John Ball Zoo: $24.2M Revenue, $23.3M Expenses

The efficiency rubric puts John Ball Zoo at a B grade: a composite of 70/100 that lands above the national midpoint. The grade reflects solid financial reserves alongside reasonable officer compensation and steady revenue.

John Ball Zoo reported $24.2M in 2023 revenue — a mid-sized nonprofit by U.S. standards. Organizations in this bracket typically operate with a small permanent staff, project-based program structures, and modest reserves. Financial health is a strength: John Ball Zoo carries a healthy operating-reserve cushion against $23.3M in annual expenses, the kind of balance-sheet stability that helps an organization weather funding gaps without cutting programs.

Revenue trend is mildly positive across the five-year filing window — modest growth, consistent with stable funding sources keeping pace with organizational costs. Officer compensation is on the higher side of the band typical for nonprofits this size: $1.1M in total current-officer compensation against $24.2M in revenue. Not necessarily inappropriate — large healthcare systems and university systems often pay competitively with for-profit equivalents — but worth reading in context. John Ball Zoo works in Environment & Animals — environmental, conservation, animal-welfare, and natural-resources programs. The sector spans large international conservation groups and small local land trusts; the financial profile varies accordingly.