My Kind of Zoo

Endowment

A Great Zoo Demands a Rock-Solid Foundation

Endowment Goal: $35 million

A stronger endowment is the zoo’s single most important philanthropic priority and the best way to fulfill the pledge to keep the zoo free to all and a model for zoos everywhere.  Each time a pool of endowment funds is invested, it enriches an important part of the zoo and releases operating funds that can support other areas.

Why Endowment

Endowment is the Lifeblood of Every Great Cultural Institution

In 1995 the Lincoln Park Zoological Society signed a privatization agreement with the Chicago Park District transferring fiscal responsibility for Chicago’s free zoo to the Society. Despite its 135-year history, Lincoln Park Zoo had little need of endowment prior to privatization and has a short history of support for this critical area. With philanthropic attention and a conservative spending policy, the zoo’s endowment has grown from less than $1 million to $8.4 million since 1993. Nonetheless, $8.4 million—less than half the zoo’s annual operating budget—falls far short of the balances reserved by the zoo’s peer institutions, which maintain endowments three to five times the size of their operating budgets and also have the great advantage of admission fees to support them.

The cost of operating a world-class urban zoo rises annually and will rise dramatically with each new naturalistic exhibit. Life support and enrichment systems for the animals are sophisticated. Maintenance of the naturalistic habitats and interactive learning tools is costly. The charge to educate broadly and conserve wildlife internationally must be met by employing and supporting professional educators and scientists of the very highest caliber.

There has been no more critical time, and no more urgent priority, than there is now in building Lincoln Park Zoo’s endowment. Only endowment can guarantee that Chicago’s free zoo will have the resources to remain free while realizing its potential and the serious responsibility to delight and engage more than three million visitors every year in learning about the natural world.

What Endowment Can Do

Unrestricted endowment provides the financial base to ensure that Lincoln Park Zoo can keep its pledge to remain free to everyone.

Exhibit endowments will enrich the lives and care of animals and support projects that delight visitors.

Education and conservation endowments will ensure that funds are available to expand existing initiatives and launch new programs in these vitally important areas.

Curator and senior staff endowments will provide the necessary prestige and permanent funding to attract and keep talented scientists and other experts.

Grounds and facilities endowments will enable the zoo to invest in its physical space, ensuring that paths, exhibits, and buildings are accessible to all and making the zoo an even more beautiful oasis in the city.