Chicago Zoological Society
To inspire conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF
Total Assets
$317.2M
+19.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$24K
-15.6% YoY
Grant Count
2
-33.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$12K
+26.7% YoY
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $317,202,000 | $265,240,000 | $226,030,000 |
| Revenue | $107,989,615 | $94,260,071 | $64,594,406 |
| Expenses | $78,379,597 | $75,495,346 | $66,115,083 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $5,510,186 | $4,492,644 | $2,365,021 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
10 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Who else does Chicago Zoological Society fund?
Explore the funder–grantee relationships behind this foundation, powered by GrantGraph™ — our database of 11 million+ funding connections.
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Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Michael Adkesson | President and CEO | 40 | $692,858 |
| David E Burns | Chief Financial and Admin. Officer | 40 | $388,865 |
| Cathleen Brueggemann | Sr. VP Development | 40 | $317,613 |
| Andrea S Rodgers | Sr. VP Guest Experience Operations | 40 | $244,810 |
| Jennifer L Baader | Sr. VP Govt Affairs | 40 | $236,116 |
| Dr Sathya K Chinnadurai | Sr. VP Animal Health Welfare | 40 | $214,505 |
| Sandra L Dornhecker | Sr. VP Human Resources | 40 | $225,740 |
| Randall Wells | VP Marine Mammal Conservation | 40 | $194,171 |
| Shannon Heston | VP Information Technology | 40 | $181,871 |
| Melissa Lewkowich | VP Risk Facilities Mgmt | 40 | $186,448 |
| Heather Bilcer | VP Finance | 40 | $195,060 |
| Jerome E Johnston | VP Guest Services Operations | 40 | $177,475 |
| Cherryl T Thomas | Chair of the Board | 2 | — |
| William C Kunkler III | Deputy Chair of the Board | 2 | — |
| Elizabeth Hamill Bramsen | Vice-Chair of the Board | 2 | — |
| Merrick M Elfman | Vice-Chair of the Board | 2 | — |
| Bert A Getz Jr | Vice-Chair of the Board | 2 | — |
| John P Grube | Vice-Chair of the Board | 2 | — |
| Molly Keller | Vice-Chair of the Board | 2 | — |
| Michael P Emmert | Treasurer | 2 | — |
| Randall G Vickery | Secretary | 2 | — |
| Stuart B Abelson | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Walter W Becky II | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Jennifer L Bellini | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Jay D Bergman | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Edward McCormick Blair Jr | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Barbara J Bradford | Trustee | 2 | — |
| James A Bryan | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Michael G Canning | Trustee | 2 | — |
| John A Carpenter | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Dr Bonny Chen | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Rita Sola Cook | Trustee | 2 | — |
| JR Davis III | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Michael F DeSantiago | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Gregory J DiDomenico | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Michael Drai | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Sunny Elebua | Trustee as of 10/24 | 2 | — |
| Dr Lisa C Freeman | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Matthew Gambs | Trustee as of 10/24 | 2 | — |
| Sasha L Gerritson | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Darius A Gill | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Barbara Grayson | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Heidi Huizenga | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Kevin M Keeley | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Kevin M Killips | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Barbara Levy Kipper | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Jerry Manne | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Tim Ozinga | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Stan Pepper | Trustee as of 11/24 | 2 | — |
| Toni Preckwinkle | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Elizabeth S Quinn | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Benita S Romano | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Mark G Sander | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Kelley C Schueler | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Patrick E Whiteside | Trustee | 2 | — |
| Joseph A Gregoire | Trustee thru of 12/24 | 2 | — |
| Stuart D Strahl PhD | Trustee thru of 3/25 | 2 | — |
Geographic Focus
Where this funder has awarded grants
Grant Distribution by State
Illinois $530K (85%)
Ohio $33K (5%)
Texas $25K (4%)
California $10K (2%)
Massachusetts $10K (2%)
Florida $7K (1%)
Arizona $7K (1%)
Cities
AustinChicagoMarysvilleMiamiSan DiegoTucsonYarmouth
Data last updated March 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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