Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Apr 1989.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
81 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
3 people listed on the 990; $24K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).
Mary K Birkholz’s $32K as Pres./Dir. is at the 4th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1137 $1–10M animals nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary K Birkholz | $32,000 | $32,000 | $31,299 | $30,800 | $24,050 | $21,800 |
| Kristen Townsend | $17,493 | — | — | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
See Caring for Creatures Foundation executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo
- Loans to or from officersSch L · Pt II1 listed
Programs and updates
Caring for Creatures Foundation is an animal-related nonprofit based in Palmyra, VA, formed in 1987.
Questions for Caring for Creatures Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Caring for Creatures Foundation answers here, for everyone.
Animal Care
See Attached Schedule
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2021. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 54-1463336) · Dispute this lineFunders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $135K | $101K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $143K | $132K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $279K | $234K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $151K | $103K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $128K | $131K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5 | $24K | $8K | $8K | $8K |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $260K | $198K | $13K | $49K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $22K | $16K | $2K | $4K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $3K | $0 | $3K | $0 |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $1K | $1K | $0 | $0 |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $14K | $11K | $4K | $0 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $2K | $2K | $394 | $0 |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $24K | $24K | $0 | $0 |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $2K | $912 | $912 | $0 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $11K | $11K | $0 | $0 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $6K | $3K | $3K | $0 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $123K | $123K | $0 | $0 |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $7K | $7K | $150 | $0 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $501K | $404K | $35K | $62K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS May 13, 2026 | $1.1M | $715K | $414K | $1.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Aug 22, 2025 | $703K | $687K | $15K | $617K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 14, 2024 | $1.2M | $645K | $579K | $481K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Nov 13, 2023 | $460K | $499K | −$39K | $74K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 15, 2022 | $503K | $501K | $3K | $131K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Oct 8, 2021 | $464K | $428K | $36K | $128K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990
Part I · Summary $503,276 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 1 of 3 board members independent, 4 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $503,276 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $500,623 across 13 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $233,862 assets, 13 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $130,744 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file FY2021 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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