California · Nonprofit
SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY (California) receives grants from 20 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,201,448 to it, the largest being THE FOSTER FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ($431,600). 15 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 51% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $12M
- Funders on record
- 20
- Grants received
- $1.2M
- Net assets
- $25M
What Sacramento Zoological Society does
Mission
The sacramento zoo inspires appreciation, respect and a connection with wildlife and nature through education, recreation and conservation.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Animal care - the sacramento zoo is proud to have an outstanding collection of animals to educate and inspire our community. The zoo is home to 335 animals representing 94 species. Of that number, 66 species are considered critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable by the international union for conservation of nature (iucn). Of the species housed at the zoo, 38 are managed cooperatively as part of the zoo's participation in programs of the association of zoos and aquariums (aza). Notable births during the year included a capybara, two red pandas, a masai giraffe, and a sumatran orangutan. Also, during the year, the zoo continued or expanded precautionary measures in response to avian influenza, a viral infection that occurs naturally in wild birds. In some instances, these precautionary steps included removing certain birds from their habitats and relocating them to areas of the zoo that are better protected from exposure to wild birds.
$4,923,799 spent$5,333,557 earned by the program57% of program spendingMembership and visitor services - the sacramento zoo had over 11,000 member households at the end of 2024, and entertained, inspired, and educated 460,219 guests over the course of the year. In addition to a vibrant living collection, the zoo hosted a traveling exhibit of climbable animal sculptures that was popular with our young guests.
$2,651,877 spent$2,543,921 earned by the program31% of program spendingEducation and sustainability - the zoo's educational programs are designed to comply with california science standards. These programs incorporate education, recreation, and the unique setting of the zoo. Over 55,000 guests enjoyed the zoo as part of school field trips in 2024. This represents a 22% increase over 2023. As a conservation organization, the sacramento zoo remains committed to supporting wildlife conservation through financial and in-kind support. In 2024, the sacramento zoo distributed or committed conservation grant funds in support of the following species: western pond turtles, american alligator, orangutan, lemurs, giraffe, okapi, rhinoceros, grevy zebra, jaguar, lion, snow leopard, cheetah, red panda, galapagos tortoise, ground hornbill, and thick-billed parrots.
$1,099,093 spentof which $162,750 as grants$458,742 earned by the program13% of program spending
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $8,674,769.
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 2020 to 2021, from $17M to $23M (+36%).
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: 2017 5% · 2018 4% · 2019 4% · 2020 14% · 2021 17% · 2022 7% · 2023 2% · 2024 2%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
23% of SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (67% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 8 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.
Chief executive
Jason Jacobs
Executive director/CEO
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 7 funders to 8 funders, grant income fell $168k → $158k.
5 of 20 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 51% 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 SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY’s funders (the co-funder graph). 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
SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY leans on a few funders — its largest provides 36% of grant income and the top three 79%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
56% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 67% · 2018 76% · 2019 65% · 2020 79% · 2021 43% · 2022 62% · 2023 80% — growing more concentrated.
“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
50% of SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 75% 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
51% of SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $585k that is directly attributable, 87% of it comes from California funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $617k arriving through sponsors registered in 5 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
SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 235 animals nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 235 animals nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2024
Organizations like SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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
73% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
97%
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 SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: 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 SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY?
- SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY (California) receives grants from 20 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,201,448 to it, the largest being THE FOSTER FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ($431,600). 15 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 51% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY have?
- IRS filings report 20 organizations giving $1,201,448 in grants to SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 15 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY?
- THE FOSTER FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $431,600 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like SACRAMENTO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 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 FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 20 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