The Zoological Society of Milwaukee's mission is to conserve wildlife and endangered species, educate people about the importance of wildlife and the environment, and support the Milwaukee County Zoo. The Society was established in 1910 as an informal group of community leaders who bought animals and raised funds for the Zoo. Today it is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with 55 full-time and 45 part-time employees who manage daily operations and programs. In the 2016 fiscal year, the Society raised $7.9 million in cash and in-kind support for the Milwaukee County Zoo plus $256,000 in direct project costs. Together, the Zoo and Society serve more than 1.3 million Zoo visitors a year. The Society and Zoo work together to attract both a strong family base as well as a diverse audience through free days, targeted school programs, special events and other efforts. Thanks to the vision of community leaders and the generosity of many friends, the Society has invested millions in capital improvements to the Zoo in partnership with Milwaukee County. The Society runs an Education Department that serves about 300,000 children and adults a year through school and Scout programs, fee-based classes and camps, and Kohl's Wild Theater, the largest zoo-based theater program in the country. The Society also operates the Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative, working to protect the bonobo, an endangered species of great ape, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.