Nonprofit · EIN 47-3943896
VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY
Tax-exempt · PALO ALTO, CA 94302
Financials
| Year ended | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Net income | Total assets | Liabilities | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2025 | 990 | $414,643 | $429,038 | -$14,395 | $194,084 | $6,945 | $187,139 |
| December 31, 2024 | 990 | $245,345 | $222,483 | $22,862 | $201,534 | $0 | $201,534 |
| December 31, 2023 | 990 | $204,897 | $270,328 | -$65,431 | $179,085 | $0 | $179,085 |
Financial details: 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025
Revenue
- Contributions, gifts and grants
- $397,477
- Program service revenue
- $0
- Investment income
- $0
- Net income from fundraising events
- $17,166
- Other revenue
- $17,166
Expenses
- Grants and similar amounts paid
- $275,757
- Other salaries and wages
- $96,000
- Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
- $96,000
- Professional fundraising fees
- $0
- Accounting fees
- $10,452
- Travel
- $9,245
- Depreciation
- $629
- Program services (functional)
- $381,879
- Management and general (functional)
- $43,893
- Fundraising (functional)
- $3,266
Balance sheet and other
- Total assets, start of year
- $201,534
- Total assets, end of year
- $194,084
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $6,945
- Net assets, end of year
- $187,139
- Land, buildings and equipment
- $1,238
- Net assets without donor restrictions
- $187,139
- Gross receipts
- $423,393
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 5
- Year formed
- 2015
- State of legal domicile
- CA
From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.
Officers, directors and key employees
As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| NANCY PLANT | PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 7 | $0 |
| DAVID EZEKIEL | TREASURER Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 |
| DR SUNITA SASTRY | SECRETARY Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 |
| LUVEEN WADHVANI | CHIEF TECH OFFICER Trustee or director, Officer | 3 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2024: 6 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| NANCY PLANT | PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 |
| DAVID EZEKIEL | TREASURER Trustee or director, Officer | 2 | $0 |
| NANCY MA | BOARD MEMBER UNTIL JUNE 2024 Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| RAVI BALASUBRAMANIAN | BOARD OF DIRECTOR UNTIL JUNE 2024 Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| KATHLEEN KASTNER | FUNDRAISING CHAIR UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2024 Trustee or director, Officer | 2 | $0 |
| LUVEEN WADHVANI | CHIEF TECH OFFICER Trustee or director, Officer | 2 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2023: 6 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sangita Iyer | President & CEO Trustee or director, Officer | 60 | $61,500 |
| Nancy Plant | Secretary Trustee or director, Officer | 5 | $0 |
| Nancy Ma | Treasurer Trustee or director, Officer | 10 | $0 |
| Ravi Balasubramanian | Chairman Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Kathleen Kastner | Chairman Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Luveen Wadhwani | Chairman Trustee or director | 3 | $0 |
Address and contacts
- Address (IRS master file)
- PO BOX 194, PALO ALTO, CA 94302-0194
- Mailing address (990-N for 2018)
- 3415 South Sepulveda Blvd Ste 1100, Los Angeles CA 90034
- Principal officer (990 for 2025)
- SANGITA IYER, PO BOX 194, PALO ALTO, CA 94302
- Principal officer (990-N for 2018)
- Nancy Ma, PO Box 412, Camarillo CA 93011
- Signed the 990
- SANGITA IYER, FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR
- Phone
- (805) 396-3108
- Website
- www.vfaes.org
- Return prepared by
- EASY OFFICE DBA JITASA
California records
California keeps its own records of charities and corporations. Search them by EIN 47-3943896 or by the name VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY.
- Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers
- Registration status and filed reports (CT-TR-1, RRF-1)
- Secretary of State, bizfile Online
- Corporation status, entity number, agent for service
- Franchise Tax Board
- Entity status letter (state tax exemption, good standing)
Mission
VOICES FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS (VFAE) COMBINES SCIENCE, STORYTELLING, AND TECHNOLOGIES LIKE AI, ROBOTICS, AND GIS TO PROTECT ENDANGERED ASIAN ELEPHANTS, RESTORE AND REWILD THEIR HABITATS, AND SAFEGUARD MIGRATION CORRIDORS. BY PARTNERING WITH GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, AND PROVIDING TRIBAL COMMUNITIES WITH RESOURCES FOR VITAL SUSTENANCE, WE PROMOTE HARMONIOUS COEXISTENCE TO THOSE LIVING ALONGSIDE THESE MAJESTIC CREATURES.
