FONZ
Mission Statement
Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) is the dedicated partner of the National Zoological Park. FONZ provides exciting and enriching experiences to connect people with wildlife. Together with the Zoo, FONZ is building a society committed to restoring an endangered natural world.
FONZ has been providing support to programs at the National
Zoo since 1958. FONZ has become so integral to the Zoo's operations and mission that there are few aspects of the Zoo's work that FONZ doesn't support in some way. Find out more.
How
FONZ Supports the Zoo
Educating and inspiring Zoo
visitors
- Helping fund new exhibits and improvements to old exhibits.
- Providing volunteers to serve as Zoo Guides, exhibit interpreters,
and assistants as special events and public programs at the
Bird
House, Cheetah Conservation Station, the Reptile Discovery
Center, and other exhibits.
- Offering special classes on topics from primates to veterinary
medicine.
Educating the public
- Developing and distributing a variety of curriculum support
materials for teachers, which can be used alone in the
classroom
or as part of preparation for a trip to the Zoo.
- Running a Zoo on Wheels program to bring videos,
audio tapes, animal artifacts, and fun information to
children
in hospitals and seniors in day-care centers.
- Producing Smithsonian Zoogoer, our informative and beautifully
illustrated bimonthly magazine.
Supporting the Zoo's scientific staff
- Providing grants to Zoo scientific staff for research
at the Zoo or in far-flung field stations.
- Providing grants to support Zoo training programs for
wildlife biologists and Zoo managers from developing countries.
- Supporting the training of interns, graduate, and postdoctoral
research fellows.
How we fund these programs
- Providing parking, food, and gift concession services
at the Zoo. Running off-site stores to raise money, boosting
the Zoo's visibility, and increasing opportunities to
provide
educational and conservation oriented materials to the
public. All proceeds are used to support Zoo education
and research programs.
- Obtaining outside grants
through corporate partnerships and underwriting, and other
membership and development activities.
- Hosting several major fundraising events each year.