Pawsitive Beginnings

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
922127732
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
6192038667
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal-Related N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$598,484
Expenses
$369,730
Assets
$3,340,781
Liabilities
$3,105,000

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ALEKSANDRA ZAK (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • ALEKSANDRA ZAK (PRESIDENT)
  • GILLE KLABIN (BOARD MEMBER)
  • HEATHER RICHARDSON (TREASURER)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Rescuing at-risk pregnant or nursing dogs and puppies from high-kill city and county shelters in los angeles and the surrounding areas. Placing them into loving foster homes, providing full-spectrum medical care, and, when ready, finding forever homes for all the dogs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Rescued over 40 litters from high-kill shelters, rescued over 400 dogs and placed them into loving homes, sponsored multiple life-saving surgeries, and provided medical care to parvovirus puppies, with a 100% survival rate.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 79% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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

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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 42.8%; rating input score 43
  • Program expense ratio: 90.7%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: 38.2%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.04; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.93; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 49.8% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 199.2% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 42.8% of revenue deployed · 90.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $335K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 43/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 7/100.