Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$61,780,844

Total expenses

$72,480,753

Contributions and grants received

$33,109,188

Grants paid

$459,977

Program service revenue

$27,872,175

Investment income

$799,481

Other revenue

$0

Total assets, end of year

$45,509,396

Total liabilities, end of year

$16,260,227

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$29,249,169

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$61,085,905

Management and general expenses

$8,323,606

Fundraising expenses

$3,071,242

Program service expenses (Part III)

$61,085,905

Program services were 84.3% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2023

• LIFE SCIENCES: THE DENVER ZOO'S MISSION IS INSPIRING COMMUNITIES TO SAVE WILDLIFE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. OUR LARGEST PROGRAM AREA IS CARING FOR OUR ANIMAL RESIDENTS WHO CONNECT OUR GUESTS TO WILDLIFE AROUND THE WORLD. THE DENVER ZOO IS A RECOGNIZED LEADER IN ALL AREAS RELATING TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CARE FOR OUR ANIMAL COLLECTION AS WE ARE FOCUSED ON PROVIDING THE BEST NUTRITIONAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL CARE POSSIBLE. WITH THE ADDITION OF THE LEMBKE FAMILY PRESERVE, A 570-ACRE PARCEL IN WELD COUNTY, COLORADO, THE DENVER ZOO WILL BE ABLE TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE ITS HOLDING, BREEDING, RESEARCH AND REINTRODUCTION EFFORTS. ANIMALS AT THE DENVER ZOO RECEIVE THE VERY BEST CARE FROM THEIR DEDICATED ANIMAL CARE STAFF, ANIMAL BEHAVIORISTS, VETERINARY MEDICINE STAFF, AND ZOO NUTRITION AND WELFARE STAFF. OUR ANIMALS ARE BRED UNDER THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS' (AZA) SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN (SSP), WHICH ENSURES GENETIC DIVERSITY AND HEALTHY POPULATIONS. ANIMAL WELFARE IS EVERYONE'S JOB AT THE DENVER ZOO. THE DENVER ZOO IS ACCREDITED BY THE AZA AND CONSERVATION CERTIFIED BY AMERICAN HUMANE.

  Expenses $47,319,156 · Revenue $8,259,333

• GUEST EXPERIENCES: THE DENVER ZOO EXISTS TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY CONNECT WITH WILDLIFE HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD SO THAT WE CAN ALL BE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO HELPING SPECIES THRIVE. OUR PASSION AND REASON FOR BEING IS TO INSPIRE COMMUNITIES TO SAVE WILDLIFE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. WE ACHIEVE THIS BY PROVIDING AN OUTSTANDING GUEST EXPERIENCE EACH AND EVERY DAY. THE DENVER ZOO MONITORS AND EVALUATES THE GUEST EXPERIENCE THROUGH A MYSTERY SHOPPER PROGRAM, CONSISTENTLY MONITORING ONLINE FEEDBACK, AND EXTENSIVE GUEST SATISFACTION SURVEYS. THE DENVER ZOO CONTINUES TO MAKE A PROFOUND IMPACT, CREATING MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES FOR GUESTS, BOTH AT THE DENVER ZOO AND OFF-SITE IN THE COMMUNITY, ENGAGING CITIZENS THROUGH IMPACTFUL ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS THAT INSPIRE A LIFELONG LOVE OF SCIENCE LEARNING. THE DENVER ZOO IS A PLACE WHERE GUESTS MAKE LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS, LINKING PEOPLE, ANIMALS, AND NATURE. THE DENVER ZOO CONNECTS PEOPLE WITH ANIMALS, INSPIRING THEM TO CHAMPION THE DENVER ZOO'S MISSION TO INSPIRE COMMUNITIES TO SAVE WILDLIFE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. AS AN ACCREDITED ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS (AZA) INSTITUTION, THE DENVER ZOO IS AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR THE DENVER METRO REGION TO UNDERSTAND WILDLIFE AND THE NEED TO CONSERVE THE PLACES ANIMALS LIVE. THE DENVER ZOO IS ALSO AMERICAN HUMANE CERTIFIED, RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE IN ANIMAL WELLBEING. THE DENVER ZOO'S GUESTS LEARN ABOUT THE IMPORTANT ROLE ZOOS HAVE AS LEADERS IN CONSERVATION RESEARCH. THROUGH UP-CLOSE EXPERIENCES, VISITORS EXPERIENCE A STRONGER CONNECTION TO NATURE, CONSIDER THEIR ROLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND CONSERVATION ACTION, AND SEE THEMSELVES AS PART OF THE SOLUTION AS A RESULT OF THEIR VISIT. THE DENVER ZOO INSPIRES COMMUNITIES TO SAVE WILDLIFE FOR FUTURER GENERATIONS. OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PROGRAM ENSURES EQUITABLE ACCESS TO THE ZOO AND OUR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS FOR ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, THE DENVER ZOO ENSURES AT LEAST 25% OF ANNUAL GUESTS ENJOY THE ZOO AND ZOO PROGRAMS FOR FREE OR SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED FEES.

