PETALUMA WILDLIFE AND NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM
EIN 68-0213099 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A560)
What they do
In 1989, Hugh Codding Donated The Entire Codding Museum Inventory to Petaluma High School Instructor Ron Head to Create An Innovative Educational Program. Rons Dream Was to Give High School Students Career and Leadership Skills Through Active Participation In An Environmental Education Program. The Petaluma Wildlife Museum Facility Was Built In 1940 As A School Bus Garage. When The Museums Collection Outgrew The Confines of Rons Classroom Portable, The Codding Family Helped Purchase A New Bus Garage, Freeing The Old One to Be Used As A World-class 9000 Square Foot Wildlife Museum. Over The Next Few Years, Hundreds of Volunteers From Every Corner of The Community Donated Time and Money to Construct Various Dioramas Representing Habitats From Across The World. They Also Built Displays to House Mineral Collections, Poaching Artifacts, and The Large Live Animal Collection. Today, The Museum Houses Over 50 Species of Fish, Insects, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Mammals. Thousands of People Visi
Should I give to this charity?
Of every $100 spent, about $92.50 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.
Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.
Basic facts we verified
IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.
Money report from 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.
They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.
They name their leaders9 people are listed in the latest report.
You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.
Money made simple
Ask these three easy questions
- Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
- What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
- Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.
Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.
Financial picture
A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.
How each $100 of revenue was used
The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.
Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.
Has the pattern changed?
Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.
Money in and money out
Reported spending amounts
Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.
See all reported dollar amounts
Leadership and board
Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.
No compensation was reported for these leaders. The complete board and leadership roster is shown below.
Board and leadership roster (9)
ABBY FROSTDIRECTOR
BELLA SESSIDIRECTOR
CYDNEY DOYLESECRETARY
KAREN PAYNEDIRECTOR
MICHELLE WALTERSDIRECTOR
ROBERT BARNESVICE PRESIDENT
ROBIN HAINESPRESIDENT
TERRI BARCLAYDIRECTOR
TRACY PERLICHTREASURER
About this charity
- Recognized since
- January 1995
- Location
- 201 FAIR ST, PETALUMA, CA 94952-2516
- County
- Sonoma
- In care of
- Tracy Perlich
- Primary officer
- Tracy Perlich, Treasurer
How to reach them
Filing and classification
- Latest tax year
- 2025
- Tax period began
- January 1, 2025
- Return type
- 990EZ
- Tax preparer
- GORANSON TAX AND CONSULTING INC
- NTEE classification
- Arts, Culture & Humanities (A560)
- IRS tax category
- Museums