Lions Tigers & Bears Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
650846509
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Arcadia, FL, USA
Phone
8634440752
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Protection of Endangered Species

Reported finances

Revenue
$470,685
Expenses
$153,363
Assets
$1,661,942
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DENNIS B WITTMEIER (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • DR PEGGY CHATAM (DIRECTOR)
  • WILLIAM D CRAFT (DIRECTOR)
  • HEIDI (DIRECTOR)

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

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

Overview

Mission

To educate the public about endangered exotic animals; to use the facilities and the wildlife residents as a teaching tools; to draw the public to a clean, safe place to see and learn about the value of preserving bio-diversity

What it reported doing in 2025

The care and protection of endangered wild animals including; food, shelter, maintaining good health and providing a safe, natural living environment. To educate and inform the public about endangered wild animals and the consequences to animals and humans when animals lose their natural habitats.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 76% for direct work, and 24% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 49
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 45
  • Sustainability: 88
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 30.7%; rating input score 31
  • Program expense ratio: 94.2%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 67.4%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.84; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.9% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.1% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 30.7% of revenue deployed · 94.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 6 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $144K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 23 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 31/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule D land buildings reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.