The Ellen Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
824122811
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2023
Forms available
Form 990 2023, Form 990-PF 2018
Location
Encino, CA, USA
Phone
3109483490
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$86,838
Expenses
$243,427
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PORTIA DE ROSSI (BOARD MEMBER/PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • PORTIA DE ROSSI (BOARD MEMBER/PRESIDENT)
  • ELLEN DEGENERES (BOARD MEMBER/DIRECTOR)
  • HARLEY NEUMAN (BOARD MEMBER/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. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Support global conservation efforts for endangered species.

What it reported doing in 2023

The organization's main program is to support global conservation efforts for endangered species. The fund's focus is to secure a future for wild gorillas by building a permanent home for the dian fossey gorilla fund. The ellen fund is supporting the dian fossey fund as it works with the local population, gorilla experts, local and world-class architects, technology sponsors and many others to create a campus that will support (a) the long term health and care of the dian fossey fund, (b) gorilla science, (c) responsible tourism, and (d) the needs of the local population. With the release of ellen degeneres' conservation documentary endangered in 2021, the ellen fund launched the endangered campaign to support local conservation efforts for the seven endangered species featured in the film.beyond the groundbreaking ellen campus and endangered campaign, the ellen fund also aims to inspire millions towards conservation through communication such as social media. The ellen fund also provided seed funding and logistical support for mass media, an african-based filmmaker that tells stories with environmental and social impact.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 44
  • Sustainability: 15
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 29.6%; rating input score 30
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 25%; rating input score 25; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -180.3%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -56% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -73.2% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -58.9% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91% of revenue deployed · 29.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $72K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $110K reported
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2019 to 2023
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 30/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: California registration: this organization is recorded as not currently operating in California.