AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER

As filed

Subsection

03

NTEE code

D320

Classification

1000

Street

4872 SEEWEE RD

These codes are the IRS's own and are shown exactly as filed. What each one means is in the Business Master File documentation (opens in a new tab).

Mission and programs · 2024

• THE CENTER FOUNDED OUT OF AN ACUTE AWARENESS FOR THE NEED OF AN AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER IN SOUTH CAROLINA, THE CHARLESTON RAPTOR CENTER WAS FORMALLY INCORPORATED AS A 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION IN SEPTEMBER 1991. THE CENTERS NAME WAS CHANGED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA CENTER FOR BIRDS OF PREY IN 1995 TO BETTER REFLECT AN EXPANDED SCOPE OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. WITH CONTINUED GROWTH AND REACH, THE AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2004 AS AN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION TO ACCOMMODATE DISTINCTIVE EDUCATIONAL, MEDICAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CONSERVATION DISCIPLINES WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. THESE OPERATING DIVISIONS ARE: THE CENTER FOR BIRDS OF PREY; THE AVIAN MEDICAL CENTER; AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA OIL SPILL TREATMENT FACILITY. THE AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTERS MEDICAL CLINIC OPERATES 365 DAYS A YEAR WITH SUPPORT FROM MORE THAN 60 TRAINED AND DEDICATED VOLUNTEER STAFF MEMBERS. THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART MEDICAL FACILITY TREATS MORE THAN 600 INJURED BIRDS OF PREY AND SHOREBIRDS EACH YEAR. SINCE ITS FOUNDING, THE CENTER HAS ADMITTED OVER 7,000 BIRDS FOR TREATMENT AND RELEASE. THE SC OIL SPILL TREATMENT FACILITY IS AMONG THE MOST DISTINCTIVE FACILITIES HOUSED AT THE AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER. IN 2005 U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE AND SOUTH CAROLINA DNR AWARDED THE CENTER A $1.8 MILLION GRANT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 3,500 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY, WHICH REMAINS THE ONLY PERMANENT OIL SPILL TREATMENT CENTER OF ITS KIND ON THE EASTERN SEABOARD. RESEARCH AND FIELD STUDIES COMBINE WITH THE OBJECTIVES OF THE MEDICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE PROTECTION OF WILD BIRD POPULATIONS AND THEIR HABITAT. THE CENTER HAS LED AND PARTICIPATED IN GROUNDBREAKING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON AVIAN GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS, INCLUDING AN ONGOING STUDY OF ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA SUCH AS THE SWALLOWTAILED KITE. THE CENTERS WORK IS WELL KNOWN IN CONNECTION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS LIKE THE EMERGENCE OF AVIAN VACUOLAR MYELINOPATHY (AVM) AMONG EAGLES AND OTHER BIRDS, AND POISONING FROM UNREGULATED LANDFILL SUBSTANCES. A CITIZEN SCIENCE APPROACH TO A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES ALLOWS THE PUBLIC TO BECOME ACTIVE CONTRIBUTORS TO WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF VITAL ECOLOGICAL ISSUES. CITIZEN-SCIENCE PROGRAMS CARRY THE ADDITIONAL BONUS OF RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT ECOLOGICAL ISSUES, EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT SPECIES OF CONCERN AND THEIR ASSOCIATED HABITATS, AND ALLOWING THE PUBLIC TO BECOME ACTIVELY ENGAGED SUPPORTERS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION. AVIAN MEDICAL CLINIC THE PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT OF INJURED BIRDS IS A SOURCE OF INCOMPARABLE INSIGHT INTO CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, MANY OF WHICH HAVE HUMAN HEALTH IMPLICATIONS. THE AVIAN MEDICAL CLINIC CURRENTLY TREATS MORE THAN 600INJURED RAPTORS AND SHOREBIRDS EACH YEAR, RELEASING THE MAJORITY BACK TO THEIR NATURAL HABITAT. INJURED BIRDS ARE ADMITTED FROM A CONTINUALLY WIDENING GEOGRAPHICAL AREA. ALTHOUGH THE CAUSES OF INJURIES VARY WIDELY, NEARLY ALL ARE HUMAN-RELATED - RANGING FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS TO COLLISIONS, ELECTRIC SHOCK FROM POWER LINES, AND TOXICITY. THE MEDICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE CENTER OPERATE ON A 365-DAY / 24-HOUR BASIS. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION EACH YEAR, THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED IN THE CENTERS SCIENCE AND NATURAL HISTORY BASED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. THE POWER AND BEAUTY OF BIRDS OF PREY CAST THEM AS UNPARALLELED AMBASSADORS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION - EXEMPLIFYING BOTH THE INTELLECTUAL AND ETHICAL ASPECTS OF CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT. DECADES OF PROGRAM EXPERIENCE AND EVALUATIONS CONSISTENTLY PROVIDED FROM EDUCATORS DEMONSTRATE THAT THESE PROGRAMS CAPTURE ATTENTION, ENHANCE RETENTION OF SUBJECT MATERIAL, AND FOSTER A RENEWED ENTHUSIASM FOR LEARNING - ALL OF WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO AN OVERALL IMPROVEMENT IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. THE EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE CENTER, WHETHER ONSITE AT THE CENTERS 152 ACRE CAMPUS, OR OFFERED AS OUTREACH IN CLASSROOMS AND OTHER VENUES, PROMOTE AN AWARENESS AND APPRECIATION FOR THE NATURAL WORLD AND OUR RESPECTIVE ROLES AS STEWARDS IN ITS RESERVATION. SC OILED BIRD TREATMENT FACILITY THE AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER IS DESIGNATED IN THE USCG AREA CONTINGENCY PLAN AS THE OFFICIAL REPOSITORY FOR OILED BIRDS IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND MAINTAINS SITUATIONAL READINESS IN THIS CRUCIAL ROLE. CONSTRUCTED WITH A GRANT FROM U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE AND SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, THE CENTERS COMBINED USE AVIAN MEDICAL CENTER / SC OILED BIRD TREATMENT FACILITY WAS COMPLETED IN OCTOBER 2007 AND IS THE ONLY PERMANENT AVIAN TREATMENT CENTER OF ITS KIND ON THE EASTERN SEABOARD. THE FACILITY IS DESIGNED AND EQUIPPED TO PROVIDE THE HIGHEST QUALITY MEDICAL CARE AVAILABLE FOR INJURED BIRDS OF PREY AND SHOREBIRDS ON A DAILY BASIS AND AFFORDS THE MOST EFFICIENT RESPONSE POSSIBLE IN THE EVENT OF A CONTAMINANT SPILL AFFECTING NATIVE BIRD POPULATIONS AND THEIR FRAGILE BREEDING HABITATS ALONG THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST. RESEARCH AND FIELD STUDY RESEARCH AND FIELD STUDIES WORK SYNERGISTICALLY WITH THE CENTERS MEDICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE PROTECTION OF WILD BIRD POPULATIONS AND THEIR CRITICAL HABITAT AREAS. THE CENTER HAS LED AND PARTICIPATED IN GROUNDBREAKING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INCLUDING AVIAN GENETICS, ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, AND AN ONGOING STUDY OF ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA SUCH AS THE SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. THE CENTERS WORK IS WELL ESTABLISHED IN CONNECTION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS SUCH AS THE EMERGENCE OF AVIAN VACUOLAR MYELINOPATHY (AVM) AMONG EAGLES AND OTHER BIRDS, AND MORTALITY RESULTING FROM UNDER-REGULATED LANDFILL SUBSTANCES. A CITIZEN SCIENCE APPROACH TO A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES RAISES PUBLIC AWARENESS OF VITAL ECOLOGICAL ISSUES AND ENCOURAGES THE PUBLIC TO BECOME ACTIVE CONTRIBUTORS TO WILDLIFE CONSERVATION.

