Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
Legal name: Omaha Zoological Society
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 470469782
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Omaha, NE, United States
- Phone
- (402) 733-8401
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Zoo, Zoological Society
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $82,044,812
- Expenses
- $79,787,526
- Assets
- $340,374,906
- Liabilities
- $28,006,934
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- LUIS PADILLA (PRESIDENT & CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- LUIS PADILLA (PRESIDENT & CEO): $687,338 total reported compensation
- JEREMY C EDDIE (SVP OF FINANCE & ADMIN, & CFO): $275,728 total reported compensation
- TODD SCHOLZ (VP OF CAPITAL PROJECTS): $251,795 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's mission is to inspire, educate and engage people to serve as lifelong stewards for the conservation of animals and their habitats. A company membership drive with Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium is a meaningful way to support the health and well-being of your employees and their families. With access to world-class habitats, immersive experiences, and engaging educational programs, the Zoo offers a place to recharge, connect with nature, and spend quality time together. Our team will work closely with you to customize the structure and timeline of your membership drive. We’ll provide recommendations, resources, and ongoing support to ensure a smooth and successful experience for your organization. The process is simple:.
What it reported doing in 2024
Omaha's henry doorly zoo and aquarium's center for conservation and research conducts valuable conservation science research in the areas of veterinary medicine, reproductive sciences, genetics, nutrition, and behavioral husbandry and welfare. The scientific teams conducting research in 2025 included seven veterinarians, six ph.d. Scientists and post-docs, two master's level researchers and eight additional technical staff. These teams were actively participating in multiple research projects that led to the publication of manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, our researchers presented at international conferences and scientific meetings, and gave invited talks and lectures at universities, scientific conferences, and industry meetings. Omaha's henry doorly zoo and aquarium supported several conservation projects focusing on north america, south america, asia, madagascar, mainland africa, and the oceans. Support not only included financial contributions to the projects but staff expertise and time with direct participation and leadership in conservation efforts for the rescue, propagation and restoration of coral reefs through secore, breeding and release of salt creek tiger beetles in Nebraska, breeding and release of amphibians in north america and puerto rico, and sunflower sea star propagation and field efforts. Staff also provide extensive leadership and expertise in key services roles on sustainability programs through the association of zoos and aquariums as advisors, species survival plan program leaders, studbook keepers, committee members, project coordinators, instructors, and taxon advisory group chairs, and steering committee members.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 96
- Transparency & Controls: 71
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 61
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 93.2%; rating input score 93
- Fundraising efficiency: $76.87 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 2.8%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.27; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 93.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $74.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $687K · 17 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $18.9M reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 38/100.