Zambezi Elephant Fund

What Zambezi Elephant Fund does

Zambezi Elephant Fund is a small US-registered nonprofit, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Mount Pleasant, that focuses exclusively on elephant conservation in the Zambezi Valley region of Zimbabwe. Its programmatic work centers on four operational pillars: anti-poaching operations, ranger support and welfare, habitat restoration, and community engagement with local populations living alongside elephant range. The organization operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees and runs no proprietary technology platform; its delivery model is field-based conservation execution rather than technology development.

The fund's business model is donation-dependent rather than commercial. It does not sell a product or charge users; instead it raises charitable contributions from individual donors and, presumably, foundation supporters, routed through a federated network of fiscal and regional partners. Re:wild serves as its US fiscal sponsor, providing 501(c)(3) administrative infrastructure, while Thin Green Line (Australia) and Thin Green Line Foundation UK enable tax-advantaged giving from Australian and British donors respectively. Additional fundraising channels include a TCS New York City Marathon team for peer-to-peer fundraising and a Conservation Collection merchandise line hosted on Redbubble, which produces a small royalty stream tied to brand visibility.

The fund publishes periodic impact reporting — most recently a 2025 Impact Report — to communicate programmatic outcomes to its donor base. It does not disclose financial statements, headcount growth, or major institutional grants in publicly available material, which limits external assessment of scale and trajectory. Its competitive position rests on a tightly defined geographic and species mandate, a multi-region donor infrastructure built through partner organizations, and alignment with the broader Re:wild conservation brand.

Name

Zambezi Elephant Fund

Legal name

Zambezi Elephant Fund

Website

https://zambezielephantfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zambezi Elephant Fund is a small US-registered nonprofit, founded in 2015, that runs field-based elephant conservation programs in Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley covering anti-poaching, ranger support, habitat restoration, and community engagement, funded through individual donations routed via fiscal sponsor Re:wild and regional partners in Australia and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation funding
• Elephant conservation nonprofit
• Anti-poaching support programs
• Habitat restoration funding
• Community conservation projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Pleasant

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations worldwide. Donations are received through its fiscal sponsor Re:wild and can be made via check, online donation platform, or various country-specific mechanisms.
2. Bequests and Legacy Giving: The organization accepts bequests through wills and estate plans, charitable remainder trusts, gifts of life insurance, charitable gift annuities, donor-advised funds, endowments, and beneficiary designations. This provides recurring revenue from planned giving programs.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zambezi Elephant Fund is a nonprofit conservation organization that provides strategic, cost-effective funding for elephant and wildlife conservation projects in Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley. Its core activities include supporting anti-poaching operations, ranger welfare, habitat restoration, and innovative community projects on the periphery of protected landscapes, delivered in collaboration with impact partners. Donations and bequests are processed through fiscal sponsor Re:wild (USA), Thin Green Line (Australia), and Thin Green Line Foundation UK.

Product overview

Zambezi Elephant Fund (ZEF) is a nonprofit conservation organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer a software platform, SaaS product, or technology modules. ZEF operates as a charitable fund that provides strategic funding for elephant conservation projects in Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley, working with impact partners on anti-poaching activities and community support programs. Donations are accepted through Re:wild (fiscal sponsor) in the USA, Thin Green Line in Australia, and Thin Green Line Foundation UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Thin Green LinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn Australia, Thin Green Line facilitates the receipt of donations to Zambezi Elephant Fund through their fundraising platform. They serve as the equivalent organization to Re:wild for Australian donors.
• Thin Green Line Foundation UKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThin Green Line Foundation UK is a registered charity (England and Wales no. 1180365) that facilitates UK donations to Zambezi Elephant Fund through their donation portal with reference to ZEF campaign.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• International Fund for Animal Welfare: Global animal welfare and wildlife conservation nonprofit active across Africa with anti-poaching, advocacy, and community programs. Comparable donor model, mission scope, and multi-jurisdictional fundraising infrastructure.
• The Nature Conservancy: Largest global environmental nonprofit with place-based conservation programs, habitat restoration, and corporate partnerships. Overlaps with ZEF on habitat and rangeland protection but operates at vastly greater scale and scope.
• Conservation International: Global environmental organization funding place-based conservation, anti-poaching, and community projects across Africa. Comparable in funding role and donor base; broader mandate and substantially larger scale than ZEF.
• Re:wild: Global species and habitat conservation organization and ZEF's US fiscal sponsor. Functions as both an enabler (infrastructure) and a comparable brand-tier peer for donor dollars targeting similar conservation outcomes.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Large, established global wildlife conservation organization operating the world's largest network of urban wildlife parks. Overlaps with ZEF on African field conservation and anti-poaching, but at materially greater scale and broader geographic mandate.

Direct peers

• Born Free Foundation: Wildlife conservation and animal welfare charity with elephant-focused programs across Africa. Highly comparable mission, individual-donor funding model, and event/legacy giving programs similar to ZEF.
• Tusk Conservation Trust: UK-registered African wildlife conservation charity running high-profile patron-driven fundraising (including the Tusk Conservation Awards). Comparable to ZEF in mission, donor model, and African focus, with similar London-fiscal-sponsor-style governance.
• African Wildlife Foundation: Pan-African conservation organization with programs in Zimbabwe and surrounding landscapes, including anti-poaching, habitat protection, and community engagement. Directly comparable mandate, donor base, and operating model.
• Save the Elephants: Elephant-focused conservation nonprofit operating across Africa with research, anti-poaching, and community programs. Highly comparable to ZEF in mission, donor model (individual + institutional), and geographic focus on African elephant ranges.

Emerging players

• Great Plains Conservation Foundation: Conservation and community development organization active in Kenya and Zimbabwe, with anti-poaching and landscape-level programs. Comparable smaller-scale model and place-based mandate to ZEF, though focused more on ecotourism-linked models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Zambezi Elephant Fund