Charities United States Animal Welfare Trunks & Leaves Inc
Trunks & Leaves Inc logo

Trunks & Leaves Inc

To support and conduct research and conservation activities to protect wild Asian elephants and their habitats.

Animal Welfare San Diego, CA EIN 453996546 · IRS Sign up to see website
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70
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
70/100 · methodology

About Trunks & Leaves Inc

Our mission is to foster evidence-based conservation of wild Asian elephants and their habitats, through research, education, policy and advocacy. We support long-term research in Sri Lanka, and like-minded initiatives throughout Asia. By engaging with wildlife managers, conservation practitioners, educators, and local communities, we involve diverse stakeholders in raising awareness and imagining solutions.

Headquarters
San Diego, CA
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
D30
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
small
Operating in
1 countries

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 2012

Mission

To support and conduct research and conservation activities to protect wild Asian elephants and their habitats.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Animal Welfare · NTEE D30
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.
SDG 15 SDG 15 · Life on Land Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity.
Operating countries (1)
Sri Lanka

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar animal welfare in United States
Program spending This charity: 12%
Peer average: 96%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 70
Peer average: 92

Red flags

· All clear
IRS revocation history
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Where every $1 goes

$0.12
Program expenses$0.12 ($16,668)

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Trunks & Leaves Inc is a registered animal welfare nonprofit based in San Diego, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Its EIN is 453996546. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 70/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. This is below the average of 92/100 for animal welfare charities in United States. The organization reports $186K in annual revenue. 12 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Trunks & Leaves Inc has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 70/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 70 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for animal welfare charities in United States is 92/100.

Trunks & Leaves Inc is located in San Diego, CA, United States.

Based on official tax filings, Trunks & Leaves Inc has $186K in annual revenue. It allocates 12% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 96% for animal welfare charities in United States. Its revenue is below the peer average of $1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Trunks & Leaves Inc is classified as a Animal Welfare organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a small organization. It has $186K in annual revenue. The organization has 12 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Trunks & Leaves Inc. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

Trunks & Leaves Inc has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 70/100 (Strong transparency) and no red flags have been detected, which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the IRS. 12% of expenses go to programs. The peer average is 96%. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

Our mission is to foster evidence-based conservation of wild Asian elephants and their habitats, through research, education, policy and advocacy. We support long-term research in Sri Lanka, and like-minded initiatives throughout Asia. By engaging with wildlife managers, conservation practitioners, educators, and local communities, we involve diverse stakeholders in raising awareness and imagining solutions. Trunks & Leaves Inc is classified as a animal welfare organization registered in United States.

Among animal welfare charities registered in United States: Trunks & Leaves Inc's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 70/100 is below the peer average of 92/100. It allocates 12% of expenses to programs, below the peer average of 96%. Its annual revenue of $186K is below the peer average of $1M.

Yes, donations to Trunks & Leaves Inc are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Trunks & Leaves Inc is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 453996546, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Verified against 7 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
$100K-$1M
12% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
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Filing history

3 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2014.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership

SH
Shermin de Silva
President and Founder

Officers & trustees (5)

Source: Public filings

ES
Esther C••••• S•••••
Clerk
JO
Joseph H••••
Director
PH
Philip N••••
Director
SE
Sergey K•••••••••••
Treasurer
SH
Shermin d• S••••
President
Full names, contact details & compensation

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Latest news

From global news sources

7 articles found

From global news sources

Sentiment

Neutral

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Paving a Path to Conserving Wild Elephant Populations - UC San Diego Today
Apr 2025
today.ucsd.edu
Form filed
$0.2M revenue
FY2024
IRS_990
Traveling installation of 100 life-sized elephants will offer perspective on how much space the giants need, experts say
Sep 2024
abcnews.com
Form filed
$0.2M revenue
FY2023
IRS_990
The heartbreaking reason why elephant populations are dwindling - Good Morning America
Apr 2023
www.goodmorningamerica.com
Study finds endangered elephants regularly leaving protected area - Nebraska Today
Feb 2023
news.unl.edu
Customers linger for longer at Trunks & Leaves - Pro AVL Asia
Sep 2022
www.proavl-asia.com
Leave the Woolly Mammoth Alone - The Tyee
Nov 2021
thetyee.ca
On World Elephant Day (and every day) humans should stay away from wildlife (commentary) - news - Mongabay
Aug 2021
news.mongabay.com
Form filed
$0.0M revenue
FY2014
PROPUBLICA

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Peer charities

Other animal welfare in United States, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
Trunks & Leaves Inc This page 70 $185,635 12%
Critter Encounters 93 $230,370 100%
Wedrose Acres 93 $114,491 99%
Spca of Tennessee 93 $189,417 83%
Arizona Poodle Rescue Inc 93 $658,982 100%
Better Days Inc 93 $181,989 99%
Fifty Shades of Furr Inc 93 $314,656 94%
Bullpen Way Station & Sanctuary Ltd 90 $151,835 93%
Clay County Animal Rescue & Education Center Inc 90 $136,295 100%

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 12 disclosed in the public registry.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Supplementary verification
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Supplementary verification
GlobalGiving partner directory
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
May 27, 2026
Profile completeness
85%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Founding date
Year the organisation was founded not on file

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Trunks & Leaves Inc

What is Trunks & Leaves Inc?
Trunks & Leaves Inc is a animal welfare publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in San Diego, United States. Our mission is to foster evidence-based conservation of wild Asian elephants and their habitats, through research, education, policy and advocacy. We support long-term research in Sri Lanka, and like-minded initiatives throughout Asia. By engaging with wildlife managers, conservation practitioners, educators, and local communities, we involve diverse stakeholders in raising awareness and imagining solutions.
Who leads Trunks & Leaves Inc?
Shermin de Silva serves as President and Founder.
Where is Trunks & Leaves Inc located?
Headquartered in San Diego, United States.
What is Trunks & Leaves Inc's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $100K-$1M. 12% of expenses go to program services.
Is Trunks & Leaves Inc trustworthy?
Trunks & Leaves Inc has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 70 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 Trunks & Leaves Inc's registration number?
IRS EIN: 453996546.
What is Trunks & Leaves Inc's website?
http://www.trunksnleaves.org