Felidae Conservation Fund
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
FELIDAE'S GLOBAL MISSION1. CONSERVE WILD CATS & BIODIVERSITY: PROTECT 40+ WILD FELID SPECIES AND THEIR HABITATS WORLDWIDE.2. ADVANCE SCIENCE & INNOVATION: CONDUCT CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH ON WILDLIFE HEALTH, GENETICS, AND ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS.3. CHAMPION ONE HEALTH: INTEGRATE WILDLIFE, ECOSYSTEM, AND PUBLIC HEALTH TO ADDRESS ZOONOTIC DISEASE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE.4. ENGAGE COMMUNITIES: EMPOWER CITIZEN SCIENTISTS AND LOCAL PARTNERS THROUGH EDUCATION, OUTREACH, AND CAPACITY BUILDING.5. GLOBAL TO LOCAL IMPACT: FROM CALIFORNIA'S PUMAS AND BOBCATS TO CHEETAHS IN KENYA AND WILD CATS IN BHUTAN AND SOUTH AMERICA.
- Income
- $642,938
- Spending
- $467,439
- Spent on programs
- 97%
- Reserves
- 22.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 97%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 258
- Highest pay
- $90,520, president and director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 82% of charities in its peer group (animals, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 22.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 27% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 47% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1597% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 87% of charities in its peer group (animals, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $121,986 spent. BAY AREA PUMA PROJECT========================================================================THE BAY AREA PUMA PROJECT (BAPP) IS THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION INITIATIVE FOCUSED ON PUMAS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND ORANGE COUNTY. USING SCIENCE-BASED, NON-INVASIVE MONITORING METHODSINCLUDING FECAL DNA ANALYSIS, HAIR SURVEYS, CAMERA TRAPS, AND GPS DATABAPP STUDIES PUMA ECOLOGY, HEALTH, AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS TO UNDERSTAND HOW URBANIZATION AFFECTS THEIR SURVIVAL AND BEHAVIOR. THE PROJECT'S FINDINGS INFORM REGIONAL CONSERVATION PLANNING AND COEXISTENCE STRATEGIES THAT PROTECT BOTH WILDLIFE AND HUMAN COMMUNITIES.BAPP ENGAGES LOCAL VOLUNTEERS, COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS, AND REGIONAL PARTNERS TO COLLECT DATA AND ADVANCE ONE HEALTH RESEARCH LINKING WILDLIFE, ECOSYSTEM, AND PUBLIC HEALTH. SUPPORTED BY GENEROUS DONORS AND FOUNDATIONS, BAPP COMBINES RIGOROUS SCIENCE WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION TO FOSTER COEXISTENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND NATIVE PREDATORS ACROSS CALIFORNIA'S RAPIDLY CHANGING LANDSCAPES.
- $36,831 spent. TSAVO CHEETAH PROJECT========================================================================THE TSAVO CHEETAH PROJECT CONDUCTS LONG-TERM, SCIENCE-BASED MONITORING OF CHEETAHS IN KENYA'S TSAVO ECOSYSTEM TO ASSESS POPULATION STATUS, GENETICS, HEALTH, AND HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT. USING NON-INVASIVE METHODS SUCH AS CAMERA TRAPPING, FECAL SAMPLING, AND COMMUNITY REPORTING, TCP PROVIDES CRITICAL DATA TO GUIDE NATIONAL CHEETAH CONSERVATION STRATEGIES. THE PROJECT COLLABORATES WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE TO MITIGATE CONFLICT, PROMOTE COEXISTENCE, AND STRENGTHEN CONSERVATION CAPACITY. SUPPORTED BY DONORS AND PARTNERS, TCP ADVANCES FELIDAE'S GLOBAL ONE HEALTH MISSION THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION PRACTICES.
- LIVING WITH LIONS AND CAT AWARE EDUCATION========================================================================THE LIVING WITH LIONS PROGRAM PROMOTES COEXISTENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PUMAS THROUGH SCIENCE-BASED EDUCATION, OUTREACH, AND CONFLICT MITIGATION. OPERATING ACROSS THE BAY AREA AND ORANGE COUNTY, THE PROGRAM ENGAGES THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS ANNUALLY THROUGH WORKSHOPS, COMMUNITY TALKS, AND ONLINE RESOURCES. IT PROVIDES TOOLS AND DATA TO HELP COMMUNITIES UNDERSTAND PUMA BEHAVIOR, REDUCE CONFLICT, AND SUPPORT SAFE WILDLIFE CORRIDORS. SUPPORTED BY DONORS AND REGIONAL PARTNERS, THE PROGRAM BUILDS PUBLIC AWARENESS AND FOSTERS SUSTAINABLE HUMANWILDLIFE RELATIONSHIPS. OUR INNOVATIVE K12 PROGRAM, CAT AWARE, SEAMLESSLY MELDS CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION, HANDS-ON PREDATOR-PREY LABORATORIES, AND CAPTIVATING FIELD TRIPS TO NATURAL HABITATS. FOCUSED ON NATIVE WILDLIFE, PARTICULARLY WILD CATS, THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES AN IMMERSIVE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS, FOSTERING A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR NATURAL WORLD.
