philanthropy.org | 990 Resource | FAQ Verify yourself
Sign in

Wild Bear Nature Center

Tax-deductible

Nederland, CO501(c)(3)Since 1997EnvironmentEIN 84-1352764Revenue $3.6M in FY2025

On file with the IRSwildbear.orgPo Box 3017, 80466-3017 · Nederland, COTax-exempt since Apr 1998Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

Claim this org

(tell your story, add context, and more)

What claiming does How does your 990 look to donors? Take the 10-Question Audit

For 27 years, Wild Bear Nature Center has helped children and adults forge lifelong connections to Nature through creative exploration of the outdoors. Specializing in mountain ecology, Wild Bear welcomes visitors to its hands-on Nature Center and provides year-round educational programs for people of all ages. Wild Bear Nature Center inspires a lifelong connection to Nature and community through creative exploration of the outdoors since 1997. We are key partners in the preservation of mud lake open space and in 2000 we organized the community to remove 30 tons of trash making IT one of the healthiest wetland habitats in boulder county. Wild Bear is now in a capital campaign to build its permanent home on its five acres at mud lake and caribou ranch open spaces and completed development design of the Nature Center.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
58¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 33 volunteers and 28 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
7 of 7
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $1.4M a year · 69% of revenue · last 7 filings
Looks good: a surplus in 7 of the last 7 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 7 filings
Spent on programs
58%
of spending
Worth a look: 58% of spending went to programs; under 65%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$254K
to officers and key staff · 30% of spending
Top officer’s pay higher than 53% of similar orgs
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 30% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
3 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $613K in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Looks good: 3.3 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
19
named funders · $2.2M
Looks good: 19 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$605K
5% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 5% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
9
of 9 voting members
Looks good: 9 of 9 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$3.6M
+6% vs prior year
Spent
$840K
To programs
58%
Net assets
$10.4M
By yearFY2019–FY2025
Revenue
$3.6M
FY2025▲ +6%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2019$392K
FY2020$766K
FY2021$2.5M
FY2022$2.7M
FY2023$1.3M
FY2024$3.4M
FY2025$3.6M
Expenses
$840K
FY2025▼ -5%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2019$343K
FY2020$417K
FY2021$630K
FY2022$654K
FY2023$763K
FY2024$881K
FY2025$840K
Net assets
$10.4M
FY2025▲ +38%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2019$257K
FY2020$607K
FY2021$2.5M
FY2022$4.5M
FY2023$5.0M
FY2024$7.5M
FY2025$10.4M

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending September 2025) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Apr 1998.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

58 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 58% · $488K Management & general 18% · $147K Fundraising 24% · $205K

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

12 people listed on the 990; $254K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Nathan Smallwood
Executive Di
$132,000Pt VII · Sec A
$121,796Pt VII · Sec A
Molly Ganley
Vice Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Andrew Neal
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
John Farrell
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Jim Kardos
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Carrie Pollock
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Nathan Smallwood’s $132K as Executive Di is at the 53rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 1851 $1–10M environment 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Nathan Smallwood$132,000$132,000————
Jill Dreves$121,796$111,918$100,956$82,908$73,581$69,095

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 Wild Bear Nature Center executive salaries →

On this list? Claim this org

Something off? Claim to add context

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

Inspires lifelong nature and community connection through creative outdoor exploration.

Questions for Wild Bear Nature Center

Tap to ask. Wild Bear Nature Center sees how many people are interested.

Your first name shows with your question. Wild Bear Nature Center answers here, for everyone.

Provided by the organization

Know this org? Add your story

1 program · $488K · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Children's Workshops

Wild bear nature center provides children ages 5-15 with educational opportunities outside of school hours; after-school, days off, and all summer. Wild bear is a cccap (colorado child care assistance program) provider and 49% of participants are identified as low-income and access programs through cccap and donor supported scholarships.

$488Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFY2024$1.6M
Temple Hoyne Buell FoundationFY2024$150K
Jewish Communal FundFY2024$100K
Foundation for the CarolinasFY2024$100K
Donor Advised Charitable Giving INCFY2024$63K
The Mahle Family FoundationFY2024$50K
Community First FoundationFY2024$42K
Gates Family FoundationFY2024$40K
Total grants receivedfrom 19 funders$2.2M
See all 19 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

