Give.org logo
Support Give.org
Support Give.org
CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: January 2025 Expires: January 2027

The Leakey Foundation

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
1 10 17
(707) 888-4765
1003B Oreilly Ave
San Francisco, CA, 94129-1359
https://leakeyfoundation.org/
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

The Leakey Foundation does not meet the following 3 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 1 (Oversight of Operations and Staff)
Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fund raising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.

The Leakey Foundation does not meet this standard because:

The charity reports its Board of Directors has not reviewed the chief executive's performance at least once in the past two years.

Standard 10 (Ending Net Assets)
Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities. To meet this standard, the charity's unrestricted net assets available for use should not be more than three times the size of the past year's expenses or three times the size of the current year's budget, whichever is higher.

The Leakey Foundation does not meet this standard because:

According to the charity's IRS Form 990 for the year-ended 8/30/2023, its total unrestricted net assets available for use were $16,428,340.00 or 4.50 times its past year's expenses of $3,650,403.00.

Standard 17 (Web Site Disclosures)
Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990.

The Leakey Foundation does not meet this standard because:

Although the charity solicits for contribution on its website, https://leakeyfoundation.org/, the charity does not provide access to its most recent IRS Form 990 on its website.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance requested but did not receive complete information from the organization and is unable to verify the organization's compliance with the following Standard(s) for Charity Accountability: 11, 16

The Leakey Foundation meets the remaining 15 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:

The mission of The Leakey Foundation is to increase scientific research, education and public knowledge of human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival.  

Year, State Incorporated:
1968, CA

A donor-supported nonprofit, committed to funding research and advancing public understanding of human origins. Its unique approach combines science and education to explore our shared past, understand our present, and inspire a better future. It invests in a global community of the best and brightest students and researchers, empowering them to ask new questions, explore new sites, develop new methods, and make groundbreaking new discoveries. It believes that scientific work is not complete unless it is shared, so we work to share the human story through free and accessible educational programs.

For the year ended August 30, 2023, The Leakey Foundation's program expenses were:

Programs $2,998,836
Total Program Expenses $2,998,836

Chair of the Board
Mr. Gordon Getty, Company Contact

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation

Board Size
22

Paid Staff Size
9

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Membership appeals, Appeals via Social Media (Facebook, etc.)

% of Related Contributions on Fundraising: 5.62%

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on The Leakey Foundation's IRS Form 990 for the year ended August 30, 2023.

Source of Funds
Contributions and Grants $4,674,110
Investment Income $1,926,994
Program Service Revenue $66,487
Other Revenue $36,224
Total Income $6,703,815

Programs: 82% Fundraising: 7% Administrative: 11%

Total Income $6,703,815
Total expenses: $3,650,403
  Program expenses $2,998,836
  Fundraising expenses $262,616
  Administrative expenses $388,951
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $3,053,412
Beginning Net Assets $32,200,010
Other Changes In Net Assets $1,070,790
Ending Net Assets $36,324,212
Total Liabilities $1,986,690
Total Assets $38,310,902

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California