Program accomplishments
- SECURING AND REWILDING CORRIDORS FOR ODISHA ELEPHANTS - A CRISIS IS UNFOLDING RIGHT NOW-AND IT IS SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL. ACCORDING TO THE WILDLIFE INSTITUTE OF INDIA, THE NATION'S ELEPHANT POPULATION HAS PLUMMETED TO JUST 22,446 INDIVIDUALS-A STAGGERING 18% DECLINE FROM THE 27,312 RECORDED IN 2017. THIS IS NOT A SLOW DECLINE. THIS IS A COLLAPSE UNFOLDING IN REAL TIME. IN ODISHA ALONE, NEARLY 100 ELEPHANTS HAVE DIED WITHIN JUST ONE YEAR, ACCORDING TO ODISHA'S MINISTER OF FOREST AND ENVIRONMENT-AN ALARMING SIGNAL OF HOW RAPIDLY THIS CRISIS IS ESCALATING AT THE STATE LEVEL. OVER THE PAST DECADE, 790 ELEPHANTS HAVE PERISHED IN ODISHA, WITH ELECTROCUTION LEADING AS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THESE UNNATURAL DEATHS. IN THIS TIME, CONFLICTS HAVE CLAIMED 668 HUMAN LIVES AND LEFT 509 OTHERS INJURED, UNDERSCORING THE SHARED TRAGEDY OF THIS CRISIS. IN THE FACE OF THESE ESCALATING TRAGEDIES, VOICES FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS IS TAKING BOLD, FRONTLINE ACTION-WORKING ALONGSIDE GRASSROOTS PARTNERS LIKE PARIBARTAN AND INDIGENOUS TRIBAL COMMUNITIES. IN JUST ONE YEAR, WE HAVE SECURED 52 ACRES OF VITAL CORRIDOR LAND, RECONNECTING TWO FRAGMENTED FORESTS AND RESTORING A LOST MIGRATORY PATH. THE RESULT? OVER 50 ELEPHANTS HAVE ALREADY RETURNED HOME. AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE HEALING DEGRADED HABITATS-PLANTING ELEPHANT-FRIENDLY, FRUIT-BEARING SAPLINGS AND CREATING WATERHOLES WITHIN CORE FOREST AREAS. THESE ARE NOT SMALL INTERVENTIONS-THEY ARE LIFELINES. BY BRINGING FOOD AND WATER BACK INTO THEIR NATURAL HABITATS, WE ARE PREVENTING ELEPHANTS FROM STRAYING INTO DANGEROUS HUMAN LANDSCAPES-WHERE TOO MANY TRAGEDIES OCCUR-AVOIDABLE DEATHS.Expenses $295,383 · grants $262,413
- SAVING ELEPHANTS FROM DEADLY TRACKS - ELESENSE - UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENCROACHMENT IN INDIAN FORESTS ARE PUSHING ENDANGERED ASIAN ELEPHANTS TOWARD EXTINCTION, WITH 18-20 DYING ANNUALLY IN TRAIN COLLISIONS ALONE. WEST BENGAL, THE FOURTH MOST DENSELY POPULATED STATE, IS A DEADLY HOTSPOT, RANKING SECOND IN ELEPHANT DEATHS ON TRAIN TRACKS. TO ADDRESS THIS CRISIS, VOICES FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS AND PARTNERS LAUNCHED ELESENSE, A SENSOR-BASED EARLY WARNING SYSTEM THAT PREVENTED NEARLY 1,600 TRAIN COLLISIONS BETWEEN JANUARY 2023 AND AUGUST 2025. INSTALLED NEAR TRACKS CUTTING THROUGH FORESTS, IT ALERTS TRAIN PILOTS OF ELEPHANT PRESENCE WITHIN 750 METERS, ALLOWING SAFE BRAKING AND DETERRING ELEPHANTS FROM DANGER ZONES. ELESENSE IS NOW BEING EXPANDED INTO CRITICAL HABITATS LIKE BUXA TIGER RESERVE AND CHAPRAMARI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY. THIS INDIGENOUS-DESIGNED INNOVATION IS TRANSFORMING CONSERVATION, SAFEGUARDING ELEPHANTS, AND PROMOTING PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE.Expenses $35,217
- ROBOTIC ELEPHANTS PROJECT - IN FEBRUARY 2025, VOICES FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS UNVEILED THE SECOND ROBOTIC ELEPHANT IN INDIA - FIRST IN THE STATE OF KERALA - TO REPLACE A LIVE ONE IN TEMPLE PROCESSIONS-PRESERVING TRADITION WHILE PREVENTING CRUELTY. THE LAUNCH GARNERED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE ACROSS AT LEAST 30+ MAJOR MEDIA OUTLETS IN ENGLISH, AND MALAYALAM, MARKING A BOLD STEP TOWARD PROTECTING THE ENDANGERED ASIAN ELEPHANT. IN KERALA ALONE, THE NUMBER OF CAPTIVE ELEPHANTS HAS DROPPED FROM 500 IN 2019 TO 397 IN EARLY 2024, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 25 ELEPHANT DEATHS ANNUALLY. THESE ANIMALS, OFTEN VIOLENTLY CAPTURED AND EXPLOITED IN THE NAME OF CULTURE, ARE SUFFERING ALONGSIDE MAHOUTS, WITH 293 STAMPEDES IN 2023 CAUSING MULTIPLE DEATHS AND INJURIES. THE ROBOTIC ELEPHANTS ARE NOW INSPIRING TEMPLES TO TRANSITION AWAY FROM LIVE ELEPHANT USE, ENSURING PUBLIC SAFETY AND ANIMAL WELFARE. THIS INNOVATION SIGNALS A COMPASSIONATE CULTURAL SHIFT WHERE TRADITION AND KINDNESS CAN COEXIST.Expenses $29,709 · grants $14,598
