Best Friends Animal Society is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Kanab, Utah, registered in 1971, with $148,272,851 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it B+, and it directs about 75% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$148.3M
▼ 14.5% vs prior year
Animals median: $151K
Expenses (FY2023)
$173.4M
Net assets
$140.9M
Employees
1,119
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Best Friends Animal Society: 75% to programs · $21 to raise $100 earns a B on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Best Friends Animal Society: 10 mo reserves · -17% margin earns a C+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Best Friends Animal Society: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Best Friends Animal Society: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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To bring about a time when there are no more homeless pets.
Initiatives, program cities, emergency response, network partners and other national outreach - see schedule o
Revenue grew from $65.5M (FY2013) to $148.3M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
-16.9%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$200.6M
Total liabilities
$59.6M
Net assets
$140.9M
Salaries & benefits
$89.7M
52% of expenses
Board members
12
7 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $148,272,851▼14.5% | $173,381,071▲17.0% | $140,939,672▼7.3% | $200,572,201▼7.3% | 990 |
| 2022 | $173,491,983▲22.6% | $148,139,598▲19.9% | $152,005,566▲25.7% | $216,306,392▲21.4% | 990 |
| 2021 | $141,488,178▲12.9% | $123,525,355▲19.7% | $120,895,118▼1.3% | $178,197,428▼1.1% | 990 |
| 2020 | $125,326,390▲17.2% | $103,177,874▲2.5% | $122,499,459▲33.0% | $180,215,436▲18.0% | 990 |
| 2019 | $106,903,525▲3.9% | $100,665,535▲0.7% | $92,114,343▼7.1% | $152,713,432▼1.0% | 990 |
| 2018 | $102,896,740▲10.4% | $99,934,785▲3.1% | $99,143,790▼2.5% | $154,320,227▲4.6% | 990 |
| 2017 | $93,163,465▼17.7% | $96,938,259▲6.2% | $101,648,982▼6.3% | $147,534,278▲16.0% | 990 |
| 2016 | $113,252,695▲30.0% | $91,275,315▲11.5% | $108,465,353▲27.0% | $127,213,345▲26.9% | 990 |
| 2015 | $87,144,293▼4.8% | $81,852,332▲5.7% | $85,399,183▲7.8% | $100,285,253▲6.6% | 990 |
| 2014 | $91,506,446▲39.7% | $77,444,541▲27.5% | $79,196,364▲21.0% | $94,111,893▲26.7% | 990 |
| 2013 | $65,499,218 | $60,719,229▲14.3% | $65,474,614▲10.9% | $74,270,035▲11.9% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $53,117,382▲14.2% | $59,030,978▲24.9% | $66,353,635▲25.2% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $46,503,541▲19.4% | $47,266,990▲5.8% | $53,009,335▲6.4% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $38,942,161 | $44,657,799 | $49,820,974 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Julianne Castle — $526,755 (0.30% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julianne Castle | Chief Executive Officer | 40 | $526,755 |
| Stephen Howell | Cfo and Coo | 40 | $432,322 |
| Susan Citro | Chief Experience Officer | 40 | $281,634 |
| Valerie Dorian | Chief Development Officer | 40 | $268,195 |
| Karen Gallardo | Sr. Director, Major & Planned Giving | 40 | $265,320 |
| Joseph Angelo | Chief People and Culture Officer | 40 | $262,833 |
| Holly Sizemore | Chief Missions Officer | 40 | $226,183 |
| Rebecca Huss | General Counsel | 40 | $223,417 |
| Judah Battista | Chief Sanctuary Officer | 40 | $221,647 |
| Marc Peralta | Chief Program Officer | 40 | $219,193 |
| Greta Palmer | Chief Brand & Communications | 40 | $218,617 |
| Amy Starnes | Chief Innovation Officer | 40 | $215,495 |
| Elise Traub | Chief External Affairs Officer & Chief of Staff | 40 | $213,572 |
| Alfred Battista | Board Chair / Internal Consultant | 40 | $191,978 |
| Erika Westbay Arnold | Director, Process Excellence | 40 | $189,763 |
| Susan Cosby | Senior Advisor, Strategy & Integration | 40 | $184,475 |
| Erin Katribe | Director, National Veterinary Program | 40 | $177,361 |
| Bernadette Mejia | Board Secretary / Director of Principal Gifts | 40 | $175,342 |
| Gregory Castle | Co-founder / Internal Consultant | 40 | $170,107 |
| Cyrus Mejia | Co-founder / Internal Consultant | 40 | $93,378 |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Pmx Agency LLC | Advertising and Promotion | $1,875,608 |
| Griffin Communications LLC | Advocacy Consulting | $996,947 |
| Casanova Publicidad LLC | Advertising and Promotion | $530,254 |
| Endless Events LLC | National Conference Event Planning | $382,557 |
| Smith-scott Properties Ltd | Rental Property | $278,690 |
407 grants to Best Friends Animal Society totaling $70.2M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bessemer Giving Fund | General support | 2024 | $1,975,500 |
| American Endowment Foundation | Animal-related | 2024 | $1,220,055 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $1,095,082 |
| Paypal Charitable Giving Fund | General support | 2024 | $359,534 |
| Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund | General support | 2024 | $177,950 |
| Charities Aid Foundation America | Charitable donation | 2024 | $164,661 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc | Unrestricted general support | 2024 | $105,000 |
| Ayco Charitable Foundation | Environment & animal protection | 2024 | $75,200 |
| The Community Foundation For Greater Atlanta Inc | Arts/culture/humanities | 2024 | $68,050 |
| Greater Kansas City Community Foundation | Environment & animals | 2024 | $56,255 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | Animal protection and welfare | 2024 | $51,850 |
| The Us Charitable Gift Trust | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2024 | $49,446 |
| Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc | Environment & animal protection | 2024 | $41,300 |
| Arkansas Community Foundation Inc | Observatory - john n. roberts jr. | 2024 | $40,000 |
| Greater Horizons | Environment & animals | 2024 | $32,462 |
307 grants totaling $16.1M in FY2023 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by Best Friends Animal Society →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Pets Alive | Program service support | $2,350,000 |
| Jacksonville Humane Society | Program service support | $1,394,250 |
| Operation Kindness | Program service support | $865,525 |
| Humane Society of Hall County | Program service support | $544,900 |
| West Valley Humane Society Inc | Program service support | $492,000 |
| Thomasville Thomas County Humane Society Inc | Program service support | $486,300 |
| San Diego Humane Society and S P C A | Program service support | $399,531 |
| Massachusetts Society For the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals | Program service support | $399,300 |
| The Humane Society For Greater Savannah Inc | Program service support | $316,600 |
| Charleston Animal Society | Program service support | $268,990 |
| Paws For Life K9 Rescue | Program service support | $262,350 |
| Animal Rescue League of Iowa Incorporated | Program service support | $240,000 |
| Bettertogether Forever | Program service support | $203,750 |
| Belleville Area Humane Society | Program service support | $201,705 |
| Angel City Pit Bulls | Program service support | $201,542 |
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Data for Best Friends Animal Society (EIN 23-7147797) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.