Skip to main content
Raptor Rescue& Research Inc.
Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad at the NWRA Annual Symposium

Who we are

Two unpaid American officers, and one who runs the clinic.

There is no American office and no development department — which is how a gift made here arrives, very nearly whole, at a clinic in Delhi. What little we do pay out, we publish.

Why we were formed

An American charity for a clinic on the other side of the world.

United States tax law is unambiguous: an individual cannot deduct a charitable gift made directly to a foreign organisation. For a clinic in Delhi, that closes off the largest pool of sympathetic donors it will ever have.

Raptor Rescue and Research Inc. was incorporated to solve that, and received its IRS determination in 2024. We are a domestic 501(c)(3) that raises funds in America, exercises independent discretion over how they are used, and grants them to raptor rehabilitation that meets our standards.

It is a plumbing problem, solved by people who care a great deal about what flows through the pipe.

Board of directors

The people responsible.

The current officers of the corporation. Our President and Treasurer serve without compensation; our Secretary receives an honorarium for the work he does in Delhi.
Julie Collins

President

Julie Collins

Julie Collins is the Executive Director of Cascades Raptor Center. She is an Oregon native, born and raised in Milwaukie. As a young adult, she moved to Arizona, where she worked in the medical field for over 15 years. Eventually, her passion for interpersonal connection and partnership building led her to public relations work for the local hospital system as a Community Development Liaison. In 2015, Julie and her family moved back to the Pacific Northwest and put down roots in Eugene.

As she settled into her life in Eugene, her son's love for birds of prey inspired Julie to volunteer at the Cascades Raptor Center. She joined the staff in 2017 and served for five years as Development Director, coordinating efforts from fundraising and donor relations to operations and strategic planning. In early 2022, she was promoted to Deputy Director, then later in the year to Executive Director. Julie is committed to Cascades Raptor Center's mission while also helping the Center expand and lay the foundation for the future.

In addition to her work with Cascades Raptor Center, Julie is a board member of Raptor Rescue and Research Inc., and Travel Lane County, Eugene Cascades and Coast. When not working, she enjoys being creative, gardening, and crafting projects. She also loves exploring Oregon's beautiful landscapes, especially the forests and coastline.

As President of Raptor Rescue and Research she convenes the board, approves the grants we make to partner organizations, and ensures that the discretion and control we are required to exercise over our funds is exercised in fact as well as on paper.

Nadeem Shehzad

Secretary

Nadeem Shehzad

Nadeem Shehzad co-founded Wildlife Rescue in Delhi with his brother Mohammad Saud after the two began treating injured Black Kites out of their family home in the early 1990s. What started with a single refused bird became the facility that receives more birds of prey than any other in the world.

He is one of the two subjects of All That Breathes, the documentary that took the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, the Golden Eye at Cannes, a Peabody Award, and a 2023 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

As Secretary he keeps Raptor Rescue and Research anchored to the clinic floor, ensuring that what we fund in the United States matches what is actually needed in Delhi.

Luis Perez

Treasurer & Acting Secretary

Luis Perez

Luis Perez serves on the Board of Raptor Rescue and Research Inc., the U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organization supporting the work of Wildlife Rescue in Delhi.

A Boeing 787 Captain with United Airlines, Luis brings decades of experience in aviation, leadership, training, and mentoring to his role on the U.S. board. His involvement with Wildlife Rescue grew from a deep admiration for the extraordinary work of Nadeem Shehzad, Mohammad Saud, and the team in Delhi, and their commitment to giving injured wildlife a second chance.

Luis is grateful for the opportunity to support their work from the United States, helping strengthen the organization and broaden awareness of its mission while keeping the focus where it belongs — on the people whose compassion and dedication make each rescue possible.

As Treasurer and Acting Secretary he carries responsibility for the organization's financial controls, recordkeeping and statutory filings: the annual Form 990 with the Internal Revenue Service, the CHAR500 with the New York State Charities Bureau, and the acknowledgement letters donors rely on at tax time.

Our President and Treasurer serve without compensation. Nadeem Shehzad receives an honorarium as Secretary — he is the co-founder who runs the clinic our grants support, so that payment reaches the work rather than sitting in American overhead. Compensation paid to any officer is disclosed in full on our annual return, which is public. Please note that our most recent filing covers FY 2024 and therefore lists the officers who served during that year; the board above is the current one, and will appear on our next return.

Our partner

Wildlife Rescue, Delhi

Founded by Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Saud and registered under the Indian Trusts Act in 2010. The largest raptor rescue facility in the world by annual intake of birds of prey.

Nadeem Shehzad sits on our board as Secretary. That is deliberate: it keeps the American charity honest about what the clinic actually needs, rather than what is easiest to fundraise against. Grant decisions remain with the full board, and compensation to any interested director is disclosed on our return.

About the partnership
Mohammad Saud, co-founder of Wildlife Rescue

Organisation details

For your records, and your accountant's.

Legal name
Raptor Rescue and Research Inc.
Status
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
EIN
87-3289299
IRS ruling year
2024
NY State charity registration
No. 51-02-33 — Dual registrant, New York State Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau
NY annual filing
Form CHAR500, due 4.5 months after fiscal year end
Registered address
351 E 50th St, Apt 2, New York, NY 10022
Most recent federal filing
Form 990-EZ, FY 2024