Wildlife Conservation Network
Legal name: Wildlife Conservation Network Inc
Overview
Mission
WCN ignites and empowers innovative conservationists to protect wildlife and the wild places.
What it reported doing in 2025
Wildlife programs - provide direct support to wildlife conservation partners, with a long-term commitment to endangered flagship species in 69 countries. This support includes short-term and long-term grants to enhance wcn's field-based conservation partners and associates' ability to save endangered species in the wild through programs aimed at reducing human-wildlife conflict, improving wildlife-friendly livestock practices, land and crop management, developing alternative livelihood programs, monitoring wildlife, anti-poaching, building capacity in and around protected areas, providing community education for children and adults, and raising public awareness about wildlife.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 91% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 300108469
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2025
- Official website data refreshed
- Aug 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Phone
- 4152026380
- Rating
- 83
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Wildlife Preservation, Protection
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 73
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 69
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 59.8%; rating input score 60
- Program expense ratio: 92.1%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: $94.45 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Pass
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 36.5%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.8; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.1%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 18.2% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 59.8% of revenue deployed · 92.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $50.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $274K · 17 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $718K reported
- Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 annual filings from 2010 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 26 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 17 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- JEAN-GAEL EMPTAZ-COLLOMB (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $273,914 total reported compensation
- ANNE TRELA (CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER): $257,216 total reported compensation
- ALICE JONES (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $207,698 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2025.