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Paws for Purple Hearts

CharityWatch report issued
April 2022

D
CharityWatch Grade
Our independent grade based
on a number of factors.
 
43%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$52
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

Paws for Purple Hearts
10201 Old Redwood Hwy
Penngrove, CA 94951

Other Names

None

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

To offer therapeutic intervention for veterans & active-duty personnel by teaching those with PTSD to train service dogs for their comrades with combat-related disabilities; built upon the trust & time honored tradition of veterans helping veterans.

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Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2020

Program Percentage: 43%

The percentage of Paws for Purple Hearts's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$6,200,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $52

How many dollars Paws for Purple Hearts spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$6,400,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Joint Costs

Paws for Purple Hearts' rating was adjusted for Joint Costs. If you are a donor who considers direct mail, telemarketing, and other Joint Cost solicitations to be true charitable programs, the below efficiency ratios, which were not adjusted for joint costs, may better reflect your goals.

Program % Cost to Raise $100
70% $26
Accounting rules allow charities to report some telemarketing, direct mail, and other solicitation costs as Program expenses. CharityWatch believes that most donors do not consider a charity's solicitation activities to be the Programs they are intending to support with their donations. We therefore adjust such expenses out of a charity's reported Program expense and add it to Fundraising expense prior to calculating its rating.

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
Paws for Purple Hearts IRS Form 990 45-3342634
Paws for Purple Hearts Audited Financial Statement 45-3342634
Entity: Paws for Purple Hearts
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 45-3342634
Entity: Paws for Purple Hearts
Document Type: Audited Financial Statement
Tax ID: 45-3342634

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
Paws for Purple Hearts
does not meet governance benchmarks.
 
Paws for Purple Hearts
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy

Unable to Provide Salaries

CharityWatch is unable to provide a range of Top Three Salaries for this charity for the above fiscal reporting year because we lack complete salary data for the organization. Except for officers, directors, and trustees, the IRS does not require breakouts of salaries totaling less than $100,000.

For example, XYZ charity would be required to provide a breakout in its tax form of compensation to its president of $55,000, but would not be required to provide a breakout of $99,000 in compensation to its top medical researcher if that person is not also an officer, director, or trustee of the organization.

This charity reports that compensation to its officers, directors, and trustees is under $100,000 per individual. Donors who would like to view limited salary data for this organization should refer to its tax form, which may be available on the charity's web site or from a number of third-party sources. See CharityWatch's Links page for information on obtaining copies of charity tax forms.


CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

According to the Paws for Purple Hearts audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 2, Related Party Transactions):

"The founder, who is also a member of the board of directors of the Organization, is a member of the board of directors of Bergin University of Canine Studies (BUCS). The Organization has a contract with BUCS located in Penngrove, California, as discussed further in Note 8 [cited below]. As a result of the contract, the Organization paid $706,312 to BUCS during the year ended December 31, 2020..."


According to the Paws for Purple Hearts audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 8, Agreements):

"The Organization has an agreement with Bergin University of Canine Studies (BUCS) to provide dogs that are suitable for candidates for training by veterans suffering from psychological scars, curriculum and updates for teaching veterans about training services and assistance dogs and oversight of the program, consulting regarding dogs being trained by the Organization, and services and expenses. The Organization has agreed to identify veterans eligible for dogs, work with veterans under the Organization's supervision, obtain dogs exclusively from BUCS, provide for the health and maintenance of the dogs, to extent possible, and all instructors of the Organization shall be BUCS graduates. In addition, the Organization will return the dogs to BUCS when suitable for placement. The agreement requires the Organization to reimburse BUCS for the cost of services and expenses, and an annual licensing fee of 9.75% of the Organization's revenue from $250,000 to $499,000, 8.5% of revenue from $500,000 to $749,000, 7.25% of revenue from $750,000 to $1,000,000 and 6% of revenue in excess of $1,000,000. During the year ended December 31, 2020 the Organization recorded $555,828 for licensing and administrative fees... As of December 31, 2020, the Organization owes $184,847 to BUCS related to the above agreement..."

According to the Paws for Purple Hearts audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 10, CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program Loans, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)):

"The Company received funds through the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the PPP loan established under the CARES Act. The PPP Loan is subject to forgiveness under the PPP upon the Company's request to the extent that the proceeds are used to pay expenses permitted by the PPP, including payroll costs, covered rent and mortgage obligations, and covered utility payments. Amounts outstanding under the loan bear a fixed interest rate of 1.0% per annum with a maturity in two years from the disbursement date.

"During May 2020, the Company received a PPP loan of $306,604 with the Freedom Bank of Virginia, requiring monthly payments beginning December 2020, including interest of 1.00%, expiring in May 2022. During November 2020, the Company was approved for forgiveness by the SBA on the full amount of the loan and is included as grant income on the accompanying [audited] statement of activities." 


According to the Paws for Purple Hearts audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 7, Debt):

"During the year, the Organization entered into a note payable for a Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan (SBA EIDL). The note payable requires monthly payments of $641, including interest rate of 2.75% and matures in February 2049." The reported balance of the loan is $149,900 at 12/31/2020.


According to the Paws for Purple Hearts audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 13, Subsequent Events):

"During April 2021, the Organization paid the EIDL Loan in full, as described in Note 7 [cited above].

"Subsequent events were evaluated through July 21, 2021, which is the date the [audited] financial statements were available to be issued."

According to the Paws for Purple Hearts audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 11, Commitments and Contingencies, COVID-19 Pandemic):

"In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, which recommended containment and mitigation measures worldwide. The outbreak and the response of governmental and public health organizations in dealing with the pandemic included restricting general activity levels within communities, the economy, and activities with our employees. While the Organization has experienced an impact to its business, operations, and financial results as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may have even more far-reaching impacts on many aspects of operations including the impact on business operations, employees, and the market in general. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately impacts the Organization's business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and liquidity may differ from management's current estimates due to inherent uncertainties regarding the duration and further spread of the outbreak, actions taken to contain the virus, as well as, how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume."