Chicago Zoological Society
About
Chicago Zoological Society is a animal welfare organization based in BROOKFIELD, United States. Annual revenue: $82.2 million. 0% of spending goes directly to programs. EIN: 362167016.
To inspire conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature.
Focus & reach
Verification & registration
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Integrity assessment
A score from 0 to 100 for how openly a charity shares public information across five areas: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and data recency. It does not measure programme impact. document.querySelector('#data-knowledge') && document.querySelector('#data-knowledge').scrollIntoView({behavior:'smooth', block:'start'}))" class="gr-link" style="color:#0E827A;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;cursor:pointer">See exactly what we do and do not have →
Financials
IRS Form 990Leadership at a glance
Official filingsSimilar charities
GiveRadar Intelligence
GiveRadar Analysis
From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Chicago Zoological Society has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 6 independent sources including the IRS.
- GiveRadar has cross-referenced this organization across 6 independent sources, led by the IRS - among the most thoroughly sourced profiles in its cohort. See the sources
- Established in 1921, it is among the oldest animal welfare charities in the United States GiveRadar tracks. View this cohort
- GiveRadar has verified more about this organization than about 99% of the 40,468 animal welfare charities in the United States it tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- government registration
- financial records (15 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
- third-party accreditation
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Filing history
10 years on file from IRS Form 990: revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
Sign up to viewTax deductibility
Whether a gift to Chicago Zoological Society lowers your own taxes depends on where you pay them. Choose your country to see the rule that applies.
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
This is general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm treatment with the charity or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
Leadership & board
Official filingsBoard members and senior officers on record, with disclosed pay where available.
25 officers and trustees on file, free with a GiveRadar account.
No red flags detected
Timeline
From official filingsKey dates from this charity's official filings, newest first.
In the news
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
How it stacks up against peers
Compared with 8 similar animal welfare charities in United States.
Cause areas in United States
Charities working in each area, this charity's highlighted.
Sources and verification
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search · 239 disclosed in the public registry.
What we know and don't know
Every data point we track for this charity, and whether we have found it. Disclosure only, never a judgment of the charity's work.
Data freshness
How current this profile is, and when we last checked it against the official source.
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
Read full methodologyIf you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email info@giveradar.com with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions about Chicago Zoological Society
Chicago Zoological Society is a registered animal welfare nonprofit based in Brookfield, IL, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1921 and has been operating for 105 years. Its EIN is 362167016. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 90/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $108M in annual revenue. 239 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.
Chicago Zoological Society's President and CEO, Michael J Adkesson, received $682,151 in reported compensation in its most recent filing (2025). This figure comes straight from the organization's official filing and covers salary plus other reportable pay. Executive pay generally scales with the size and complexity of a nonprofit, so it is best read alongside the organization's revenue and what it does.
Based on official filings, Chicago Zoological Society has $108M in annual revenue. It allocates 80% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 85% for animal welfare charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Chicago Zoological Society is a animal welfare organization based in BROOKFIELD, United States. Annual revenue: $82.2 million. 0% of spending goes directly to programs. EIN: 362167016. Chicago Zoological Society is classified as an animal welfare organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1921.
Chicago Zoological Society is classified as an Animal Welfare organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a major organization. It has $108M in annual revenue. The organization has 239 disclosed officers and directors.
Chicago Zoological Society's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 362167016. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.
Chicago Zoological Society is located in Brookfield, IL, United States. The organization was established in 1921 and has been active for 105 years.
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Quick facts about Chicago Zoological Society
- What is Chicago Zoological Society?
- Chicago Zoological Society is a animal welfare publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Brookfield, United States. Chicago Zoological Society is a animal welfare organization based in BROOKFIELD, United States. Annual revenue: $82.2 million. 0% of spending goes directly to programs. EIN: 362167016.
- When was Chicago Zoological Society founded?
- Chicago Zoological Society was founded in 1921.
- Who leads Chicago Zoological Society?
- Michael J Adkesson serves as President and CEO.
- Where is Chicago Zoological Society located?
- Headquartered in Brookfield, IL, United States.
- What is Chicago Zoological Society's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is $108 million. 80% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Chicago Zoological Society trustworthy?
- Chicago Zoological Society has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 90 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is Chicago Zoological Society's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 362167016.
- What is Chicago Zoological Society's website?
- http://www.brookfieldzoo.org

