Wild Bird Fund
Legal name: Wild Bird Fund Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 320155774
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- New York, NY, US
- Phone
- 646-306-2862
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Bird Sanctuary, Preserve
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,938,114
- Expenses
- $2,002,347
- Assets
- $2,070,215
- Liabilities
- $1,821,966
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ALEXANDRA SCURO (PRESIDENT)
- JENNIFER PETERSON (VICE PRESIDENT & SECRETARY)
Highest reported compensation
- RITAMARY MCMAHON (CO-FOUNDER): $52,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To provide care and rehabilitation for distressed wildlife and their return to their natural habitats.
What it reported doing in 2024
In 2025 wild bird fund treated a record 13,190 birds and other wildlife. We provide veterinary and rehabilitative care during hospitalization until the wildlife patient recovers from their injuries or illness. In the case of displaced or orphaned babies we raise the animal to adulthood, providing species-specifc nutrition and environmental enrichment. Care is provided seven days a week, 365 days a year. Our dedicated team of veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators, animal care managers and trained volunteers evaluates each patient every day through its stay conducting: x-rays, diagnostic tests, surgery, splinting, wound care, antibiotics, pain relief and physical therapy. We also test and treat for parasites and lead or rodenticide poisoning and test for hpai, "bird flu." when the wiildlife patient is fully recovered they are released back to the wild or sent to other wildlife facilities for further care and re-conditioning in outdoor flight cages.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 33
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 89.6%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 86.7%; rating input score 87
- Fundraising efficiency: $21.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
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: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: -3.3%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.03; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.88; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.6%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 11.9% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 27% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 3 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 89.6% of revenue deployed · 86.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $52K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 44/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 7/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.