California · Nonprofit
The Big Bad Project
The Big Bad Project (California) receives grants from 6 organizations whose IRS filings report $41,011 to it, the largest being PARK FOUNDATION INC ($25,000). 0 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $67k
- Funders on record
- 6
- Grants received
- $41k
- Net assets
- $84k
What The Big Bad Project does
Mission
The Big Bad Project promotes coexistence between people and wildlife through storytelling research and education that reshape public perception inform decision making and support more sustainable relationships with wild species and ecosystems.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Aerial Allies Program: The Big Bad Project supports nonlethal wildlife conflict mitigation by funding and advancing research on drone-based hazing techniques in partnership with USDA Wildlife Services. The program supports field research data collection and evaluation of unmanned aerial systems as deterrents to reduce livestock predation. Through financial support and program coordination Aerial Allies contributes to evidence-based strategies that reduce conflict while minimizing harm to wildlife. During the reporting period the organization raised 60,000 for this program; funds have been committed through a formal service agreement with USDA Wildlife Services and are drawn down by the agency as approved expenses are incurred.
$27,237 spentof which $60,000 as grants93% of program spendingRewriting the Wild Program: The Big Bad Project is developing Rewriting the Wild a storytelling and education program designed to reshape how wildlife particularly predators are portrayed and understood through narrative. The program engages students and writers in critical analysis and creative writing to challenge harmful or outdated representations and promote more accurate coexistence-focused perspectives. The program is currently in development with an official launch planned for 2026 to 2027. During the reporting period pilot activities and expert consultation were conducted to refine program structure curriculum and delivery for greater impact. The organization was awarded 5,000 in late 2025 to support program implementation with funds designated for use during the 2026 program year.
$937 spentof which $5,000 as grants3% of program spendingCommunity Education and Outreach: The Big Bad Project conducts community education and outreach activities to increase public understanding of wildlife and promote coexistence. These efforts include participation in community events tabling engagements and informal educational programming designed to engage diverse audiences. Through direct public interaction the organization provides accessible evidence-based information about wildlife addresses common misconceptions and fosters informed responsible perspectives on human and wildlife interactions.
$1,142 spent4% of program spendingOther program services, not described on the e-filed return.
$0 spent0% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $29,316.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2023, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2023, 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 2024 to 2025, from $27k to $84k (+205%).
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.
98% of The Big Bad Project’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (100% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 3 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
Shaunna Costicov-McCombe
Executive Director
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
Grant support over time, funder by funder — shade shows the grant size each year.
1 of 6 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 0% 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 The Big Bad Project’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
The Big Bad Project leans on a few funders — its largest provides 61% of grant income and the top three 85%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
“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.
Where its funders are
The Big Bad Project draws 88% of its grant income from funders outside California, across 4 states in all.
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $11 arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state 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
The Big Bad Project runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 3,315 animals nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 3,315 animals nonprofits under $100k, FY2025
Organizations like The Big Bad Project
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
80% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
100%
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 The Big Bad Project: 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 The Big Bad Project?
- The Big Bad Project (California) receives grants from 6 organizations whose IRS filings report $41,011 to it, the largest being PARK FOUNDATION INC ($25,000). 0 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does The Big Bad Project have?
- IRS filings report 6 organizations giving $41,011 in grants to The Big Bad Project.
- Who is the largest funder of The Big Bad Project?
- PARK FOUNDATION INC is the largest funder on record, with $25,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like The Big Bad Project 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.
Play a game about who funds Big Bad Project →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2023–2025), and the filings of 6 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