American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
474016989
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Davis, CA, USA
Phone
5302060140
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,433,744
Expenses
$4,770,580
Assets
$5,073,506
Liabilities
$287,562

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ELLIE PRICE (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SUZANNE ROY (SECRETARY & EXECUTIVE DIRE): $138,467 total reported compensation
  • ANDREW WILSON (DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY AND AWARENESS): $119,317 total reported compensation
  • FERNANDO GUERRA (DIRECTOR OF LAW AND POLICY): $106,408 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The american wild horse campaign is the nation's leading conservation organization dedicated to preserving the freedom and habitat of wild horses and burros. Through its initiatives in advocacy, conservation, land preservation, and legal and policy reform, awhc is actively shaping a future where these iconic animals can thrive in the wild, safeguarded and free in their natural environments.

What it reported doing in 2024

Awhc is at the forefront of legal and policy advocacy to protect wild horses and burros. The organization's work focuses on litigation, legislation, and exposing mismanagement of these iconic animals by federal agencies. Awhc champions federal legislation to ban helicopter roundups, require humane alternatives, and reform the management of wild horses and burros. The organization works with members of congress to secure protective language in annual spending bills, including funding for fertility control, protection against slaughter, and directives for federal agencies to explore alternatives to roundups and removals. Awhc supports state-level legislation that promotes humane management solutions and provides funding for fertility control and other non-lethal population management methods. The organization collaborates with state officials and advocates to advance humane wild horse policies. Awhc works with coalition partners to support federal legislation addressing broader equine welfare issues, including bills to prevent horse slaughter and protect populations from exploitation, reflecting awhc's commitment to the welfare of all equines. Awhc files litigation to challenge unlawful federal actions that threaten wild horse populations and habitat. The organization's legal team actively pursues cases involving violations of the wild free-roaming horses and burros act and other applicable laws, holding federal agencies accountable for their management decisions.awhc conducts investigations into federal programs to expose fraud, waste, and abuse. These investigative efforts have revealed systemic problems in government initiatives and have led to increased scrutiny and calls for reform.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 79.4%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -38.9%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.06; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.6%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.5% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.1% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 79.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $3.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $138K · 9 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $286K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 39/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 39/100.