Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Aug 1952.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
81 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
40 people listed on the 990; $1.6M paid to officers and key staff.
Doug Piekarz’s $290K as President & CEO is at the 56th percentile of top reported officer pay among 225 $10–100M animals nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Piekarz | $289,832 | $275,062 | $255,635 | $226,889 | $251,686 |
| Pamela Holtz | $186,829 | $176,716 | $160,405 | $143,656 | $146,391 |
| Mellissa Reed | — | $182,554 | $160,127 | $136,407 | $134,737 |
| Linda Criss | $172,568 | $160,012 | $147,275 | $137,006 | $149,417 |
| Patricia Waickman | — | — | — | $85,580 | $168,123 |
| Michelle Vectirelis | $165,019 | $148,203 | $127,626 | — | — |
| Kimberly Cook | — | — | $158,532 | $108,572 | $112,150 |
| Bob Lessnau | $143,574 | — | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Connects people to wildlife, inspiring learning and conservation action.
Questions for Akron Zoological Park
Your first name shows with your question. Akron Zoological Park answers here, for everyone.
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Horticulture & preservationthe mission of the horticulture and preservation program is to foster a connection with wildlife and a desire to protect wild places by creating a positive guest experience.
Animal carefrom african lions to microscopic coral, the akron zoo provides care to over 3,108 animals representing approximately 230 species. Participation in conservation programs, (I.E. Coral reef restoration, white wing wood duck research) and species survival plans is an important function of the animal care program.
Membership and Guest Services
The akron zoo's membership program provides an opportunity for anyone to become a member of the zoo by purchasing an annual pass. There are multiple options from an individual membership to a family deluxe membership to accommodate a range of family sizes and needs.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $18.9M | $23.7M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $5.3M | $5.5M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $63.4M | $64.1M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $95.8M | $102.7M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $3.0M | $2.9M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $92.8M | $99.9M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $22K | $22K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $1.5M | $900K | $283K | $331K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $7.3M | $6.0M | $867K | $396K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $172K | $141K | $24K | $7K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $1.6M | $1.3M | $206K | $92K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $723K | $573K | $92K | $57K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $90K | $14K | $76K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $36K | $36K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $14K | $14K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $266K | $266K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $127K | $101K | $18K | $8K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $1.1M | $1.0M | $71K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $14K | $14K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $3.0M | $2.5M | $449K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $206K | $206K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $2.1M | $1.7M | $344K | $64K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $522K | $312K | $143K | $68K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $18.8M | $15.2M | $2.6M | $1.0M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest Viewing | $25.2M | $18.8M | $6.4M | $99.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $23.9M | $18.4M | $5.5M | $92.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $21.5M | $16.8M | $4.7M | $86.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $19.3M | $14.6M | $4.8M | $82.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $12.1M | $12.5M | −$467K | $77.4M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $25,160,371 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 30 of 30 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $25,160,371 across 12 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $18,806,803 across 17 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $102,731,475 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $99,869,148 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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