SANTA BARBARA ZOOLOGICAL FOUNDATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

SANTA BARBARA ZOOLOGICAL FOUNDATION

EIN 95-2268554 · Animal-Related (D500)

What they do

THE SANTA BARBARA ZOO is DEDICATED to THE PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION, and ENHANCEMENT of THE NATURAL WORLD and ITS LIVING TREASURES THROUGH EDUCATION, RESEARCH, RECREATION and CONSERVATION.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $82.10 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 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders31 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

67.92%of revenue went to mission work82.1% of expenses · Program services

7.34%of revenue went to fundraising8.9% of expenses

$82.71spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

7.46%of revenue went to management and office costs9.0% of expenses

$2.61in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

31.5%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

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.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $404,591 for RICHARD BLOCK (CEO). 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 2024

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$21,787,514

Mission workProgram services$14,798,10667.92% of revenue82.1% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,625,0527.46% of revenue9.0% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$1,598,3837.34% of revenue8.9% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$3,765,97317.29% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$18,021,54182.71% of revenue

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.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 82.1% mission · 9.0% management · 8.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 82.71% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 81.1% mission · 9.3% management · 9.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.26% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 81.1% mission · 9.4% management · 9.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.71% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 85.5% mission · 9.3% management · 5.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 67.63% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 80.0% mission · 14.4% management · 5.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.27% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 81.9% mission · 12.6% management · 5.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 113.22% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 83.8% mission · 11.0% management · 5.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.35% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 83.1% mission · 11.4% management · 5.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.24% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$21,787,514

Expenses$18,021,541

Annual surplus $3,765,973 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)$14,798,106 · 82.1% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,625,052 · 9.0% of expenses

Fundraising$1,598,383 · 8.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$21,787,514

Expenses$18,021,541

Assets$47,027,626

Income$28,005,889

Contributions$6,853,607

Mission work (program services)$14,798,106

Fundraising$1,598,383

Management and general$1,625,052

Executive compensation (total)$594,261

Stocks and bonds$22,044,655

Accounting fees$25,625

Investing fees$114,491

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

RICHARD BLOCKCEO · 40 hrs/week $404,591Base $367,610 · Other $36,981

AARON MARSHALLCOO · 40 hrs/week $246,602Base $228,205 · Other $18,397

GREG WILSONCFO · 40 hrs/week $206,116Base $181,219 · Other $24,897

JULIE BARNESVP OF ANIMAL CARE AND HEALTH · 40 hrs/week $182,577Base $169,678 · Other $12,899

ELAINE MAH BESTVP OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS · 40 hrs/week $179,337Base $166,347 · Other $12,990

SARA NEUMANNVETERINARIAN · 40 hrs/week $142,215Base $131,790 · Other $10,425

JENNIFER MCLEODDIRECTOR OF EDUCATION · 40 hrs/week $137,925Base $128,240 · Other $9,685

ELIZABETH HAHNDIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT · 40 hrs/week $129,163Base $129,102 · Other $61

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 (31)

RICHARD BLOCKCEO

AARON MARSHALLCOO

GREG WILSONCFO

JULIE BARNESVP OF ANIMAL CARE AND HEALTH

ELAINE MAH BESTVP OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS

SARA NEUMANNVETERINARIAN

JENNIFER MCLEODDIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

ELIZABETH HAHNDIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

KAREN WINTRINGHAMDIRECTOR

JESSICA DIAZDIRECTOR

JIM JACKSONVICE CHAIR

GINNI DREIERDIRECTOR

MITCH AVILADIRECTOR

ROBIN PARKERDIRECTOR

SARAH BERKUS GOWERDIRECTOR

TRACY KRAINERDIRECTOR

VINCE CABALLERODIRECTOR

YVETTE BIRCH GILLERDIRECTOR

JESSE PEREZTREASURER

EILEEN DILLDIRECTOR

DEREK SHUECHAIR

DAN SEGNADIRECTOR

CRYSTAL WYATTSECRETARY

CLARK STIRLINGDIRECTOR

BRIAN KERSTIENSDIRECTOR

BRAD VERNONDIRECTOR

BOB MYMANDIRECTOR

BOB LOONEYDIRECTOR

BETSY TURNERDIRECTOR

ANGELA SANCHEZDIRECTOR

ALEXANDRA BONGIOVANNIDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1964
Location: 500 NINOS DRIVE, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93103
County: Santa Barbara
In care of: CHARLES HOPPER
Primary officer: CHARLES HOPPER, CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailguestservices@sbzoo.org Phone(805) 962-5339

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: PROSPERITY PARTNERS
NTEE classification: Animal-Related (D500)
IRS tax category: Zoos and Botanical Gardens