The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Fossey Fund is dedicated to the conservation and study of gorillas in Africa through a successful, people-centered approach: 1) Providing daily protection to gorillas, 2) Scientific research providing critical data on gorillas and their habitats, 3) Training the next generation of African scientists and conservationists, and 4) Helping local communities address their critical needs.
- Income
- $13.9 million
- Spending
- $9.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- 31.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 90%
- Employees
- 16
- Volunteers
- 34
- Highest pay
- $384,155, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 31.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 30% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 26% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2521 of 21 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
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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 September 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 (2)
- $4.6 million spent. RwandaThe Organization's state-of-the-art research and education center in Rwanda is accelerating the critical science and training needed for effective conservation. It serves as an educational hub and, since opening in Feb 2022, has hosted more than 130,000 visitors, including 22,000 schoolchildren. The Fossey Fund maintains its daily protection activities for 10 gorilla families in Rwanda, removing more than 1,500 illegal snares this year, and continues to expand its research program on both gorillas and the surrounding biodiversity. Community development programs focus on food security and livelihood initiatives, including livestock, food tree distributions and mushroom cultivation. The program has expanded to address the needs at a village level, reaching approximately 14,000 households, by providing financial support and technical assistance to 60 villages bordering Volcanoes National Park as they design and launch livelihood initiatives for a climate-resilient future. Community programs also focused on educational outreach and access through nature clubs, conservation camps and debates, guided tours, forest visits, teacher training and community leader engagement. The Girls in Conservation project addresses education inequalities by supporting girls in their education goals through academic scholarships to secondary schools and promoting environmental stewardship. To build scientific capacity, the Fossey Fund provided training to more than 500 university students and has hosted 25 workshops with participants from more than 30 countries. The Fossey Fund has an intensive mentoring program for early-career scientists and provides scholarships to promote the educational advancement of African scientists, with a particular focus on women in science and conservation.
- $3.2 million spent. Democratic Republic of the CongoThe Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund protects Grauer's gorillas and biodiversity in the Nkuba Conservation Area (NCA) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a community-owned forest at the core of the species' remaining range. Since beginning work in the region in 2000, and in close partnership with Indigenous landowners since 2012, the Fossey Fund has helped create conservation coverage to more than 2,400 km of forest, supporting an estimated 2,000-3,000 Grauer's gorillas, eastern chimpanzees, and multiple other threatened species. The NCA stores an estimated 250 million tons of carbon and has experienced no known gorilla killings since the program began. Fossey Fund supports communities in securing legal recognition of their land through community forest concessions and holds a 25-year land management agreement to assist with long-term stewardship. The NCA has been recognized as a Key Biodiversity Area by the IUCN and is being evaluated as a model for IUCN's Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs).The program employs and trains local community members as wildlife trackers and field staff to conduct daily patrols, remove snares, monitor gorillas, and collect scientific data on an understudied subspecies. Additional activities include biodiversity research, training early-career Congolese scientists, and supporting sustainable livelihoods, education, food security, and women's empowerment initiatives to reduce pressure on forests. Together, these efforts conserve critical habitat, protect endangered species, and strengthen community well-being while addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 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 November 6, 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 September 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 August 1978.
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 November 4, 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.