  Expenses $8,085,406 · Revenue $18,691,637

• LEARNING EXPERIENCES: DENVER ZOOS CONSERVATION LEARNING, CONSERVATION ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY RESEARCH & EVALUATION TEAMS AIM TO HELP STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES CONNECT WITH THE ENVIRONMENT, BECOME SCIENTIFIC THINKERS, AND ULTIMATELY CHAMPIONS FOR ANIMALS AND HABITATS. THE DENVER ZOO IS A ONE-OF-A-KIND PLACE WHERE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS CAN EXPERIENCE THE JOY AND WONDERS OF ANIMALS, CONSERVATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT. THE CONSERVATION LEARNING TEAM PROVIDED A VARIETY OF IN-PERSON LEARNING EXPERIENCES WHICH WERE VERY WELL RECEIVED BY OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THE DENVER ZOO HAD NEARLY 77,000 PARTICIPANTS IN EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS IN 2023.

  Expenses $3,699,110 · Revenue $874,611

• FIELD CONSERVATION: THE DENVER ZOO IS A ZOO-BASED CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION AND A DEDICATED PLAYER IN THE MOVEMENT TO SAVE WILDLIFE. WE CONDUCT EXTENSIVE FIELD WORK IN COLORADO AND GLOBALLY FOR ANIMALS AND HABITATS IN THE WILD. OUR APPROACH IS TO WORK WITH COMMUNITIES TO UNDERSTAND CONSERVATION ISSUES, THEN CO-DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES TO PROTECT WILDLIFE AND WILD PLACES. DENVER ZOO IS A LEADER AMONG ZOOS IN FIELD CONSERVATION. IN ADDITION TO CONNECTING AUDIENCES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF SPECIES AT OUR 80-ACRE URBAN CAMPUS, WE WORK TO PROTECT ANIMALS AND HABITATS THROUGH THREE CORE PROGRAMS AROUND THE WORLD IN - VIETNAM, PERU, AND IN OUR BACKYARD OF COLORADO. ADDITIONALLY, THE DENVER ZOO HAS BEGUN CONSERVATION INITIATIVES IN SEVERAL OTHER WORLD LOCATIONS INCLUDING LAOS, INDONESIA, RWANDA, AND UGANDA. WE COMMIT FULL-TIME, PART-TIME, AND CONTRACT STAFF ALONG WITH OTHER RESOURCES TO THESE PROGRAMS EACH YEAR. USING BOTH SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE TO IDENTIFY AND UNDERSTAND TARGET SPECIES AND THREATS TO THEIR SURVIVAL, WE WORK TO MITIGATE THREATS BY STRENGTHENING PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT, SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES, INFLUENCING CONSERVATION POLICY, AND BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO ENGAGE IN CONSERVATION ACTION.

  Expenses $1,982,233 · Grants $459,977 · Revenue $46,594

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

  $40,000

  INDIGENOUS SCHOLARSH

• REWILD

  $23,000

  WOMEN IN CONSERVATIO

• INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT FOUNDATION

  $10,000

  EEHV VACCINE RESEARC

• SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK

  $8,700

  EEHV CONSORTIUM MEMB

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• COLORADO ZOOLOGICAL TRUST

  501C3 · ZOOSUPPORT · CO · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by DZF

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

29 June 2024

IRS schema version

2023v5.0

Source object

202411839349300976

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