Wildlife Ecology Institute
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
ADVANCE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION THROUGH APPLIED RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES.
- Income
- $327,259
- Spending
- $379,614
- Spent on programs
- 87%
- Reserves
- -1.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 100%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 32
- Highest pay
- $100,039, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 30 out of 100. Higher than 2% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 111% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 16% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 207% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1587% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 67 out of 100. Higher than 33% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 4 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
0 of 7Reports no 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
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 (5)
- $137,775 spent. MUSKRAT POPULATIONS HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING LARGE-SCALE POPULATIONDECLINES ACROSS AT LEAST THE EASTERN HALF OF THE U.S., BUT WE CURRENTLYDO NOT UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE DECLINES. THISSPECIES HAS A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON WETLAND ECOSYSTEMS, AND CAN BECONSIDERED AN INDICATOR SPECIES OF WETLAND HEALTH. WE HAVE TRANSITIONEDINTO PHASE II OF OUR RESEARCH IN THE GREAT LAKES BASIN, WHICH IS BUILTUPON THE FOUNDATION OF OUR WORK DURING PHASE I, BUT ALSO RECENTRESEARCH OF OTHERS. PHASE II IS A FOCUSED FIELD-BASED INVESTIGATION TOEVALUATE MUSKRAT DEMOGRAPHICS AND HEALTH ACROSS MULTIPLE STUDY SITESTHAT WERE SELECTED ACROSS A GRADIENT OF HABITAT AND HYDROLOGYCONDITIONS.
- $126,418 spent. GRAY FOXES ARE A VALUABLE AND UNDERSTUDIED FURBEARER ACROSS ITS ENTIRE RANGE. SEVERAL INDICES SUGGEST RANGE CONTRACTIONS IN INDIANA, BUT ALSO OTHER MIDWEST STATES. THE FACTOR(S) CAUSING THESE DISTRIBUTIONAL CHANGES IS UNKNOWN, BUT MAY BE LINKED TO HABITAT LOSS AND FRAGMENTATION, CHANGING MESOCARNIVORE (E.G., COYOTE) COMMUNITY STRUCTURE, DISEASE, AND OTHER FACTORS, AND LIKELY IS A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP AMONG THESE FACTORS. WE ARE ASSESSING GRAY FOX POPULATIONS AT TWO STUDY SITES IN INDIANA THROUGH A 4-YEAR COMPREHENSIVE STUDY DESIGNED TO DIRECTLY ASSESS CAUSES OF POPULATION CHANGES OF GRAY FOXES, AND TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF THIS SPECIES THAT CAN BE APPLIED IN INDIANA, BUT ALSO OTHER MIDWEST STATES.
- $39,739 spent. THE KIT FOX IS A CANID SPECIES THAT IS SENSITIVE TO EFFECTS OF PERTURBATIONS IN THEIR SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENT. THE DISTRIBUTION OF KIT FOXES AT THEIR NORTHERN PERIPHERY IN OREGON IS POORLY DEFINED. DURING 2024, WE INITIATED A TARGETED INVENTORY VIA CAMERA-BASED SURVEY FOR KIT FOXES BASED ON LOCATIONS IN UNSURVEYED AREAS TO FILL IN KNOWLEDGE GAPS; USE DATA COLLECTED FROM OUR PROPOSED SURVEY, AND PREVIOUS SURVEYS AND OTHER DATA, TO CONSTRUCT A SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MAP (I.E., HABITAT SUITABILITY) FOR KIT FOXES; AND DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WILDLIFE AND LAND MANAGEMENT USING A LANDSCAPE-SCALE APPROACH THAT INCLUDES MULTIPLE LAND USES, CONSIDERS OTHER WILDLIFE SPECIES OF CONSERVATION INTEREST(E.G., GREATER SAGE-GROUSE, AND POTENTIALLY IDENTIFIES CONSERVATION HOTSPOTS BASED ON OVERLAPPING AREAS OF CONSERVATION CONCERN.
- $16,445 spent. BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS WERE ONCE THOUGHT TO BE EXTINCT, BUT AFTER DISCOVERING A SINGLE REMNANT POPULATION, A SUCCESSFUL CAPTIVE-BREEDING AND REINTRODUCTION PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED. HOWEVER,DESPITE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF CAPTIVE-BREEDING AND REINTRODUCTION EFFORTS, CONSERVATION OF THIS RARE MUSTELID CURRENTLY FACES SUBSTANTIAL CHALLENGES. OUR ONGOING WORK INCLUDES COLLABORATIONS WITH STATE, TRIBAL, AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, AND OTHER NGOS, TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT TECHNIQUES FOR MANAGING THE SUBSTANTIAL IMPACTS OF SYLVATIC PLAGUE ON POPULATIONS OF FERRETS AND PRAIRIE DOGS, TO ASSESS FIELD TECHNIQUES (TRADITIONAL SPOTLIGHTING, INFRARED CAMERAS, SCENT-DETECTION DOGS) TO IMPROVE MONITORING OF FERRET POPULATIONS, AND OTHER CONSERVATION EFFORT FOR THIS FEDERALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES.
- $8,258 spent. Decisions related to management of furbearers encompass a complex array of management objectives across diverse taxa. These complex decisions often involve increased scrutiny and opposition through external and internal sources, causing threats to the integrity of furbearer management at the state, national, and international levels. Science-based management is critical for state agencies to make informed and defensible regulatory decisions; however, there currently is no comprehensive and contemporary science-based reference available to guide and improve furbearer management. The 1987 book, Wild Furbearer Management and Conservation in North America (Novak et al. 1987), was a critical resource that filled that role for many years. However, this resource lacks critical accomplishments and advancements achieved through furbearer management during the past three decades. Our project will produce a comprehensive and contemporary science-based book to help proactively guide current and future efforts of furbearer management programs, including through education and training of wildlife professionals, hunters, and trappers; identification of current knowledge gaps and applied research needs to support management; promotion of sustainable furbearer harvest; and dissemination of accurate information.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 December 2024.
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 July 2016.
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.