 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Lincoln Park Zoological Society’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home