Paws for Patrick

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
852758570
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Lake Forest, IL, USA
Phone
8477361536
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Mental Health Association

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$593,880
Expenses
$516,100
Assets
$744,916
Liabilities
$3,304

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NIKKI SMITH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • DARRIN UTYNEK (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • NIKKI SMITH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $85,000 total reported compensation
  • DARRIN UTYNEK (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $34,135 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Paws for patrick is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting young people to emotional support animals to aid them as they live with mental illness.

What it reported doing in 2024

Emotional support animal (esa) program - our goal is to help alleviate the burden of those trying to acquire an esa for mental health purposes through our unique wish granter program. Whether it be obtaining an esa certification letter; finding a new companion and paying for adoptions fees; securing and paying for a trainer that works for each person; coordinating approval for housing for dorms & apartments with "no pets allowed" rules, each client is handled on a case-by-case basis with their individual wish granter. We are committed to helping you from beginning to end. As a part of this program, we also provide opportunities for young people to interact with our trained therapy dogs and their handlers in group and individual settings such as schools, therapy sessions, youth organizations, and more. We believe in animal power; the unbreakable bond between people and their pets. We believe in the positive emotional health impact animals can have on an individual. And, we believe that it is imperative that we raise awareness to the rising and alarming rate of young people struggling with mental health.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 36
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 36.3%; rating input score 36
  • Program expense ratio: 39.5%; rating input score 39
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.72 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th 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: 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: 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: Fail
    • 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: 13.1%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.44; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23.1%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 57.8% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 26.1% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 33.2% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 36.3% of revenue deployed · 39.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $204K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $85K · 17 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 39/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.