Hope Animal Rescue

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
461902478
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2013
Location
Durham, NC, USA
Phone
9196957695
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$376,228
Expenses
$303,895
Assets
$218,882
Liabilities
$4,983

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATE MATTHEWS (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • KATE MATTHEWS (PRESIDENT)
  • LAUREN CLARKE (INTAKE DIRECTOR/INTERIM VI)
  • VERONICA PFLUEGER (DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR)

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

Hope animal rescue is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the lives of stray and abandoned pets in North Carolina. We promote compassionate and humane treatment of all animals, regardless of breed or species. We rescue those unlikely to get out of the shelter system alive, and have a heart for senior dogs and those with medical needs. We are an all-volunteer rescue, and all funding goes back to benefit the animals.

What it reported doing in 2025

Since its founding in february 2013, hope animal rescue has rescued more than 5,000 at-risk dogs, resulting in 4,937 successful adoptions. As a dog-only rescue, the organization is committed to saving vulnerable dogs and placing them into safe, permanent homes.hope animal rescue provides comprehensive veterinary care for all dogs in its program. This includes, but is not limited to, orthopedic surgery, heartworm treatment, cardiac care and surgery, dental procedures, tumor removal, maternity care, vaccinations, spay/neuter, preventatives, and ongoing treatment for both acute and chronic medical conditions. The organization also supports dogs with behavioral challenges by providing training that uses humane, evidence-based methods to improve outcomes and adoptability.in addition to its rescue efforts, hope animal rescue operates a pet assistance program designed to help keep pets in their homes and out of shelters. Through this program, the organization assists pet owners with access to spay/neuter services, veterinary care, pet food assistance, and rehoming support when needed.hope animal rescue remains dedicated to its mission of giving dogs a second chance through rescue, rehabilitation, and responsible placement, while also supporting pet owners in the community to improve animal welfare overall.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% 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.

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: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 54
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.4%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 90.6%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $79.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • 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: 19.2%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.72; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.4% of revenue deployed · 90.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $275K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.