Zoo Miami Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
596192814
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Miami, FL, USA
Phone
3052555551
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Zoo, Zoological Society

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,879,169
Expenses
$8,372,842
Assets
$38,673,891
Liabilities
$1,154,681

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

42 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jose C Romano (President & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Jose C Romano (President & CEO): $370,187 total reported compensation
  • Ronald Stayton (Senior Director of Development): $156,210 total reported compensation
  • Carlos Simones (Sr Director of Operations): $136,927 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Zoo Miami Foundation's mission is to inspire people to preserve nature and motivate others to join us through community engagement, fundraising, and building relationships.

What it reported doing in 2024

Zoo Miami Foundation (ZMF), formerly Zoological Society of Florida, is the private non-profit partner organization for Zoo Miami Founded in 1956. While Miami-Dade County operates and maintains the zoo, ZMF allows Zoo Miami to continue mission-driven initiatives and zoo enhancements to encourage an appreciation for the world's wildlife to conserve it for future generations. Through the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, and government entities, ZMF operates robust Learning Experience programs, manages a large volunteer base contributing more than 30,000 hours/year, supports vital conservation initiatives, and supplements key capital projects that bolster animal welfare and guest experiences at Zoo Miami. With one of the largest membership bases in South Florida, Zoo Miami Foundation continues to make a significant impact connecting with and educating the South Florida community to take conservation action! Zoo Miami Foundation partners with numerous organizations at the local, state, and national level including foundations, corporations, and government entities. These partnerships provide funding, program support, volunteers, materials/supplies, and advice that enhances the quality of programs and expands the reach of our mission.

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 98% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 59
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95.8%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 83.8%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 89.5%; rating input score 89; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 54.2%; rating input score 54; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.3%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.62; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.7%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95.8% of revenue deployed · 83.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 39 of 39 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $370K · 42 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.7M reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 43 current checks pass · 3 findings to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • 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: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 43/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.