Norristown Zoological Society
Also known as Elmwood Park Zoo
Norristown Zoological Society reported $23.2 million in revenue and $17.7 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $88.91 went to program services, $5.67 to management and general costs and $5.42 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 75.3% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $439,090 (EXEC DIRECTOR/ CEO). 4 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 141% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $18MFor context, the median across 245 covered animal-related charities: $83.96 programs, $9.42 management, $6.62 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $23M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$72.62 $17M
- Government grants$2.10 $491K
- Program service revenue$10.67 $2.5M
- Other revenue$14.61 $3.4M
Investment income was negative: −$175K. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 88.9% | 82.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 5.7% | 9.2% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 5.4% | 6.5% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.06 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 75.3% | 67.3% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 2.1% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 10.7% | 19.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $439,090 | $314,886 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.48% | 1.63% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 39.6 | 26.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 18 of 18 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expensePurposes, educating the public about wildlife, preservation of endangered species & conservation. As an educational institution, the zoo hosts many public events to inform and entertain its guests. Such events include annual breakfast with the animals, brunches with anta, party for the planet, zoosnooze overnight campouts, boo at the zoo weekends, and many more. Each summer, the zoo hosts beast of a feast, its largest annual fundraiser with dozens of local vendors that showcase the best food drom montgomery county. Per its designation as a certifed autism center, the zoo hostsmonthly early…
Highest reported compensation
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXEC DIRECTOR/ CEO Key employee, 50.00 hrs/week | $424,151 | $0 | $14,939 | $439,090 |
| CFO/FINANCE DIRECTOR Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $154,849 | $0 | $10,928 | $165,777 |
| COO/OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $119,951 | $0 | $10,216 | $130,167 |
| ANIMAL CARE DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $119,720 | $0 | $10,187 | $129,907 |
4 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Norristown Zoological Society (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $439K (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b18 · 18 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2Yes
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5245
- Volunteers Part I, line 6569
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| AVM INVESTMENTS PROPERTIES Food service | $1,010,405 |
| ZONE'S CATERING Food service | $964,902 |
| D&S ELITE Building & grounds maintenance services | $801,020 |
| ANCHOR MANAGEMENT GROUP LLC Management of construction project | $736,496 |
| RT LANDSCAPING & MASONARY Landscaping and construction services | $607,318 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 22 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
14 private foundations reported grants to Norristown Zoological Society totaling $283K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Norristown Zoological Society's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Norristown Zoological Society, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Norristown Zoological Society spent in 2025, $88.91 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Embed on your site
Similar-sized charities in this cause
- San Francisco Zoological SocietySan Francisco, CA · revenue $23M · programs 85.9% · FY2025
- Gulf of Maine Research InstitutePortland, ME · revenue $23M · programs 67.9% · FY2025
- Sedgwick County Zoological SocietyWichita, KS · revenue $23M · programs 91.1% · 2024
- Mercy for AnimalsLos Angeles, CA · revenue $23M · programs 75.8% · 2024
- Clearwater Marine AquariumClearwater, FL · revenue $23M · programs 75.1% · 2024
All animal-related charities · Largest charities in Pennsylvania
Questions people ask
How much of Norristown Zoological Society's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Norristown Zoological Society reported that 88.9% of its $17.7 million in expenses went to program services, 5.7% to management and general and 5.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Norristown Zoological Society pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Norristown Zoological Society reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $439,090, for the role of EXEC DIRECTOR/ CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Norristown Zoological Society get its money?
Of $23.2 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 75.3% came from contributions and grants (including 2.1% from government grants) and 10.7% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Norristown Zoological Society a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 23-1970067 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202631769349301753 · read the filing · XML
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202512699349300836 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202403189349307195 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202333129349302098 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202222779349300737 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202132369349301403 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202013169349306406 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 23-1970067: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.