Omaha Zoo Foundation
ActivePublic CharityAnimal-Related
About Omaha Zoo Foundation
Support Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium to conserve and protect wildlife and habitats globally, provide excellent animal care, build and renovate exhibits, and educate future generations of conservationists.
Focus Areas
Wildlife conservationAnimal health and veterinary medicineEnvironmental educationExhibit developmentResearch
Funding Style
unrestricted/general operating supportcore operating supportflexible funding
Topics
unspecified/general supportorganizational stability/resilienceprogram-agnostic funding
About Omaha Zoo Foundation
The Omaha Zoo Foundation’s recent grantmaking is centered on one recipient: Omaha Zoological Society, which received the three largest grants on file, all for general support. Those awards—$20,751,271 in 2025, $15,520,045 in 2023, and $7,897,098 in 2024—point to a funding model built around sustaining the zoo’s core work rather than project-by-project awards. The foundation’s stated mission is to support Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in conserving and protecting wildlife and habitats globally, providing animal care, building and renovating exhibits, and educating future conservationists. That mission is reflected in its active giving programs, which include unrestricted general donation support, planned giving, honorary and memorial giving, membership revenue, and named campaigns tied to facilities and exhibits. The foundation is a public charity with $185,760,101 in assets and $44,168,414 in annual grants given. Its program areas include wildlife conservation, animal health and veterinary medicine, environmental education, exhibit development, and research. The grant record shows a consistent emphasis on operational strength, endowment support, and long-term stewardship of the zoo’s mission.
What Omaha Zoo Foundation Funds
Animal health and veterinary medicine is a visible priority. The foundation’s active Bill & Berniece Grewcock Animal Hospital Campaign supports construction, technology, and ongoing operations for a new 32,000-square-foot hospital, including advanced equipment and expanded capabilities. Exhibit and habitat support is another recurring theme. Through the Gorilla Plaques Campaign and Gorilla Plaques, donors support gorilla habitat, exhibit-related work, and gorilla care inside Hubbard Gorilla Valley. Conservation education also appears in the foundation’s purpose statements, which connect general donation support to education, conservation, and animal care. A broader stewardship focus runs through planned giving and the Dr. Lee G. Simmons Legacy Fund, both aimed at long-term mission support and conservation-oriented work. Together, these programs show a funder that combines capital campaigns, donor-designated giving, and unrestricted support around the zoo’s core institutional priorities.
How Omaha Zoo Foundation Gives
The foundation’s grant size profile is large and tightly clustered, with a p25 of $9,802,835, a median of $11,708,572, and a p75 of $13,614,308. The recent grant record also suggests repeat support over multiple years, with the same recipient appearing in 2023, 2024, and 2025. It is structured as a public charity and gives program-agnostic, unrestricted, and core operating support alongside campaign and legacy vehicles. Several of its giving channels explicitly accept unsolicited gifts, including general donation, planned giving, honorary and memorial giving, and adopt-an-animal programs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$20.8M
Total Assets
$185.8M
Total Revenue
$26.3M
Total Expenses
$24.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $9.8M and $13.6M, with a median of $11.7M.
25th Percentile
$9.8M
Median
$11.7M
75th Percentile
$13.6M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in NE.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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