Friends of the Palm SpringsAnimal Shelter

What it reported doing in 2025

Friends of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter Friends is a nonprofit 501c3, working tirelessly on behalf of animals since 1996, fundraising, educating, and advocating for animals in need. On November 1, 2012, Friends assumed operations of the City of Palm Springs Animal Shelter. This partnership with the City to operate the shelter paved the way for a new and humane way of caring for shelter pets in the community. Committed to operating as a humane and compassionate animal care and adoption center, the shelter does not euthanize animals for space or for length of stay. As a public, open admissions shelter, Friends provides a safe haven for all animals, those who are readily adoptable, as well as those who require rehabilitation, training, and minor to severe medical treatment. The Palm Springs Animal Shelter is the only public shelter in the Coachella Valley operating under the no-kill philosophy, which, at times, creates a tremendous strain on operations. But we wouldnt do it any other way. Friends depends on the community to adopt, foster, volunteer, donate, and most of all, to believe that by working together, we can save lives. Friends of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter: * takes in lost, stray, abandoned, neglected, abused, and relinquished pets * provides quality medical care and socialization and enrichment to all animals entering the shelter, including neonatal puppies and kittens, and senior and hospice pets, both in the shelter and in loving foster homes * works to find all pets loving forever homes through an affordable, comprehensive yet convenient adoption process, focused on finding the right family for each pet * reunites lost pets with their guardians * provides dog licenses to Palm Springs residents * operates a weekly public low-cost vaccine clinic * provides low-cost microchips to the community * provides low cost/no cost spay neuter services to the entire Coachella Valley through our Fix A Friend program * operates a community Pet Food Bank to help low income, disabled, and/or infirmed Coachella Valley residents feed their beloved pets * manages a Trap-Neuter-Return TNR program, helping to humanely reduce the number of free-roaming cats in the Coachella Valley thereby reducing the number of cats entering the Palm Springs Animal Shelter as well as the Riverside County Animal Shelter * serves as a resource for humane education in the Coachella Valley and beyond, with learning opportunities for animal advocates and volunteers of all ages.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 88.4%; rating input score 88
• Program expense ratio: 86.8%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: $11.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • 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: Fail
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -1.2%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.75; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.9%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 23.1% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings