Denver Field Ornithologists Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237019669
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Littleton, CO, USA
Phone
7742263171
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Reported finances

Revenue
$65,591
Expenses
$50,305
Assets
$119,623

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Sharon Tinianow (President)
  • Charles Chase (Vice President)
  • Susan Blansett (Past President)

People named in this filing

  • Sharon Tinianow (President)
  • Charles Chase (Vice President)
  • Kathy Holland (Treasurer)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To promote the study and conservation of birds.

What it reported doing in 2025

Research, Education and Conservation Grants Fund. DFO makes small grants available for projects in three area of study: education about birds, avian research, and bird conservation. Preference is given first to projects in the Denver metropolitan area, second to projects in the Colorado Front Range, and third to projects elsewhere in the U.S. Most grant recipients are graduate students from Colorado universities with projects in Colorado. Some grants support other nonprofit organizations in the Denver Metro area. Grant recipients are required to either write an article for the DFO newsletter about their project or present at a DFO monthly meeting. Objective: Provide financial support to educators, researchers, and conservationists whose work aligns with DFO's purpose of involving more people in the study of birds and increasing our knowledge of avian species in order to conserve bird species. In 2025, we funded 9 projects, including five research proposals, two wildlife rehabilitation groups, optics for Sand Creek Regional Greenway partnership and South High School.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 58% for direct work, and 42% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 46
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 42.5%; rating input score 42
  • Program expense ratio: 53%; rating input score 53

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 23.3%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.38; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 38.7% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.5% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 42.5% of revenue deployed · 53% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $27K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 17 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 42/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 53/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.