7 Reasons to Donate to Lincoln Park Zoo on Giving Day 2025

As an accredited zoo, arboretum, and botanic garden, Lincoln Park Zoo has provided natural beauty and an awe-inspiring landscape for Chicago residents since its gates opened in 1868—157 years ago. This long-standing city institution offers state-of-the-art care for hundreds of animal and plant species while also holding historical and nostalgic value for so many generations of families.

Lincoln Park Zoo holds its first-ever Giving Day on September 26! You can give a donation or create your own fundraising page to raise money for this urban gem in the heart of Chicago.

Here are some reasons why now is the right time to give:

1. You can help keep the zoo free for all, 365 days a year.

Lincoln Park Zoo has long been committed to staying free to all. No admission fee has ever been levied upon the guests that walk through its gates during normal operating hours. In 1878, Lincoln Park commissioners declared the zoo must always remain free. In 2019, the zoo renewed its admission-free promise through 2050.

However, costs continue to rise—it costs more than $108,000 a day to run this institution. Zoos across the country have raised prices to cover operational costs—an option Lincoln Park Zoo will not even consider. We are committed to funding the zoo in other ways.

2. You’re in good company. More than 80% of the zoo’s funding comes from event revenue, guests, donors, members. and other supporters—in other words, people just like you.

Lincoln Park Zoo is privately managed and gets most of its money from non-public sources. In fact, it’s the only privately managed, free-admission zoo in the country. Our promotional materials stress this fact, but there is plenty of history and intention behind that statement.

After 127 years of being overseen by the Chicago Park District and operating on funds provided by the city, management of the zoo shifted to The Lincoln Park Zoological Society in 1995. This change was made to enable the zoo to become more independent and modern, invest in technology and tools, and innovate in conservation, science, and learning. Since that time, the majority of the zoo’s funds have come from people who enjoy from the zoo’s many offerings, whether recreational or educational. We truly rely on the kindness of our extended community to keep this place humming.

3. Your funds support animal care and advance welfare.

With Lincoln Park Zoo, your funds go to the zoo’s greatest needs, from feeding more than 650 individual animals to conservation work locally and globally. Did you know it costs $142,000 just to feed the gorillas more than 120,000 pounds of food each year? Donations also go toward enriching animal lives and providing them with veterinary care, curated diets, and ways to improve their wellbeing.

Then there’s the horticulture program. As an accredited arboretum and botanic garden, the zoo cares for more than 850 diverse plant species from over 1,890 taxa (hybrids, forms, or varieties within a species)—including endangered and rare ones.

4. Your funds support learning and community engagement initiatives.

The zoo’s robust learning program made more than 372,000 impressions on guests in 2024 through chats, camps, meetings with school groups, accessibility programs, and other offerings. From in-habitat animal visits during Malott Family Penguin Encounters to garden tours and chats on-grounds or at virtually at zoolife, Lincoln Park Zoo is committed to educating and inspiring everyone who seeks a deeper connection to nature.

In the Chicago neighborhoods Little Village, Austin, and North Lawndale, the zoo’s community engagement team and its partners support conservation and culture with programs such as Artecito, a bilingual series geared toward helping children and families create art while learning about animals.

5. Your funds support conservation projects around the world as well as in Chicago.

Lincoln Park Zoo’s impact isn’t just limited to the 49-acre area it occupies in the heart of Chicago. Funds given to the zoo do support its work in Chicago, including its science centers that provide innovative research on numerous species and subjects. This includes the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Population Management Center, which provides breeding recommendations for species in the care of AZA institutions. It also includes the Urban Wildlife Institute, which works to help humans and animals coexist in an urbanizing world.

Donations also go to support lion conservation in Africa, ape research at the Goualougo Triangle in the Congo, and so much more.

6. On Giving Day, your gift is doubled!

Thanks to very generous challenge donors Elizabeth Price, Paige Olson and Garrett Smith, and Linda Swanson, donations the zoo receives before or on Giving Day—up to $75,000—will be 100% matched. That means if you give a gift through September 26, you can double your impact for the zoo. If you believe in the work Lincoln Park Zoo does every day, this is a great way to show your support and help wildlife!

7. You get a cute tote bag for donations $100 and up!

If you donate any amount over $100, you are eligible to receive this handy canvas shopping bag. Take it to your favorite store so you don’t use up a plastic bag! And show your love for Lincoln Park Zoo when you step out.

On Giving Day, the zoo aims to raise $250,000 from 365 supporters, celebrating the fact that the zoo is free and open 365 days a year. Ready to create a fundraising page or make a donation? Use this link. And thank you!