Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter Barcs

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
861130456
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Baltimore, MD, USA
Phone
4103964695
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,977,497
Expenses
$7,313,707
Assets
$6,643,001
Liabilities
$466,049

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JENNIFER BRAUSE (CEO)
  • Eric Bernthal (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • JENNIFER BRAUSE (CEO): $179,152 total reported compensation
  • DR BOBBIE MAMMATO (DIR OF VETERINARY): $135,111 total reported compensation
  • DR BARBARA PRESS (VETERINARIAN): $113,981 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Barcs takes in over 11,000 dogs and cats and approximately 1,000 exotic, wildlife and other small mammals each year. The animals that barcs cares for were lost, abandoned, abused, neglected or surrendered by their owners. Since barcs took over the operations of the city shelter at the end of fiscal year 2006, the number of animals lives saved increased dramatically totaling over 154,000 lives saved through fiscal year 2025. The shelter's services include: providing housing and care to homeless animals, public education and outreach, tracking lost and found pets, offering low-cost vaccinations and microchip clinics, and providing low cost basic dog training classes. Barcs also provides families the opportunity to adopt a companion animal that is spayed and neutered, vaccinated, and looking for apermanent new loving home.

What it reported doing in 2024

Barcs is the largest companion shelter in Maryland taking in over 10,000 dogs and cats each year and handling over 1,000 other species. Open 7 days a week, barcs AIDS in the rescue and rehabilitation of abused and abandoned animals in need, provides low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine services, assists in returning lost animals to their owners and finds suitable homes for animals without owners. Prior to barcs inception in 2005, the euthanasia rate was 98 percent. Due to barcs lifesaving efforts, the euthanasia rate has decreased to 10-15 percent which includes animals that pose a risk to public safety, have medical injuries beyond repair, or who are truly at the end of their life.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 69% 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.2%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 86.1%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 8.3%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.91; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.5%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.4% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.2% of revenue deployed · 86.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $6.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $179K · 16 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 57/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.