Animeals

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
204694132
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Missoula, MT, USA
Phone
4067214710
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$638,237
Expenses
$626,776
Assets
$892,828
Liabilities
$689

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KARYN MOLTZEN (PRESIDENT)
  • SUSAN ANDREWS MERSEAL (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ASHLEY LIPSCOMB (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU SEPTEMBER))
  • JANET ROSE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • ASHLEY LIPSCOMB (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU SEPTEMBER)): $41,968 total reported compensation
  • JANET ROSE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $40,577 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Animeals' mission is to save the hungry, the helpless, the lost, and the little ones struggling to survive; to house and feed as many animals as possible; to ease the suffering of the weak and unloved; to build a no-kill community, and realize the achievement of a no-kill nation.

What it reported doing in 2025

Adoption center: the adoption center takes in cats who have lost their homes and works to find them a new home. The center houses 50 cats in shelter and 35 cats in foster care. We do not discriminate against age, size, or breed. Animeals charges a one-time adoption fee that includes spay/neuter, de-worming, micro-chip, and vaccinations. Animeals accepts any cat in imminent danger. Animeals operates a working cat relocation program to provide homes to cats that would otherwise be perpetually homeless or killed in other shelters. In 2025, animeals took in 329 cats. Of this total 10 cats were taken in from other shelters, 19 were taken to other shelters, and 7 cats were later reclaimed by their owners. Additionally, animeals was able to place 302 cats in new homes. 191 cats were spayed or neutered.animeals also maintains a "honey fund" which provides money to people in need who cannot afford their veterinary bills. To receive assistance, animeals accepts referrals directly from veterinarians. During 2024, animeals spent $8,142 from the honey fund on 34 households. Animeals plan is to be able to acquire land to build a new shelter where the organization can more adequately fulfill the needs of the homeless and hungry animals we serve.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% 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: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.3%; rating input score 78
  • Program expense ratio: 78.8%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $19.38 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 15th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.8%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.42; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.2%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.5% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.3% of revenue deployed · 78.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $494K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $42K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 36/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.