Wildlife Conservation Society

WCS was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently works to conserve more than two million square miles of wild places around the world.

At-A-Glance

Issue Areas: Environmental Policy
Location: Bronx, NY View on map
Tax ID: 13-1740011
Most Recent Filing: 2025
Budget (2025): Assets: $1,249,431,919 Revenue: $400,861,377 Expenses: $456,032,967

WCS was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently works to conserve more than two million square miles of wild places around the world.

Financial Statistics

Total Assets

Total Revenue

Total Expenses

YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
2025 $1,249,431,919 $400,861,377 $456,032,967 View
2024 $1,254,629,446 $389,150,742 $448,907,632
2023 $1,249,623,944 $345,503,315 $373,628,213 View
2022 $1,271,369,998 $393,224,094 $337,028,286 View
2021 $1,266,701,657 $281,057,125 $312,580,356 View
2020 $1,109,496,534 $255,583,692 $298,619,522 View
2019 $1,102,714,374 $263,863,758 $294,950,140 View

Prior year filings: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

Revenue Detail

Expenses Detail

Employee Compensation

  • Number of Employees: 2917

Highest Earning Employees

EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
Robert G MenziEVP Chief Operating Officer$1,104,390
James J BrehenyEVP Director of Zoos/Aquarium$709,941
John F CalvelliEVP Public Affairs$584,954
Christopher J McKenzieSVP General Counsel$549,451
Paula HayesEVP Chief of GR through2/28/25$547,339
Joseph WalstonEVP Global Conservation$530,474
Craig PiperVP and Director of City Zoos$454,904
Daniel ZarinE. Director of Forest Programs$448,893
Jelle BootVP Human Resources$440,542
Laura StolzenthalerSVP & CFO$433,876
Susan ChinSVP of Strategy & Advancement$429,129
Mary DixonSVP for Communications$394,236
Niko RadjenovicVP Business Services$391,440
Patrick MoutonVP & Comptroller From 3/04/24$239,537

Grant Activity

All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

  • Total Grant Value: $971,498,003
  • Number of Grants: 6,572
  • Number of Funders: 1,306

Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

AmountYearFunderSubject
$40,000,0002021 Bezos Earth FundThe Bezos Earth Fund announced a $40 million grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society for Protecting Our Planet through 30X30 efforts in the Congo Basin.
$20,000,0002022 Ballmer GroupWildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild places in 14 priority regions worldwide-home to more than 50 percent of the world's biodiversity-through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. Our grant will support WCS work to end intact forest loss in the Congo Basin in Central Africa by 2030, as a part of its overall vision to preserve the planet's last unbroken swaths of intact forest, which is one of the most powerful and cost-effective solutions to combat climate change
$20,000,0002021 Bezos Earth FundThe Bezos Earth Fund announced a $20 million grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society for Protecting Our Planet through 30X30 efforts in the Tropical Andes.
$10,127,0002024 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncENVIRONMENT & ANIMAL PROTECTION
$9,328,3152024 The Rob Walton FoundationTo support Africa Protected Areas Strategy Implementation
$9,130,0002023 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncENVIRONMENT & ANIMAL PROTECTION
$7,330,0002022 Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management IncENVIRONMENT & ANIMAL PROTECTION
$6,000,0002020 Doris Duke Charitable Foundation IncTo renew support for the Climate Adaptation Fund, a national field building and regranting program that funds conservation projects designed to help wildlife and ecosystems adapt to accelerating climate change
$5,000,0002023 Bezos Earth FundThrough a grant to Wildlife Conservation Society, Bezos Earth Fund will collaborate with government bodies, local communities, Indigenous people, and other community organizations. Our goal is to expand areas compatible with conservation and improve management of existing and newly designated zones. This includes employing both technical and financial strategies to ensure enduring social and environmental impact.
$5,000,0002022 Ballmer GroupWildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild places in 14 priority regions worldwide-home to more than 50 percent of the world's biodiversity-through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. Our grant will support the WCS Forest First Approach, a risk-based frame for action against deforestation that provides the scientific rationale and the business case for the public and private sector to proactively identify and address emerging deforestation risks
$5,000,0002020 Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationIn support of the long-term biodiversity conservation and the improvement of livelihoods in the Greater Madidi Legacy Landscape, Bolivia.
$4,577,1572024 Henry L Heymann Wildlife Preservation FoundationGENERAL OPERATING
$4,440,5002024 National Philanthropic TrustHUMAN SERVICES
$4,094,2502023 National Philanthropic TrustENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS
$4,085,9912020 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.GENERAL
$4,000,0002025 Bezos Earth FundScaling marine protection of national waters by designating new protected areas through an inclusive planning process, while strengthening enforcement and piloting a sustainable finance mechanism to support long-term, community-led stewardship.
$4,000,0002025 Bezos Earth FundExpanding marine protection of national waters through a national planning process and establishing a sustainable financing mechanism to support long-term, community-driven management.
$3,895,0002022 Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationTo support the conservation and effective management of wetlands in Beni, Bolivia, and the Amazon Estuary in Brazil through scientific research, knowledge, improved livelihoods, communications and applied policy.
$3,715,4502021 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.GENERAL
$3,700,0002023 Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationTo advance conservation of priority targets for the integrity and connectivity of freshwaters and forests in the Amazon Basin.
$3,029,0462024 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.ANIMAL-RELATED, ENVIRONMENT
$3,000,0002023 Louise B & Edgar M Cullman Foundation C/o Bloomingdale Properties IncWILDLIFE CONSERVATION
$2,842,9812023 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.GENERAL
$2,600,0002022 Ainslie FoundationENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION
$2,500,0002022 The Robert W Wilson Charitable TrustGENERAL SUPPORT

All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

  • Total Grant Value: $88,609,538
  • Number of Grants: 760
  • Number of Recipients: 163

Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

AmountYearFunderSubject
$2,440,8102022 World Wildlife Fund, Inc.Conservation
$1,744,4912020 Multiple North America RecipientsConservation
$1,646,4272023 Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa RecipientsConservation
$1,120,1902022 The Nature ConservancyConservation
$1,114,2132021 Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa RecipientsCONSERVATION
$974,0482022 Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa RecipientsConservation
$909,4402020 World Wildlife Fund, Inc.Conservation
$744,5572023 Multiple SOUTH AMERICA Recipientsconservation
$736,4362023 Multiple SOUTH AMERICA RecipientsConservation
$714,4572023 Woodwell Climate Research CenterConservation
$549,4192023 The Nature ConservancyConservation
$525,6242021 African Wildlife FoundationCONSERVATION
$508,1952023 INTERNEWS NETWORKCONSERVATION
$494,3072021 Multiple South Asia RecipientsCONSERVATION
$488,8022021 Multiple EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC RecipientsCONSERVATION
$480,1392020 The Nature ConservancyCONSERVATION
$468,8082023 World Wildlife Fund, Inc.Conservation
$458,0422023 Re:wildconservation
$434,6352021 World Wildlife Fund, Inc.CONSERVATION
$426,4982020 Woodwell Climate Research CenterConservation
$416,4522022 African Wildlife FoundationConservation
$400,0002021 Anonymous RecipientCONSERVATION
$390,0062020 Anonymous RecipientCONSERVATION
$380,0072020 Multiple North America RecipientsConservation
$367,0912023 Multiple SOUTH AMERICA RecipientsConservation