- $293,764 spent. PATAGONIA WILD CATS PROJECTTHE PATAGONIA WILD CATS PROJECT FOCUSES ON THE CONSERVATION OF PUMAS AND LESSER-KNOWN WILD CATS IN SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY COLLABORATION. THE PROJECT INVESTIGATES PREDATOR-PREY DYNAMICS, HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT, AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH ACROSS WORKING LANDSCAPES. USING NON-INVASIVE METHODS SUCH AS CAMERA TRAPS AND FECAL SURVEYS, FELIDAE AND LOCAL PARTNERS COLLECT VITAL DATA TO INFORM REGIONAL CONSERVATION STRATEGIES. THE PROJECT ALSO ENGAGES COMMUNITIES AND LANDOWNERS TO PROMOTE COEXISTENCE, REDUCE CONFLICT, AND SUSTAIN BIODIVERSITY ACROSS PATAGONIA'S FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS.TECHNOLOGIES FOR CONSERVATION WILDEPOD AND WILDE BACKYARD ARE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED BY FELIDAE TO ADVANCE WILDLIFE RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. WILDEPOD, AN AI-POWERED CLOUD DATABASE, CENTRALIZES GLOBAL WILDLIFE DATA FROM CAMERA TRAPS, GENETIC SAMPLING, AND HEALTH MONITORING TO ACCELERATE CONSERVATION INSIGHTS AND COLLABORATION ACROSS PROJECTS. WILDE BACKYARD, A MOBILE APP, EMPOWERS THE PUBLIC TO RECORD AND SHARE NEIGHBORHOOD WILDLIFE OBSERVATIONS, CONTRIBUTING TO REAL-TIME BIODIVERSITY MAPPING AND CITIZEN SCIENCE. TOGETHER, THESE TOOLS BRIDGE SCIENCE AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, ENHANCING CONSERVATION OUTCOMES AND PROMOTING COEXISTENCE WITH LOCAL WILDLIFE.BHUTAN WILD CATS PROJECTTHE BHUTAN WILD CAT HEALTH PROJECT APPLIES A ONE HEALTH APPROACH TO STUDY AND PROTECT NINE WILD CAT SPECIES ACROSS BHUTAN, LINKING WILDLIFE, ECOSYSTEM, AND HUMAN HEALTH. THE PROJECT OPERATES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BHUTAN'S GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL INSTITUTIONS TO ADVANCE NON-INVASIVE MONITORING AND DISEASE SURVEILLANCE. FELIDAE HAS ESTABLISHED BHUTAN'S FIRST K9 CONSERVATION DETECTION UNITSOURCED FROM THE COUNTRY'S LARGE FREE-ROAMING DOG POPULATIONTO SUPPORT FECAL SURVEYS AND PARASITE DETECTION. THE PROJECT BUILDS NATIONAL RESEARCH CAPACITY THROUGH HANDS-ON TRAINING, FIELD SURVEYS, AND DATA ANALYSIS, STRENGTHENING CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PUBLIC AWARENESS OF BIODIVERSITY AND COEXISTENCE.CA BOBCAT PROJECTTHE CA BOBCAT PROJECT ADVANCES SCIENCE-BASED, NON-INVASIVE RESEARCH ON BOBCAT POPULATIONS ACROSS THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND ORANGE COUNTY. USING CAMERA TRAPS, FECAL AND HAIR SURVEYS, AND COMMUNITY REPORTS, THE PROJECT MONITORS HEALTH, GENETICS, AND MOVEMENT TO ASSESS IMPACTS OF URBANIZATION AND DISEASE. FINDINGS INFORM WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, CONNECTIVITY PLANNING, AND PUBLIC EDUCATION ON COEXISTENCE. SUPPORTED BY DONORS AND PARTNERS, BABP STRENGTHENS REGIONAL BIODIVERSITY AND CONTRIBUTES TO FELIDAE'S ONE HEALTH CONSERVATION MISSION.WILD CAT HEALTH PROJECTTHE WILD CAT HEALTH PROJECT APPLIES A ONE HEALTH APPROACH TO ASSESS THE HEALTH OF PUMAS AND BOBCATS IN CALIFORNIA'S URBANWILDLAND INTERFACE, INCLUDING THE BAY AREA AND ORANGE COUNTY. USING NON-INVASIVE MONITORING SUCH AS FECAL AND HAIR SURVEYS, THE PROJECT INVESTIGATES EXPOSURE TO PATHOGENS, TOXINS, AND OTHER INDICATORS OF ECOSYSTEM AND PUBLIC HEALTH. ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE DEVELOPING REGIONAL HEALTH BASELINES FOR WILD FELIDS, IDENTIFYING ZOONOTIC RISK FACTORS, AND ADVANCING EARLY-WARNING SYSTEMS FOR DISEASE SPILLOVER. SUPPORTED BY DONORS, PARTNERS, AND COLLABORATING VETERINARIANS, WCHP STRENGTHENS SCIENCE-DRIVEN CONSERVATION AND INFORMS PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIES.GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE (GSE) COUGAR PROJECTTHE GSE COUGAR PROJECT INVESTIGATES PUMA ECOLOGY AND POPULATION HEALTH WITHIN THE GRAND STAIRCASEESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT IN UTAH. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, STATE WILDLIFE AGENCIES, AND UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS, THE GSE PROJECT USES NON-INVASIVE METHODSCAMERA TRAPS, FECAL DNA, AND TRACK SURVEYSTO DOCUMENT COUGAR MOVEMENTS, HABITAT CONNECTIVITY, AND PREY DYNAMICS. ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE ESTABLISHING BASELINE HEALTH AND POPULATION DATA, IDENTIFYING CRITICAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS, AND ENGAGING LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND LAND MANAGERS IN SCIENCE-BASED COEXISTENCE AND CONSERVATION STRATEGIES THAT STRENGTHEN ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 2006.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.