An Interview with Sean Scanlon, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Its annual operating budget is $21 million, and it has a staff of 240 people.

Here, FundRaising Success talks with Sean B. Scanlon, senior director of development and philanthropy, at the organization.

FundRaising Success: How does The Cornell Lab of Ornithology fund its mission?
Sean Scanlon: Somewhat surprisingly, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is completely self-funded. It is not financially supported by Cornell University. Of the $21 million l raised annually, 40 percent comes from research grants by our faculty, about 35 percent from philanthropy and 25 percent from all other sources, including a small endowment, program income, contracts and some licensing revenue. The diverse sources are a real strength of the organization and a credit to the program directors here.