Calypso Equestrian

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
981420729
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone
6048372738
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,000,000
Expenses
$665,729
Assets
$371,469
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JULIA DARLING (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • JULIA DARLING (PRESIDENT)
  • KIMBERLY MAE BAILEY (TREASURER/CFO)
  • KRYSTAL GRIFFIN (SECRETARY)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Prevention of cruelty to animals by facilitating the rehabilitation and retraining of horses in transition with a focus on community education and compassionate, responsible horse ownership and care.

What it reported doing in 2025

Calypso head start programtransitioning horses for a successful lifethe calypso head start program is designed to give every horse we work with the strongest possible foundation for a successful second career. Each horse in our care receives:- comprehensive daily care, including full board, turnout, grooming, blanketing, and individualized nutrition- professional training both on the ground and under saddle- ongoing veterinary oversight, farrier care, dental maintenance, and overall wellness support- thoughtful, controlled exposure to a variety of real-world environments and experiences- careful evaluation of temperament, training, and long-term potential- guidance toward a suitable second career, determined in collaboration with trusted equine professionals- the opportunity for a safe-landing into retirement care as needed. Whenever appropriate, horses may be introduced to local show environments to thoughtfully showcase their development and highlight the potential of second-chance horses. Just as importantly, we take full responsibility for each horse's long-term wellbeing. This includes facilitating and covering the costs associated with retirement, ongoing medical care, and end-of-life supportan often overlooked but essential part of true horsemanship.at the heart of this program is a simple belief: when given the right support, these horses can truly thrive. By providing them with the time, care, and resources they deserve, we help bring visibility to their potential and encourage a more compassionate, forward-thinking approach within the equestrian community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 67
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 61%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 91.7%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: $48.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 33.4%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.56; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -4% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 61% of revenue deployed · 91.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $610K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $179K reported
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 27/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.