  Expenses $1,020,327 · Revenue $402,215

As filed on the 2024 return.

Officers and directors · 2024

As listed in Part VII of the 2024 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

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. Earlier years are each on their own filing page.

Filings

• 2024

  Revenue

  $1,359,576

  Expenses

  $1,230,349

  Contributions

  $791,464

  Grants paid

  $0

• 2023

  Revenue

  $1,361,734

  Expenses

  $1,016,085

  Contributions

  $871,143

  Grants paid

  $0

• 2022

  Revenue

  $1,246,935

  Expenses

  $967,901

  Contributions

  $754,384

  Grants paid

  $0

• 2022

  Revenue

  $1,246,935

  Expenses

  $967,901

  Contributions

  $754,384

  Grants paid

  $0

The four totals the IRS asks for on Part I of the Form 990, as filed. A dash means the figure was not present on the return — not that it was zero.

Other returns filed

• 2021 · 990

  Revenue

  $1,042,325

  Expenses

  $830,373

  Assets (EOY)

  $5,107,321

• 2021 · 990

  Revenue

  $1,042,325

  Expenses

  $775,327

  Assets (EOY)

  $5,227,958

• 2020 · 990

  Revenue

  $601,354

  Expenses

  $862,617

  Assets (EOY)

  $4,974,918

• 2019 · 990

  Revenue

  $911,707

  Expenses

  $909,479

  Assets (EOY)

  $4,974,405

• 2018 · 990

  Revenue

  $809,294

  Expenses

  $980,216

  Assets (EOY)

  $4,956,773

• 2017 · 990

  Revenue

  $2,438,670

  Expenses

  $1,029,295

  Assets (EOY)

  $5,104,534

• 2016 · 990

  Revenue

  $875,076

  Expenses

  $969,637

  Assets (EOY)

  $5,236,764

• 2015 · 990

  Revenue

  $768,021

  Expenses

  $914,190

  Assets (EOY)

  $5,294,081

• 2014 · 990

  Revenue

  $1,170,153

  Expenses

  $885,194

  Assets (EOY)

  $5,434,602

• 2013 · 990

  Revenue

  $597,113

  Expenses

  $906,120

  Assets (EOY)

  $5,147,382

Nonprofiteer parses Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, in a window of recent tax years. These returns are recorded from the IRS e-file index, so their figures were extracted by that index rather than read from the return here — treat them as a different source from the filings above, not as more of the same record. A dash means the index carries no figure; Form 990-T listings carry none at all. Showing the 10 most recent; the API carries the rest.

Grants made

No itemized grants to organizations. Schedule I is filed only by organizations that granted more than $5,000 to a recipient, so most filers have none.

Grants received

• FRONTSTREAM GLOBAL FUND

  $45,598

  2024 · Contribution

• CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

  $35,000

  2023 · GENERAL SUPPORT

• CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

  $35,000

  2022 · GENERAL SUPPORT

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $29,050

  2022 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $26,050

  2024 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $25,050

  2024 · ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANIMALS

• FRANCES P BUNNELLE FOUNDATION

  $21,000

  2023 · ENVIRONMENT

• FRANCES P BUNNELLE FOUNDATION

  $20,500

  2022 · ENVIRONMENT

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $17,750

  2023 · ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANIMALS

• RAYMOND JAMES CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT FUND

  $17,000

  2022 · GENERAL SUPPORT

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Other IRS files