California · Nonprofit
GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (California) receives grants from 152 organizations whose IRS filings report $16,395,302 to it, the largest being Fritz B Burns Foundation a Nevada nonprofit corporation ($4,350,000). 100 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $21M
- Funders on record
- 152
- Grants received
- $16M
- Net assets
- $54M
What Greater Los Angeles Zoological Association does
Mission
The Greater Los Angeles Zoological Association ("glaza") is a tax-exempt charitable organization, established for the purpose of developing, beautifying, and improving the los angeles zoo and botanical gardens (the zoo). This is accomplished by providing financial and mission support to the zoo and its programs, raising public awareness about the zoo, enhancing the visitor experience, and stewarding the investments of visitors, members, and donors. Glaza's purpose is to support the mission of the los angeles zoo and botanical gardens and/or other organizations in the greater los angeles are whose primary purpose is to protect and support wildlife conservation, education, and habitats. Glaza and the city of los angeles (the city) have agreements in place as detailed below. Operating agreement: the city entered into an agreement with glaza (the operating agreement) for the purposes of obtaining assistance in establishing, developing, beautifying, and improving the zoo. The operating agreement was executed on september 29, 1997 and expired on september 29, 2022. Under section iii of the operating agreement, the zoo and glaza established several memoranda of understanding (mous) to…
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Marketing and sponsorship (interim agreement): glaza provides marketing, public relations, and strategic branding services similar to the operating agreement. Glaza manages the zoo's sponsorship programs. Glaza remits 25% of sponsorship revenue to the zoo, with the remaining 75% used to fund direct costs of the sponsorship and marketing departments. Glaza remits to the zoo any net surplus remaining after sponsorship and marketing expenses are paid. Site rentals (interim agreement): glaza facilitates and manages site rentals and catered events at the zoo for private parties. Glaza remits 25% of site rental fees to the zoo, with the remaining 75% used to fund direct costs of the department. Glaza remits to the zoo any net surplus remaining after department expenses are paid. Special events program (interim agreement): glaza produces and promotes zoo member events, donor events, and night-time ticketed events. Ticketed event revenue funds expenses incurred to produce and market events. Each event is financially reconciled separately, with the any net surplus remaining after department expenses are paid transferred by glaza to the zoo. Fundraising focus: fundraising for the fiscal…
$11,672,631 spentof which $3,799,705 as grants$6,511,846 earned by the program66% of program spendingDirect support of the zoo including transfers for capital improvements, zoo operations, special projects, conservation and education programs. During the year ending june 30, 2025, glaza supported the zoo in a breadth of projects and programs including conservation grants for the noonkotiak resource center in africa, peninsular pronghorns, gorilla rehabilitation in africa, asian elephants, nti-poaching programs, and african painted dogs. 29 grants were funded in the fiscal year ending june 30, 2025.
$5,288,196 spentof which $5,288,196 as grants30% of program spendingMarketing, strategic branding, and public relations, as well as special greater los angeles zoo association 95-2369545 events, community events and travel programs. On july 1, 2013, glaza assumed responsibility for marketing, strategic branding, and public relations for the zoo. Glaza's aim is to raise attendance by making a strategic longterm investment in marketing and advertising that will increase the zoo's visibility with local residents and tourists. Glaza also produces and promotes special events and programs designed to enhance zoogoers' enjoyment, attract new visitors, raise money for zoo programs, and provide opportunities for education and entertainment. Activities during the year ended june 30, 2025 included: - zoo friday nights, a family-themed after-hours event held most fridays in august 2024, which featured selected animals on exhibit and family-friendly entertainment. - brew at the l.a. Zoo, an adults-only event featuring local craft and microbreweries, select animal viewings, live music, dancing, and food trucks, held in august 2024. - member appreciation month in august 2024, to celebrate and honor those who continued to support glaza. - boo at the l.a. Zoo, in…
$702,842 spent$210,354 earned by the program4% of program spending
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $17,663,669.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $44M to $51M (+17%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2022 10% · 2025 1%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
62% of GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (67% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Erika A Stern
Chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 35 funders to 76 funders, grant income fell $2.5M → $1.8M.
18 of 152 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 20% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 152 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 27% of grant income, and it takes 5 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 5 funders to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 67% · 2018 16% · 2019 70% · 2020 14% · 2021 20% · 2022 15% · 2023 13% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
46% of GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 66% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
93% of GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION's grant income comes from California funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $3.4M arriving through sponsors registered in 13 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 119 animals nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 119 animals nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2025
Government funding GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $164k on record.
- Institute of Museum and Library Services$99k
- Department of the Interior$65k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
75% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
68%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION?
- GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (California) receives grants from 152 organizations whose IRS filings report $16,395,302 to it, the largest being Fritz B Burns Foundation a Nevada nonprofit corporation ($4,350,000). 100 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION have?
- IRS filings report 152 organizations giving $16,395,302 in grants to GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, 100 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION?
- Fritz B Burns Foundation a Nevada nonprofit corporation is the largest funder on record, with $4,350,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like GREATER LOS ANGELES ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 152 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing