THE FORT WORTH ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE FORT WORTH ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

EIN 75-0991727 · Animal-Related (D500)

What they do

WITH MORE THAN 1 MILLION VISITORS ANNUALLY, THE FORT WORTH ZOO STRENGTHENS THE BOND BETWEEN HUMANS and THE ENVIRONMENT BY PROMOTING RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP of WILDLIFE and ENSURING DIVERSE, HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATIONAL and ENTERTAINING FAMILY EXPERIENCES THROUGH EFFECTIVE and EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT of ITS RESOURCES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $78.90 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 2023The report may be old. Ask for a newer one.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders53 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

82.62%of revenue went to mission work78.9% of expenses · Program services

5.42%of revenue went to fundraising5.2% of expenses

$88.92spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

16.61%of revenue went to management and office costs15.9% of expenses

$2.37in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

26.6%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

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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.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $560,349 for MICHAEL FOURAKER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

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.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2023

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.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$52,839,535

Mission workProgram services$43,654,93882.62% of revenue78.9% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$8,776,75816.61% of revenue15.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$2,863,3015.42% of revenue5.2% of expenses

Total expenses$55,294,997104.65% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

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.

YearExpense mixDetails

2023CurrentExpense mix: 78.9% mission · 15.9% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 104.65% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 77.6% mission · 18.0% management · 4.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 130.85% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 75.1% mission · 18.8% management · 6.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 52.98% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 74.8% mission · 21.3% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 124.41% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 73.3% mission · 21.1% management · 5.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 108.46% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 91.2% mission · 7.8% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 182.90% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 81.8% mission · 15.7% management · 2.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 70.99% of revenue

2016Expense mix: 78.9% mission · 18.5% management · 2.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 44.15% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$62,181,894

Expenses$55,294,997

Annual surplus $6,886,897 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$43,654,938 · 78.9% of expenses

Management and office costs$8,776,758 · 15.9% of expenses

Fundraising$2,863,301 · 5.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$62,181,894

Expenses$55,294,997

Assets$131,067,182

Income$111,627,515

Contributions$16,549,558

Mission work (program services)$43,654,938

Fundraising$2,863,301

Grants given$1,240,330

Average grant$36,480

Management and general$8,776,758

Stocks and bonds$78,951,481

Accounting fees$104,421

Investing fees$194,021

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2023

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

MICHAEL FOURAKEREXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $560,349Base $534,615 · Other $25,734

MEGAN DEENCFO · 40 hrs/week $290,189Base $261,998 · Other $28,191

ALICE PRITCHETTDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT · 40 hrs/week $191,382Base $167,575 · Other $23,807

ANTHONY DAVISDIRECTOR PARK OPERATIONS · 40 hrs/week $183,756Base $157,166 · Other $26,590

DAVID DENADIRECTOR OF FINANCE · 40 hrs/week $172,514Base $145,541 · Other $26,973

TARREN WAGENERDIRECTOR ANIMAL PROGRAMS · 40 hrs/week $157,989Base $136,557 · Other $21,432

SONDRA WILKIEDIRECTOR OF HR · 40 hrs/week $151,373Base $136,364 · Other $15,009

AMY DUNCANCAPITAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $150,271Base $135,397 · Other $14,874

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (53)

MICHAEL FOURAKEREXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MEGAN DEENCFO

ALICE PRITCHETTDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

ANTHONY DAVISDIRECTOR PARK OPERATIONS

DAVID DENADIRECTOR OF FINANCE

TARREN WAGENERDIRECTOR ANIMAL PROGRAMS

SONDRA WILKIEDIRECTOR OF HR

AMY DUNCANCAPITAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR

RAMONA BASSCO-CHAIRMAN

MARIAN EASTMANEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MATTIE COMPTONBOARD MEMBER

ABEL SANCHEZBOARD MEMBER

MICHAEL HYATTTREASURER

MONK WHITEBOARD MEMBER

NORBERT STANISLAVBOARD MBR/DIR EMERITUS

POWHATAN FRENCHBOARD MEMBER

PRICE HULSEYBOARD MEMBER

PRISCILLA MARTINBOARD MEMBER

TOM PURVIS IIIBOARD MEMBER

ROBERT FERNANDEZEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SAMANTHA PACEBOARD MEMBER

SHAWN HESSINGBOARD MEMBER

WILLIAM HALLBOARD MEMBER

SONYA TANNABOARD MEMBER

SOPHIE CROMMETTBOARD MEMBER

STACIE MCDAVIDBOARD MEMBER

STEPHEN MABERRYBOARD MEMBER

WHITNEY MOREBOARD MEMBER

SUSY WEAVERBOARD MEMBER

GILBERT GAMEZ JRBOARD MEMBER

ARDON MOOREPRESIDENT

ASHLI BLUMENFELDBOARD MEMBER

BRECK RAYSECRETARY

BRYAN KINGBOARD MEMBER

CHERYL HODGEEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

DEBBIE HEADEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

DEE KELLY JREXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

DIONNE JOHNSONBOARD MEMBER

DOUGLAS BRATTONBOARD MEMBER

EDWARD BASSBOARD MEMBER

GEORGE YOUNG JRBOARD MEMBER

LEE TENNISONEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

GLORIA HOLMSTENBOARD MEMBER

JANIE HARPERBOARD MEMBER

JD GRANGERBOARD MEMBER

JEFF KINGBOARD MEMBER

JOHN VIOLABOARD MEMBER

KAYDEE BAILEYBOARD MEMBER

KELLY THOMPSONBOARD MEMBER

KELSEY PATTERSONBOARD MEMBER

KIT MONCRIEFCO-CHAIRMAN

KORI GREENBOARD MEMBER

LAURIE ROBERTSBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1952
Location: 1989 COLONIAL PKWY, FORT WORTH, TX 76110-6640
County: Tarrant
In care of: MEGAN DEEN
Primary officer: MEGAN DEEN, CFO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(817) 759-7575

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2023
Tax period began: October 1, 2023
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: WHITLEY PENN LLP
NTEE classification: Animal-Related (D500)
Grant-giving organization: Yes