Download 990
from philanthropy.org
1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$3.6M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$3.4M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$145K
Investment incomeLn 3$40K
Money outPt IX
$840K
Ln 25
Programscol B$488K
Managementcol C$147K
Fundraisingcol D$205K
Owns and owesPt X
$10.4M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$229K
Total assetsLn 16$11.0M
LiabilitiesLn 26$605K
PeoplePt VI, VII
12
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a9
IndependentVI 1b9
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$3.4M
Noncash giftsLn 1g$10K
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$245K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$145K
Investment incomeLn 3$40K
Total revenueLn 12$3.6M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$229K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$229K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$613K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$10.0M
Other assetsLn 15$90K
Total assetsLn 16$11.0M
LiabilitiesLn 26$605K
Net assetsLn 32$10.4M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 528
VolunteersI 633
Fiscal year endsHeaderSeptember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$43K$229K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$613K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$168K$10.0M
Total assetsLn 16$7.7M$11.0M
LiabilitiesLn 26$179K$605K
Net assetsLn 32$7.5M$10.4M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$211K$129K$9K$73K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$243K$148K$11K$84K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$2K$1K$67$517
Payroll taxesLn 10$41K$27K$2K$13K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$143K$31K$102K$10K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$10K$9K$2K
Office expensesLn 13$19K$13K$1K$4K
OccupancyLn 16$75K$72K$321$3K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$5K$5K$52$206
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$92K$54K$22K$15K
Total functional expensesLn 25$840K$488K$147K$205K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $3.6M$840K$2.8M$10.4M 990 PDF
FY2024 $3.4M$881K$2.5M$7.5M 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.3M$763K$517K$5.0M 990 PDF
FY2022 $2.7M$654K$2.0M$4.5M 990 PDF
FY2021 $2.5M$630K$1.9M$2.5M 990 PDF
FY2020 $766K$417K$349K$607K 990 PDF
FY2019 $392K$343K$49K$257K 990 PDF

More to add? Claim this org

Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $3,605,386 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $3,097,447$3,435,663
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $157,747$144,501
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $128,047$39,860
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $26,788−$14,638
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $3,410,029$3,605,386
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $533,312$496,945
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $347,441$343,199
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $880,753$840,144
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $2,529,276$2,765,242
Part VI · Governance 9 of 9 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body9
VI-1b Independent voting members9
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,605,386 across 9 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $27,441 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1c Fundraising events$244,576
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$3,191,087
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$10,266
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$3,435,663
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $144,501$144,501
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $39,860$39,860
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsExcluded from tax −$42,949−$42,949
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $870$870
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $145,371 · Excluded from tax $24,352$3,605,386
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $840,144 across 10 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $128,904 · Management $9,322 · Fundraising $72,754$210,980
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $148,420 · Management $10,733 · Fundraising $83,770$242,923
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $1,040 · Management $67 · Fundraising $517$1,624
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $26,528 · Management $1,709 · Fundraising $13,181$41,418
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $31,010 · Management $101,706 · Fundraising $9,850$142,566
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $8,509 · Fundraising $1,652$10,161
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $12,877 · Management $1,363 · Fundraising $4,291$18,531
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $71,613 · Management $321 · Fundraising $3,347$75,281
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $4,894 · Management $52 · Fundraising $206$5,152
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $54,164 · Management $21,993 · Fundraising $15,351$91,508
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $487,959 · Management $147,266 · Fundraising $204,919$840,144
Part X · Balance sheet $11,002,933 assets, 16 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $43,317$229,180
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $150,137$37,406
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $11,060$11,548
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $9,703$11,369
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $168,266$10,009,850
X-11 Publicly traded securities$613,124
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $7,326,154$90,456
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $7,711,756$11,002,933
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $55,548$68,740
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payable$442,981
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $122,960$92,870
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $178,508$604,591
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $6,100,801$6,402,101
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,432,447$3,996,241
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $7,533,248$10,398,342
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $7,711,756$11,002,933
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $10,398,342 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$3,605,386
XI-2 Total expenses$840,144
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$2,765,242
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$7,533,248
XI-6 Donated services and use of facilities$99,852
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$10,398,342

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

Similar organizations you could support · Compare with another nonprofit

Names, privacy, and removal requests More

The names, titles, and compensation shown on this page are reproduced from IRS Form 990 filings, which are public records.

Philanthropy.org does not alter the content of those filings. All information appears exactly as reported by the filing organization for the tax year shown.

We publish only information contained in the public IRS filing — and less than the filing contains. Our profile pages do not display street addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or other personal contact information, even where the filing includes them.

Many people share the same name. A name shown on this page reflects only what one organization reported in one IRS filing for one tax year. It should not be interpreted as identifying any other individual with the same or a similar name.

If you are no longer affiliated with the organization, your name will generally stop appearing in future IRS filings once the organization no longer reports you. Pages for tax years in which you were reported remain published because those filings remain part of the public record.

Philanthropy.org does not alter or remove IRS filing records. Removing a page from this website would not remove the underlying IRS filing, which remains publicly available from the IRS and other publishers of the same information.

If you believe the IRS filing itself is inaccurate, corrections must be made by the filing organization or the IRS directly.

Your org? Add context

Made it to the end? Claim this org

All figures are derived from public IRS Form 990 filings and are presented without evaluation of any organization. philanthropy.org does not rate, score, or rank organizations, including the pay comparisons above.