Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc logo

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc

Public charity · Grantmaker Sanibel, FL EIN: 59-2240895 Website

"founded in 1945, the j.n. "ding" darling national wildlife refuge consists of nearly 8,000 acres of some of the most unique and ecologically important ecosystems in the world. Budgets continue to decrease, and federal funding does not cover all the needs of this very populated refuge. As a result, the "ding" darling wildlife society - friends of the refuge (DDWS) provides financial support where federal funding falls short. Every year, the visitation to the refuge increases and nearly one million visitors explore these public lands. For nearly 40 years, the DDWS has supported the refuge in areas of education, land acquisition, interpretive signage and exhibits, habitat management, biological studies, water research, and much more.

Key facts about Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc

In short: Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc gave $77K across 4 grants in 2025 (avg $19K), mostly in District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.

EIN
59-2240895
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$77,000
Grants made (2025)
4
Average grant
$19,250
Median grant
$10,750
Total assets
$30,213,047
Primary geography
District of Columbia (65% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$30.2M

+10.3% YoY

Annual Giving

$77K

+156.7% YoY

Grant Count

4

+300.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$19K

-35.8% YoY

How Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc gives

  • Giving grew 208% from 2022 to 2025. Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.

About Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc

Based on IRS filings

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc is a public charity focused on Environment & Animals, based in Sanibel, FL. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $30.2M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 4 grants totaling $77K. Net investment income was $649K.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

2states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 4 itemized grants.

Cities

WashingtonSanibelStuart

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$20K$40K$60K$80K0 grants2019 0 grants2020 1 grant2021 1 grant2022 1 grant2023 1 grant2024 4 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $25K (2021) to $77K (2025). In 2025 it made 4 grants totaling $77K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 3 recipients in 2025

NWRA-National Wildlife Refuge: $50KNWRA-National Wildlife Refuge$50KBailey-Matthews National Shell: $15KBailey-Matthews National Shell$15KEverglades Coalition: $6KEverglades Coalition$6K

The largest 2025 recipient was NWRA-National Wildlife Refuge ($50K). Together the top 3 received $71K.

Grant Size Distribution

8 grants across all recorded years

7<$50K1$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 7 grants of 8 (88%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
NWRA-National Wildlife Refuge Washington, DCConserve Wildlife$50,000
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Sanibel, FLDonation$15,000
Misc Organizations —$6,500
Everglades Coalition Stuart, FLEvent Sponsorship$5,500

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$2.5M$5M$7.5M$10M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$30,213,047$27,398,829$22,809,826
Revenue$3,502,148$5,102,598$5,613,650
Expenses$2,104,533$2,429,023$1,868,474
Net Investment Income$648,593$638,847$426,150

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 11, 2026)
  2. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 17, 2020)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 15, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 9, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 31, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 15, 2025)

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc is led by William Harkey, President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 14 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • William Harkey

    President

    Board Member → Vice President, 2022

    Vice President → President, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ann Marie E. Wildman

    Executive Di

    Board Member → Executive Di, 2024

    On filings since 2019

    40 hrs/week

    $98K (2024) → $157K (2025)

  • Barbara Bluedorn

    Secretary

    Board Member → Secretary, 2024

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Bill Valerian

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Richard Levinson

    Board Member

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Wendy Kindig

    Past President

    Secretary → President, 2022

    President → Past President, 2024

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mark Heiman

    Secretary to

    Secretary → Secretary to, 2025

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Nancy Felker

    Board Member

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Robin Cook

    Board Member

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Stuart Sergeant

    Board Member

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Bill Millar

    Vice President

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jim Birmingham

    Board Member

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Marvell Bradley

    Board Member

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Hank Spire

    Board Member

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (13)
  • Former: David Jeffrey (2019–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Phyllis Gresham (2019–2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Sarah Ashton (2019–2024) — Past President
  • Former: Birgit P. Miller (2019–2023) — Executive Di
  • Former: William Millar (2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Mike Baldwin (2019–2021) — President
  • Former: Richard Yanke (2019–2021) — Board Member
  • Former: Robin Kirk (2020–2021) — Board Member
  • Former: Brett Gooch (2019–2020) — Board Member
  • Former: Jen McSoreley (2019–2020) — Board Member
  • Former: Mark Banks (2019–2020) — Board Member
  • Former: Doris Hardy (2020) — Past President
  • Former: Jim Hall (2019) — Board Member

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Ann Marie E Wildman — Executive Di: $157KAnn Marie E WildmanExecutive Di$157K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $157K, to Ann Marie E Wildman (Executive Di).

Frequently asked questions about Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc

How much does Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc give each year?

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc gave $77K across 4 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $30K across 1 grant.

What is Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc's typical grant size?

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,750, and its average grant was $19,250, across 4 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.

Where does Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc give grants?

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc gives mostly in District of Columbia: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Florida (27%).

Does Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 3 grants with a stated purpose on Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.

How large is Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc?

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc reported $30.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.5M.

What is Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc?

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc is a public charity focused on Environment & Animals, based in Sanibel, FL. It holds $30.2M in total assets as of 2025.

What is Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc's EIN?

Ding Darling Wildlife Society Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 59-2240895. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.

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