Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 1975.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
76 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
25 people listed on the 990; $179K paid to officers and key staff.
Jamie Flaws’s $187K as Executive Director is at the 21st 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 | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Flaws | $187,048 | $161,538 | — | — | — | — |
| Anthony Grundhauser | — | — | — | — | — | $182,212 |
| Anne Weber-Smith | — | — | $126,018 | $126,018 | $124,800 | $116,878 |
| Jeffrey Sulzbach | $122,052 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Elisabeth Comeaux | $107,126 | $101,434 | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Sweeney | $106,470 | $92,688 | $84,633 | $85,883 | $54,385 | — |
| Melinda Conness | — | — | — | — | — | $101,218 |
| John Frawley | $80,468 | $79,395 | — | $44,396 | — | — |
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 15aNo
Programs and updates
Funds zoo initiatives connecting people, animals, and nature to save wildlife globally.
Questions for Minnesota Zoo Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Minnesota Zoo Foundation answers here, for everyone.
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Funds granted to the zoo provide opportunities for people to connect with animals and the natural world through world-class exhibits; award-winning education programs; wildlife conservation initiatives; and activities that inspire people of all ages to get outside and connect with nature.
Funds granted to conservation projects around the world help the minnesota zoo and the minnesota zoo foundation fulfill their shared mission to save wildlife. The zoo is an international leader in tiger conservation in russia, malaysia, and sumatra; asian wild horse conservation in mongolia; and black rhino conservation in namibia.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $6.0M | $9.9M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $2.2M | $2.7M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $13.7M | $17.8M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $578K | $833K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $13.1M | $16.9M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $3.6M | $3.6M | ||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $58K | $58K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $63K | $443 | $56K | $7K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $597K | $4K | $527K | $66K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $20K | $137 | $17K | $2K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $89K | $622 | $78K | $10K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $52K | $365 | $46K | $6K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $91K | $91K | ||
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $70K | $70K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $12K | $12K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $113K | $28K | $2K | $83K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $121K | $404 | $30K | $90K |
| TravelLn 17 | $406 | $123 | $283 | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $83K | $117 | $60K | $23K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $5.0M | $3.8M | $920K | $287K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $14.5M | $10.3M | $4.1M | $17.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $8.5M | $9.0M | −$507K | $13.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $6.3M | $9.4M | −$3.1M | $13.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $10.9M | $10.5M | $331K | $16.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 Viewing | $8.0M | $5.0M | $3.0M | $16.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $6.2M | $6.3M | −$10K | $13.1M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $7,959,459 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 22 of 22 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $7,959,459 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,964,056 across 14 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $17,754,103 assets, 14 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $16,920,691 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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