- SECURING FORESTLAND TO REHABILITATE CAPTIVE ELEPHANTS - VOICES FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS IS PARTNERING WITH BOON LOTT'S ELEPHANT SANCTUARY IN REHABILITATING CAPTIVE ELEPHANTS RESCUED FROM THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. AS PART OF THIS COLLABORATION, VFAE HAS CONTRIBUTED 14 ACRES OF LAND TO HELP EXPAND THE BOON LOTT'S ELEPHANT SANCTUARY (BLES)-CREATING ADDITIONAL SPACE FOR ELEPHANTS TO ROAM FREELY, WITHOUT FEAR OR EXPLOITATION. ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA, COUNTLESS ELEPHANTS ONCE USED IN TOURISM ENDURE LIVES OF CONTROL, CONFINEMENT, AND HARDSHIP. MANY ARE SEPARATED FROM THEIR FAMILIES, SUBJECTED TO HARSH TRAINING, AND DENIED THE FREEDOM THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO THEIR WELL-BEING. AT BLES, LOCATED IN NORTHERN THAILAND, RESCUED ELEPHANTS ARE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO BEGIN AGAIN. HERE, THEY ARE NOT FORCED TO PERFORM OR INTERACT. THERE ARE NO RIDES, NO CHAINS, AND NO COMMANDS-ONLY SPACE, SAFETY, AND THE TIME THEY NEED TO HEAL. SPREAD ACROSS MORE THAN 600 ACRES OF PROTECTED FOREST, THE SANCTUARY PROVIDES A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE ELEPHANTS CAN ROAM FREELY, FORM SOCIAL BONDS, AND REDISCOVER THEIR INSTINCTS. WHAT EMERGES IS SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY: TRUST REBUILT, TRAUMA SOFTENED, AND A RETURN TO THE RHYTHMS OF LIFE AS NATURE INTENDED.Expenses $21,570 · grants $13,343
What it must file and when
IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.
| Tax year | Year ended | Due | IRS public records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | December 31, 2025 | May 15, 2026 | 990 on file |
| 2024 | December 31, 2024 | May 15, 2025 | 990 on file |
| 2023 | December 31, 2023 | May 15, 2024 | 990 on file |
IRS record
- EIN
- 47-3943896
- Tax-exempt status
- 501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
- Foundation status
- Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))
- Donations deductible (Pub 78)
- Public charity, 50% deduction limit
- Exempt since
- 2016
- Accounting year ends
- December
- Files
- Form 990 or 990-EZ
- Category (NTEE)
- Animal-related (D34)
- Assets (IRS master file)
- $194,084
- Income (IRS master file)
- $423,393
Filing history
| Form | Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | December 2025 | $414,643 | $429,038 | $194,084 | XML |
| 990 | December 2024 | $245,345 | $222,483 | $201,534 | IRS |
| 990 | December 2023 | $204,897 | $270,328 | $179,085 | XML |
| 990 | December 2022 | $184,982 | $159,861 | $244,545 | IRS |
| 990-EZ | December 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990-EZ | December 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990-EZ | December 2019 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990-N for 2018 Officer: Nancy Ma | December 31, 2018 | ≤ $50,000 receipts | – | – | e-Postcard |
990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 47-3943896).
Questions about VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY
- What is the EIN of VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY?
- The employer identification number (EIN) of VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY is 47-3943896.
- Is VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY tax-exempt?
- Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 2016.
- Are donations to VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY tax-deductible?
- Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
- Which annual return does VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY file?
- Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.
- When is the next return of VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY due?
- The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
- When did VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY last file with the IRS?
- The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.
- Who is the principal officer of VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names SANGITA IYER.
- Who are the officers and directors of VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 4 people; 0 received compensation from the organization.
- How much revenue does VOICE FOR ASIAN ELEPHANTS SOCIETY have?
- On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $414,643, expenses of $429,038 and total assets of $194,084 at year end.
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