Animal Humane Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
410693842
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Golden Valley, MN, USA
Phone
7635224325
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$24,889,872
Expenses
$20,762,223
Assets
$60,423,664
Liabilities
$10,965,209

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Janelle Dixon (President & CEO (To Dec. 2024))
  • Joy King (CEO (From Jan. 2025))

Highest reported compensation

  • Janelle Dixon (President & CEO (To Dec. 2024)): $281,014 total reported compensation
  • Eileen Lay (Chief Operating & Financia): $266,973 total reported compensation
  • Dr Graham Brayshaw (Chief Medical Officer): $191,836 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Animal Humane Society (AHS) established in 1878 and incorporated as a nonprofit charitable organization in 1891 works to engage the hearts, hands, and minds of the community to help animals. AHS's vision is to compassionately and responsibly create a more humane world for animals. Three core values guide AHS as an organization: be good to animals, partner with people, and lead responsibly with compassion. AHS is primarily supported through donations, fees for adoption and other services to the community, and sales of pet care supplies. AHS has locations in Golden Valley, Coon Rapids, St. Paul, and Woodbury, Minnesota.AHS maintains two wholly owned subsidiaries: Animal Humane Society Veterinary Centers, P.C., a nonprofit subsidiary that provides high-quality, low-cost veterinary services to the public. Kasota Holdings, LLC, a nonprofit single-member limited liability company that maintains rental units in St. Paul, Minnesota. AHS is the single-member owner of Kasota

What it reported doing in 2024

Adoption and SurrenderAHS helps thousands of dogs, cats, and critters in need find loving homes each year. AHS's commitment to open admission guarantees safe refuge to every animal that comes to us for help. Innovations and investments in medical treatment and behavioral rehabilitation ensure that we can help animals with even the most significant challenges. As a result, AHS now places almost 90 percent of the animals entrusted to its care, up from 59 percent in 2008. The success of AHS's shelter program is reflected in three key measures: the total number of animals admitted for rehoming, the percentage of animals with live placements (placement rate), and the average length of stay in shelter. In the year ended June 30, 2025: 12,331 companion animals came into AHS facilities. 10,814 of those animals more than 78% were placed in homes, reunited with owners, or released to other organizations. The average length of stay for animals in shelter was 12.7 days.Overall placements included 9,332 animals adopted, 793 animals reunited with owners, 569 cats returned to field, and 158 animals transferred to partner organizations. Robust medical and behavioral programs contribute to this continued success: 7,188 animals received spay/neuter surgeries before adoption. Spay/neuter and other non-essential surgeries were prohibited by executive order for six weeks at the onset of the pandemic. AHS veterinarians diagnosed and treated 13,853 conditions. AHS Shelter Behavior programs readied 3,109 cats and dogs for placement.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 80% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 58
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.7%; rating input score 60
  • Program expense ratio: 69.3%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.66 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 16.6%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.91; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.7% of revenue deployed · 69.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $14.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $281K · 18 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $797K reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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 19/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.