Denver Field Ornithologists Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To promote the study and conservation of birds.
- Income
- $65,591
- Spending
- $50,305
- Reserves
- 28.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 70%
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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 (3)
- Research, Education and Conservation Grants Fund. DFO makes small grants available for projects in three area of study: education about birds, avian research, and bird conservation. Preference is given first to projects in the Denver metropolitan area, second to projects in the Colorado Front Range, and third to projects elsewhere in the U.S. Most grant recipients are graduate students from Colorado universities with projects in Colorado. Some grants support other nonprofit organizations in the Denver Metro area. Grant recipients are required to either write an article for the DFO newsletter about their project or present at a DFO monthly meeting. Objective: Provide financial support to educators, researchers, and conservationists whose work aligns with DFO's purpose of involving more people in the study of birds and increasing our knowledge of avian species in order to conserve bird species. In 2025, we funded 9 projects, including five research proposals, two wildlife rehabilitation groups, optics for Sand Creek Regional Greenway partnership and South High School.
- $5,652 spent. Field trips, Monthly Meetings, and Bird Bombs. DFO conducts birding field trips, throughout Colorado and beyond, during the year that engage members of the public in the practice and joy of birding. Field trip leaders go through a training program and are certified by the Field Trips Committee to ensure that they are qualified to teach bird identification skills, practice the American Bird Association code of birding ethics, and lead trips that are both safe and enjoyable. Monthly meetings, held via Zoom in February through April and August through November, feature speakers on topics related to birds and birding. Bird Bombs are short Zoom programs that focus on specific bird identification skills. All field trips are free and open to the public. Objective: Engage the public in the practice of birding and the preservation of birds and their habitats. The three programs benefited over 4,000 people in 2025.
- $21,011 spent. Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch Data about migrating raptors, collected at the Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch in Jefferson County, Colorado, are sent to the Hawk Watch Migration Association of North America where, combined with the data from other hawk watch sites around the country, it contributes to scientific knowledge about raptors in migration. Hawk Watch conducts standardized counts of migrating raptors according to the Hawk Watch Migration Association of North America protocols, educates and involves members of the community in Hawk Watch, and creates partnerships with local organizations. Volunteers and paid counters at the sites engage with visitors to Dinosaur Ridge, building public awareness of migrating birds and teaching them how to identify raptors in flight. These activities advance the DFO mission to promote the study of birds and the preservation of birds and their habitats. Objective: Research of migrating raptors in the Rocky Mountain flyway. This program benefited approximately 1600 people in 2025
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1936.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.