# Saint Louis Zoo Association

Saint Louis Zoo Association is an Endowment / Foundation based in St. Louis, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** St. Louis, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** St. Louis, MO, United States
- **Founded:** 1995
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** stlzoo.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/saint-louis-zoo

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Saint Louis Zoo Association operates as the fundraising and endowment-management arm of the Saint Louis Zoo, a government-chartered institution governed in partnership with the Saint Louis Zoological Subdistrict. Board leadership draws from the region's corporate ecosystem — current and past officers hold senior roles at Graybar Electric, Bayer, and Ascension Capital — reflecting a governance model built on deep ties to St. Louis-based industry. The Association's mission is to provide financial stability for a zoo that serves roughly three million visitors annually without a general admission fee. Its investment portfolio supports a multi-asset operating enterprise spanning real estate, conservation programs, and a capital campaign for the WildCare Park safari expansion. The Zoo's physical holdings include 425 acres of undeveloped land at the WildCare site. The Association's strategy emphasizes growth capital to fund these long-horizon projects, maintaining the Zoo's accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its role as a regional economic anchor. Governance is provided by a board whose members bring cross-sector expertise from global corporations headquartered in the St. Louis region. Robert B. Smith III, a past president of the Association, serves as a vice president at Ascension Capital. Treasurer Lisa Sullivan holds a global accounting leadership role at Bayer, and board member Matthew W. Geekie is the senior vice president and general counsel of Graybar Electric. This corporate-governance pipeline mirrors the operating structure of other major civic endowments in the Midwest. A structural differentiator is the Association's role as the discretely presented component unit of a government agency — the Zoological Subdistrict. This hybrid public-private architecture means the endowment must balance municipal accountability with the return-seeking behavior of a perpetual foundation, a governance tension that shapes everything from liquidity management to the donor-advised Marlin Perkins Society.

## Sectors

- Conservation
- Education
- Real Estate

## People

- Robert B. Smith III — Past President
- Lisa Sullivan — Treasurer
- Matthew W. Geekie — Board Member
- Matthew MacEwan — Board Member

## Questions

### How is the Association related to the Saint Louis Zoological Subdistrict?

The Association is the discretely presented component unit of the Saint Louis Zoological Subdistrict, a political subdivision of the state of Missouri. The Subdistrict owns the Zoo's land and assets and levies property taxes to fund operations; the Association manages the endowment and philanthropic contributions that supplement those tax revenues. This structure makes the Zoo a public-private partnership, not a purely private nonprofit.

### What does the endowment fund support?

The endowment provides ongoing support for animal care, conservation programs, educational initiatives, and capital improvements at the Saint Louis Zoo. Major projects include the development of the WildCare Park, a 425-acre safari-style expansion in north St. Louis County. The portfolio's long-duration mandate ensures stable funding for a zoo that charges no general admission.

### What is the Marlin Perkins Society?

The Marlin Perkins Society is the Zoo's premier donor membership group, named for the former Zoo director who hosted the television series Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. It functions as a high-level annual giving circle, and contributions flow through the Association's philanthropic structure. Members receive insider access to Zoo programming and conservation updates.

## Related profiles

- [Saginaw Plumbers & Pipefitters U.A. Local #85](https://altss.com/profile/saginaw-plumbers-pipefitters-u-a-local-85)
- [Saint Peter's Healthcare System](https://altss.com/profile/saint-peter-s-healthcare-system-sphc)

---

Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/saint-louis-zoo-association

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology