Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jul 2022.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
95 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
9 people listed on the 990; $642K paid to officers and key staff.
Tina Cherica’s $403K as President & CEO is at the 79th 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tina Cherica | $403,033 | $452,243 | $337,290 | $300,838 | $299,219 |
| Dr Lee G Simmons | $342,786 | — | — | $93,942 | $201,870 |
| Kiley Thiele | $180,518 | $168,424 | $148,248 | $137,574 | $140,775 |
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.
See Omaha Zoo Foundation executive salaries →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
Funds the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's mission, research, and programs.
Questions for Omaha Zoo Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Omaha Zoo Foundation answers here, for everyone.
The omaha zoo foundation was incorporated as a non-profit corporation to solicit and receive contributions, gifts, grants, devises, and bequests, and to distribute and apply such assets AND/OR the income therefrom to and for the benefit of the omaha zoological society.
The foundationn operates the lee g. Simmons conservation park and wildlife safari, a drive-thru park that exhibits north american wildlife and maintains off-exhibit exotic animals breeding programs. In 2020, 10,822 memberships to the safari park were sold and a total of 413,919 guests visited the park.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY20 | FY19 | FY18 | FY17 | FY16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $64.5M | $58.9M | $50.3M | $54.8M | $49.2M |
| Given inLn 1b | $66K | $69K | $73K | $77K | $81K |
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $1.6M | $1.6M | $1.7M | $2.1M | $1.8M |
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $9.2M | $11.6M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $102.5M | $110.3M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $19.2M | $19.1M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $174.0M | $155.0M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.3M | $1.5M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $172.7M | $153.4M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $43.1M | $43.1M | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $697K | $65K | $632K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $1.0M | $761K | $161K | $127K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $36K | $27K | $5K | $5K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $156K | $106K | $7K | $43K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $106K | $54K | $17K | $35K |
| Management feesLn 11a | $100K | $75K | $25K | |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $16K | $10K | $6K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $46K | $46K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $296K | $296K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $217K | $17K | $199K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $25K | $557 | $25K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $101K | $98K | $4K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $378K | $378K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $30K | $28K | $2K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $729K | $439K | $240K | $51K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $339K | $32K | $308K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $47.4M | $45.1M | $1.2M | $1.1M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 LatestFiled with the IRS Nov 10, 2025 | $26.3M | $24.7M | $1.6M | $185.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 12, 2024 | $31.9M | $10.9M | $21.0M | $175.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $25.0M | $21.7M | $3.3M | $144.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Oct 3, 2022 | $25.2M | $21.9M | $3.3M | $156.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 12, 2021 | $19.6M | $47.4M | −$27.8M | $153.4M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $19,596,567 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 5 of 6 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $19,596,567 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $47,421,639 across 17 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $154,960,524 assets, 16 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $153,419,362 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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